A closer look at Brian Hoyer's streak of 11 straight losses
BOSTON -- All signs are pointing to Brian Hoyer starting at quarterback for the Patriots in Green Bay on Sunday afternoon.
That's not quite official, but all indications are that Mac Jones suffered a rather severe injury. Whether the second-year signal-caller undergoes surgery or not, he figures to be in line to miss some time.
Hoyer, 36, has a wealth of NFL experience, and all of his teammates and coaches have expressed confidence in him over the past couple of days. Buuuut ... it can't be ignored that Hoyer has not won a game as a starting quarterback since Oct. 2, 2016 -- exactly six years apart from Sunday's upcoming game against the Packers.
Six years without an NFL victory at quarterback is not a long time for someone who doesn't make a living as an NFL quarterback. For someone who does make a living as an NFL quarterback, it's rather remarkable.
Nevertheless, Hoyer appears to be getting at least one shot -- but maybe more -- to end his ignominious 11-game losing streak as a starting quarterback.
Before he does, though, here's a look back at those starts, dating back to Week 5 of the 2016 season.
Week 5, 2016
Colts 29
Bears 23
For perspective on how long ago this game was, this game took place at the same time Tom Brady was torching the Browns in his first game back from the DeflateGate suspension. Hoyer's last win came in the last week that Brady served that suspension. As stated ... this was a long time ago.
In the first of 11 straight losses, Hoyer was actually very good against the Colts. He completed 33 of his 43 passes (76.7 percent) for 397 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, good for a 120.0 passer rating. That 397-yard passing total still stands as his single-game career-high, and by a mile. Jordan Howard also ran for 118 yards on 16 carries, so offense was not a problem overall for the Bears in this one.
Hoyer capped a 96-yard scoring drive with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Howard to give Chicago a lead with 7 minutes left in the fourth quarter. But Cameron Meredith fumbled on what could have been the Bears' game-tying or game-winning drive in the final minutes. Trailing by six, Hoyer threw incomplete to Meredith on a fourth-and-8 with a minute to go, and that was that.
The concept of "quarterback wins and losses" is often a controversial one. That's because of games like this, where the quarterback was very good -- good enough to win -- but nevertheless wore an L.
Week 6, 2016
Jaguars 17
Bears 16
For the second straight week, Brian Hoyer was pretty good against an AFC South opponent. For the second straight week, though, he took a loss.
Hoyer was 30-for-49 (61.2 percent) for 302 yards in this one, with no touchdowns or picks. The Bears appeared to have been in total control of this one, taking a 13-0 lead into the fourth quarter. But the Jaguars scored 17 points in the fourth quarter (because you cannot stop Blake Bortles in the fourth quarter), to stun the Bears with a 17-16 victory.
The Bears had plenty of time for a game-winning drive at the end of the game, needing just a field goal. But Hoyer threw incomplete to Alshon Jeffery on fourth-and-10 near midfield, turning the ball over on downs with less than a minute left in the game.
Week 7, 2016
Packers 26
Bears 10
On this Thursday night matchup, Hoyer didn't have much of a chance, as he broke his left arm in the second quarter. Prior to suffering the injury, he was just 4-for-11 for 49 yards.
Hoyer needed surgery, thus ending his 2016 campaign. It was actually -- arguably -- the best year of his career, despite the 1-4 record as a starter. He completed 67 percent of his 200 passes, averaging 7.2 yards per attempt while throwing six touchdowns and three interceptions, good for a 98.0 rating.
Week 1, 2017
Panthers 23
49ers 3
Having started 33 games in the previous four seasons, Hoyer was viewed as a starter in Kyle Shanahan's and John Lynch's new operation in San Francisco. It got off to a rough start.
Hoyer was 24-for-35 for 193 yards with no touchdowns and one pick, while taking four sacks and losing a fumble in his Niners debut. Cam Newton threw for just 171 yards on 14 completions, and he ran for just three yards on the day. But he threw two touchdowns, and the 49ers punted four times, committed two turnovers, and had three turnovers on downs, ending the day with just one scoring drive on their penultimate drive of the day.
It ... was bad.
Week 2, 2017
Seahawks 12
49ers 9
The Hoyer era in San Francisco remained on shaky ground in Week 2. Hoyer was a grisly 15-for-27 (55.6 percent) for just 99 passing yards, with no touchdowns and one interception as the 49ers failed to find the end zone for the second straight week.
After a three-and-out to start the game, Hoyer threw an interception on the Niners' second possession. Two punts followed, before San Francisco scored two field goals before halftime. But then in the third quarter, the Hoyer-led offense gained 41 total yards on 13 plays, sending three more punts into the Seattle sky.
San Francisco's defense played tough, too, and the 49ers took a 9-6 lead early in the fourth quarter. But a Russell Wilson touchdown pass in the middle of the fourth gave Seattle a commanding 12-9 lead, which held for the final score. After that Seattle touchdown, the 49ers went three-and-out, with Hoyer completing two passes short of the sticks. San Francisco punted with 4:59 left and never got the ball back.
Week 3, 2017
Rams 41
49ers 39
After a rough start to the season offensively, the 49ers put up points in Week 3. They still lost.
In a Thursday night affair that could be remembered for the very yellow Rams jerseys, Hoyer threw for 332 yards with two touchdowns and one pick, and he also ran for a 9-yard touchdown. But his two-point conversion attempt to tie the game with 2:19 left in the fourth quarter was intercepted.
