Brian Hoyer has been dreadful through his opening two games for the San Francisco 49ers and should already been on a short leash as starting quarterback.
Two weeks into the NFL season it is already becoming apparent that the San Francisco 49ers have a problem at the quarterback position. That was not supposed to be the case. Brian Hoyer was supposed to be the stopgap signal-caller who the 49ers could depend on until they find their franchise quarterback.
After extremely disappointing performances from Hoyer against both the Carolina Panthers and the Seattle Seahawks, hopes that he could succeed in a scheme he knows well have been severely dented. Hoyer has yet to throw a touchdown and has turned the ball over three times, twice through interceptions, while struggling to see the field and displaying a dreadful inability to push the ball downfield.
He attempted just three passes of over 10 yards in the 12-9 loss to the Seahawks, per Pro Football Focus, a game in which he finished with just 99 yards. In doing so, he completely wasted an excellent effort by the running game and the defense as the 49ers narrowly missed out a first win in Seattle since 2011.
More from San Francisco 49ers
- 49ers 7th-round pick turning out to be an absolute NFL Draft steal
- San Francisco 49ers almost did the unthinkable in 2022
- 3 reasons why Trey Lance could be labeled a bust after 2023
- The San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback situation is exhausting
- Sam Darnold could be the diamond in the rough for the 49ers
The 49ers held the Seahawks to just 312 yards, consistently pressuring Russell Wilson, with much of Seattle’s 131 rushing yards coming in the fourth quarter when the San Francisco defense looked tired. Meanwhile, Carlos Hyde and Matt Breida combined for 159 yards on the ground, the former racking up his second successive 100-yard game in Seattle.
A strong running game and a stingy defense are factors that should allow a quarterback to succeed, and Hoyer also had the benefit of a great effort from his offensive line. The line allowed just five pressures, per PFF, against on the best defensive fronts in the NFL in an extremely difficult atmosphere to play in.
Yet Hoyer did little with the consistently clean pockets he was provided and was even responsible for one of the two sacks he suffered. While stopgaps are obviously not considered the long-term answer at the quarterback position, they are at least expected to be effective and to give their team a chance.
Hoyer has not done that and, though the opening two games have come against extremely talented defenses, his position deserves to be under threat.
Next: NFL 2017: 20 Bold predictions for Week 3
The 49ers have a number of road games upcoming, but in terms of opponent the schedule softens somewhat in the coming weeks, providing an opportunity for Hoyer to turn his fortunes around. If he does not do that sooner rather later, then the 49ers should accept their mistake and make a move to see what they have in a rookie quarterback in C.J. Beathard who surpassed expectations in preseason.