The San Francisco 49ers' first-team offense was impressive during its first two drives on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. One player who has been heavily scrutinized this offseason is quarterback Brian Hoyer, who will begin the 2017 season as the 49ers' starting signal caller.
During his preseason debut, Hoyer completed just one of his four passes for three yards in limited play against the Kansas City Chiefs. It was enough to reaffirm the doubts on the minds of the Niner Faithful. Against the Denver Broncos, Hoyer looked improved but costly offensive turnovers may have skewed the perception of how he performed. He completed eight of his 11 passes for 89 yards and an interception.
On Sunday, 49ers fans got a glimpse of what may have looked like an entirely different quarterback. Hoyer displayed more confidence and management of the offense than he had displayed in his previous two outings. He completed his first eight passes, which included two touchdowns, and was 12-17 for 176 yards. The touchdowns came during the 49ers' first two offensive drives and the team looked to be firing on all cylinders during those drives.
The 49ers' first touchdown pass came on a deep Hoyer pass to wide receiver Marquise Goodwin for the 46-yard score. The second came on a 24-yard pass to running back Carlos Hyde, who scampered into the end zone for the score, at the start of the second quarter.
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Of course, we know the narrative of the rest of the game. The Vikings came back to beat the 49ers 32-31 on a successful two-point conversion. However, just looking at the starting offense, the 49ers showed their first sign of improvement under head coach Kyle Shanahan and his complex offensive system, which wasn't even on full display.
Hoyer's performance has to give the Niner Faithful a little more hope for the 2017 season as the 49ers look to improve on a disastrous two-win campaign from last year.
For your analysis, here is a video compilation of every pass thrown by Hoyer in the game. Let us know in the comments section what you thought of his outing on Sunday night at U.S. Bank Stadium.