Errors sideline flailing offense
Turnovers lead to 20-0 deficit after awful half
First, Brian Hoyer stumbled, then he fumbled, and his consecutive-play blooper reel neatly captured a disastrous performance for the 49ers’ first-team offense Saturday night.
In a 33-14 preseason loss to the Broncos, the 49ers’ quarterback directed an attack that left Levi’s Stadium aghast.
The results of four first-half drives by the 49ers’ offensive starters: punt (three-and-out), fumble, interception, fumble.
It couldn’t have been any worse. Or maybe it could have? The 49ers, after all, were bumbling against a Denver defense that didn’t play seven starters. Imagine what might have happened if Broncos pass-rusher extraordinaire Von Miller was pressuring Hoyer, who had issues even with no defenders in his vicinity.
Late in the first quarter, Hoyer’s cleats appeared to get caught in the grass, and he stumbled before throwing a wayward sideline pass in the direction of fullback Kyle Juszczyk. On the next play Hoyer dropped back, cocked his arm and had the ball slip loose and drop behind him as he finished his throwing motion. The fumble was recover-
ed by Denver.
It epitomized a first half that ended with the 49ers trailing 20-0 largely because of their four turnovers, one of which came on special teams.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked whether the performance in the second preseason game was concerning.
“The whole game was concerning,” Shanahan said. “You start the first half with four turnovers. … It’s really tough to win when you put your team in that situation.”
It’s no time to panic after two exhibition games, but the 49ers certainly won’t celebrate the way they’ve started under their offensive-minded rookie coach.
The 49ers’ first-team offense has zero points — but does have a laundry list of errors — on six preseason drives.
On Saturday, the starters had two penalties (illegal shift, illegal formation), a lost fumble by running back Tim Hightower, an interception that was bobbled by wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, a fumbled pitch that running back Carlos Hyde recovered, and a drop by tight end Vance McDonald.
But if anything will be remembered from a mid-August preseason game, it will be Hoyer’s unforced fumble.
“I went to throw it, and I was going to throw it hard, and, literally, I think my arm even went forward and then I’m looking around, like, ‘What happened to the ball?’ ” Hoyer said. “It’s like the worst feeling. You go to throw the ball, and you’re looking and all of a sudden, you look around and you have no idea where it is. It, literally, is the worst feeling that I’ve had as a quarterback.”
If there was any good news to come out of the messiness, it was this: Hoyer, the unquestioned starting quarterback, played well in spurts.
Hoyer completed 8 of 11 passes for 89 yards and had his bad-luck pick. In the second quarter, his over-themiddle-pass was slightly behind Goodwin, who got both hands on the ball, bobbled it and had it ripped away by cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris.
The tone was for the nightmarish opening was established quickly.
The Broncos punted on their game-opening drive, but the kick hit 49ers returner Jaquiski Tartt in the back of his leg and was recovered by Denver at the 49ers’ 11-yard line.
Four plays later, after a passinterference penalty by cornerback Rashard Robinson in the end zone, running back C.J. Anderson’s 1-yard touchdown run gave the Broncos a 7-0 lead.
The 11-yard scoring drive marked the only points the 49ers’ defensive starters allowed in three series. The Broncos were forced to punt on their other two drives and averaged 2.1 yards on their 13 plays against the starters.
Denver scored all of its 20 first-half points off turnovers, which resulted in scoring drives of just 11, 26, 12 and 53 yards.
The 49ers, who lost a fumble in the second half, lost the turnover battle 5-0.
“I would have predicted the score would have been worse,” Shanahan said, noting the turnover differential. “There’s no need to panic. That’s what happens in this sport, at any level, when you turn the ball over and you don’t get turnovers.” Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ebranch@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Eric_Branch