The San Francisco 49ers had their “dress rehearsal” in Minneapolis and ended the night with some positives as well as some negatives. It was the last time we will see out of the starters until week one of the regular season. Here are your winners and losers.
Winners
Brian Hoyer
The starting offense stayed in for the entire first half and finally got into a groove. Hoyer finished the night 12/17 for 176 yards and two touchdowns giving him a 143.3 rating. He completed passes to five different players including six completions to Pierre Garçon. He also completed a deep 46 yard pass to Marquise Goodwin.
Raheem Mostert
The third year running back made a strong case for making the 53 man roster. He caught two passes for a 104 yards and a touchdown. He also carried the ball four times for 26 yards and a second touchdown. Mostert also contributes on special teams, which head coach Kyle Shanahan says is imperative if you're not a hands down starter.
Reuben Foster
Foster had the first tackle of the game and set the tone for the defense. He ended the night with eight tackles, proving he was a steal by the 49ers who drafted him with their second pick in the first round.
Losers
C.J. Beathard
After being tapped as the number two quarterback, the rookie had a lack luster night. He finished the night 7/13 for 159 yards and a 91.5 rating. Over half of those yards were attributed to an 87 yard touchdown pass to Mostert that was mostly yards after catch. Beathard was more inaccurate than we’ve seen before and he also missed seeing open receivers.
J.P. Flynn
Not only did the rookie lineman miss blocks on a number of occasions, he was penalized twice. One penalty was for a false start and a second time for an illegal peel back. While the 49ers need some reinforcement on the offensive line, Flynn will be hoping for a spot on the practice squad.
Tim Hightower
Hightower didn’t even get into the game. Once thought to be a lock on the 53, Hightower may be the odd man out with Mostert playing as well as he has. With Matt Breida and Joe Williams also playing well, there may not be room for Hightower on the roster.