Getty Brian Hoyer
The New England Patriots started Brian Hoyer on Monday night, and it was a disaster. He was pulled in the second half, but not before Twitter let him have it.
You could clearly see the dropoff from the level of QB play the Patriots had enjoyed through the first three games with Cam Newton playing the position. However, there is a happy medium between what Newton had produced and what Hoyer subjected Patriots fans to on Monday night.
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Twitter Slams Brian Hoyer After Horrendous Showing
Social media unleashed their unrelenting fury on the 34-year-old career backup QB.
Exclusive look inside Brian Hoyer’s brain
Nooooooooooo!!! That did not just happen. What in the Chris Webber is Brian Hoyer doing? You ain’t got no timeouts man!!
Does Brian Hoyer have too much arm strength?
See, the problem is that Brian Hoyer is not very good.
Multiple NFL teams decided that Brian Hoyer was a better football player than Colin Kaepernick.
bill belichick @ brian hoyer at the end of the half.
That’s just a shortlist of the less-obscene reactions that could be found in the Twitterverse. At the end of Hoyer’s night, he was 15-for-24 for 130 yards, ) TD, and an INT. The numbers weren’t the worst part of Hoyer’s performance.
It was the particularly bone-headed plays that are traditionally uncharacteristic for a veteran quarterback that sealed Hoyer’s fate in the game and turned fans completely against him on the evening.
This egregious decision to take a sack, with no timeouts, at the end of the first half that pushed his team out of field-goal range was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
With no timeouts left and in FG position, Brian Hoyer takes a sack. That’s how the first half ends. Yikes.
Jarrett Stidham Wasn’t Quite As Bad in Relief
The Patriots’ second-year QB Jarrett Stidham came on in relief in the third quarter. He threw the ball well mostly. He registered the first TD pass of his career with a nicely placed ball to N’Keal Harry but also underthrew Damiere Byrd–on a pass that was also delivered late–that turned out to be an interception that was the last nail in the coffin.
Stidham also had a pick-six that wasn’t his fault. Julian Edelman allowed a ball to go through his hands and Tyrann Mathieu picked it off and took it to the house. The ball probably shouldn’t have been thrown as it had little chance of turning into a successful play. However, that’s a ball Edelman has to catch, at the very least.
Stidham finished 5 of 13 for 60 yards, a TD, and 2 INT.
Cam Newton Is Still the Man That Gives the Patriots the Best Chance to Win
It’s pretty clear, Newton gives the Patriots the best chance to win. The Patriots were in this game most of the 60 minutes. In fact, they probably should have been leading, or at the very least tied at the end of the first half.
Hoyer’s poor play cost them points on several occasions. With Newton on the field, it’s hard to imagine the Patriots’ offense wouldn’t have scored more than the 10 points they mustered.
Newton, who is currently on the COVID-19 reserve list, but is reportedly asymptomatic, could potentially return next week against the Denver Broncos, but a lot has to go as planned. In any case, the Patriots and their fans should be chomping at the bit to get him back.