Hoyer looks stellar; Viking rally for 32-31 win
MINNEAPOLIS — Brian Hoyer had the San Francisco offense humming after sputtering through the first two preseason games, passing for 176 yards and two touchdowns in the first half before the Minnesota Vikings rallied for a 32-31 victory over the 49ers on Sunday night.
Sam Bradford and the Minnesota starters again failed to reach the end zone, though Bradford was sharp when given time to throw. Jerick McKinnon scored on a 108-yard kickoff return in the third quarter, boosting his bid to take over that role.
Backup quarterbacks Case Keenum and Taylor Heinicke led a late charge, with Heinicke’s hurdle over the pylon for the 2-point conversion on the final play giving the Vikings the win after Terrell Newby’s touchdown run with no time left.
Hoyer found Marquise Goodwin wide open for a 46-yard touchdown strike and Carlos Hyde out of the backfield for a 24-yard connection, some evidence of how new coach Kyle Shanahan’s scheme could pick up the pace after the 49ers were one of the league’s lowest-scoring teams the last three years.
Goodwin, the former Olympic long jumper who had the fastest 40-yard dash time at the 2013 NFL combine, ought to help. Injuries buried him in Buffalo.
The backups were buzzing, too, with an 87-yard score by Raheem Mostert off a screen pass from C.J. Beathard on thirdand-22 in the third quarter and a short touchdown run by Mostert in the fourth quarter.
An unchallenged starter for the first time in his nine-year career, Hoyer finished 12 for 17 with a 143.3 passer rating. He completed his first nine passes. Beathard took another step toward solidifying himself as the backup, too, despite having a pass picked off by Antone Exum.
The depth chart behind Hyde at running back is wide open, with Mostert (130 yards, six touches) and rookie Matt Breida (34 yards, eight touches) standing out.
BEARS 19, TITANS 7
In Nashville, Tenn., Chicago coach John Fox thinks having a whole week to prepare for an opponent helped Mike Glennon turn in a strong performance for the Bears.
How much Glennon helped himself to the Bears’ starting quarterback job remains to be seen. Glennon capped an opening 96-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Dion Sims as the Bears beat the Tennessee Titans in the third preseason game.
“We’re very happy with the way Mike responded as far as a real game plan and what he did, I thought he played very well,” said Fox, who also noted coaches will keep evaluating.
Glennon was an efficient 11 of 18 for 134 yards passing despite losing starting wide receiver Cameron Meredith late in the first quarter. Meredith was carted off with a suspected left ACL injury, which Fox said must be checked by an MRI exam first.
Having a week to prepare and study for an opponent fits Glennon’s strengths.
REDSKINS 23, BENGALS 17
In Landover, Md., Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals’ starters shrugged off a rough start to the preseason to finish exactly the way they wanted. Dalton was 8 of 13 for 70 yards and Cincinnati’s first-team offense and defense looked sharp against Washington on Sunday as the Redskins won on the strength of their backups. A.J. Green had four catches for 43 yards, Jeremy Hill ran for 15 yards and the Bengals regulars’ first exhibition touchdown before his day was cut short with an ankle injury.
“We just executed,” Green said. “Once we’re clicking on all cylinders and everybody getting their touches, we can be a dangerous offense.” And a dangerous defense, too. Linebacker Vontaze Burfict intercepted Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins’ pass and returned it for a touchdown, stiff-arming the quarterback at the end zone and jumping into the stands, before leaving with a back injury. Chris Smith and rookies Jordan Willis and Carl Lawson each sacked Cousins as defensive coordinator Paul Guenther seems to have the edge rushers he was looking for.
“Good job today on third down, which was key,” Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis said after his team improved to 1-2 in the preseason. “We haven’t played as well on third down defensively this preseason yet and so we made some good strides.”