The Niners actually recovered Robbie Gould's onside kick, and the ensuing drive looked like this:
Hoyer pass, incomplete
Hoyer pass, complete, no gain
Hoyer pass, complete, 11 yards - negated by OPI
Hoyer pass, incomplete
Hoyer sacked, loss of 8, turnover on downs
The numbers overall were better, but the end result was the same.
Week 4, 2017 (Overtime)
Cardinals 18
49ers 15
The struggles came back for Hoyer in this one, as he was 24-for-49 for 234 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. Despite the 49 pass attempts, he averaged just 4.8 yards per attempt ... which makes you question the play-calling just a bit. In any event, the 49ers punted seven times and had the turnover on a first-quarter interception, which led to an Arizona field goal.
The Niners actually punted five times in the fourth quarter, with all five drives going three-and-out. The team gained an almost impossible six total yards on 15 plays. Ouch.
The Niners did score in overtime, thanks to three defensive penalties from the Cardinals. But they could only muster a field goal. Arizona drove 77 yards for the walk-off win, dropping Hoyer and the Niners to 0-4 on the year.
Week 5, 2017 (Overtime)
Colts 26
49ers 23
Hoyer was very efficient in this one, completing 29 of 46 passes for 353 yards with two touchdowns and no picks. He did fumble twice, but didn't lose either one. The 49ers furiously scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to force overtime, and they picked off Jacoby Brissett in overtime. Needing just a field goal to win, though, Hoyer was 1-for-4 on the drive coming off the interception, and the Colts drove 49 yards before Adam Vinatieri booted the game-winner through the uprights. (Lots of former Patriots involved in this one.)
Week 6, 2017
Redskins 26
49ers 23
In what would be Hoyer's final start of the year (and final start with the 49ers), the veteran got benched in favor of C.J. Beathard.
Hoyer was just 4-for-11 for 34 yards through a quarter and a half. Beathard almost led the Niners to a comeback victory, but his fourth-down pass intended for George Kittle in the final seconds was intercepted at the Washington 32-yard line, robbing the Niners of a potential game-winning field goal opportunity.
"I had a feeling going in, if it went like that, had to make the move, give us a chance to win," Shanahan said of his decision to bench Hoyer.
Hoyer never took another snap for San Francisco, as he was released following the team's acquisition of Jimmy Garoppolo in late October. Hoyer signed with the Patriots after that deal, though he technically was not part of the return package in the trade.
Week 10, 2019
Dolphins 16
Colts 12
Filling in for the injured Jacoby Brissett, Hoyer got his first start in two years. Despite throwing three touchdowns a week prior after Brissett went down, his start went very poorly.
His fifth pass of the day was intercepted, the first of three picks he'd throw on the day. The Colts' six first-half possessions generated 109 yards, and they ended thusly:
Interception
Punt
Punt
Turnover on Downs
Interception
Punt
Improbably, the Colts charged back to take a 12-10 lead in the fourth quarter, off a 1-yard touchdown pass from Hoyer to Jack Doyle. Hoyer had the ball in his hands after Miami regained the lead at 13-12, but he immediately threw an interception. Miami scored another field goal to go up by four, giving Hoyer another chance to win the game. He got the Colts into the red zone, setting up a first-and-10 from the 16-yard line, but he threw three straight incompletions before connecting with Eric Ebron for just eight yards on a fourth-and-10.
The final tally: 18-for-39, 204 yards, one touchdown, three interceptions. And a 10th straight loss.
2020, Week 4
Chiefs 26
Patriots 10
The last outing for Hoyer as a starter was likewise not a pretty one. He was 15-for-22 in the first half, throwing for 130 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Josh McDaniels and Bill Belichick entrusted him to take one more shot at the end zone before halftime, when the Patriots had the ball at the Chiefs' 13-yard line with just 10 seconds left and no timeouts. The one thing Hoyer couldn't do was take a sack, but a veteran with Hoyer's experience should have easily been able to throw a pass away to allow the field goal unit to add three points before halftime.
Alas ... Hoyer took a sack. He popped up and signaled timeout to the referee, but of course, the Patriots didn't have any. They headed into the locker room trailing 6-3 instead of being in a tied game.
Two drives into the second half, Hoyer again had the ball in his hands in the red zone. And on a third-and-8 at the Chiefs' 10-yard line ... Hoyer was strip-sacked, turning it over, taking more points off the board. The Chiefs scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive to go up 13-3.
That ended his night, as Jarrett Stidham played the rest of the game at QB. (Stidham was even worse, going 5-for-13 for 60 yards and two interceptions, though he did throw a touchdown to N'Keal Harry, which is no small feat.)
Not only did Hoyer not play again for the rest of the year, but he didn't even dress, as he was a game-day inactive for the final 12 weeks of the season behind Stidham and Newton.
All told, Hoyer's stats during his 11-game losing streak: 219-for-371 (59 percent), 2,327 yards (211.5 Y/G, 6.3 Y/A), 7 TDs, 8 INTs, 74.7 passer rating.
Week 4, 2022?
That all brings us to the present.
An 11-game losing streak is obviously quite a lot to overcome. Being opposed by Aaron Rodgers, in Green Bay certainly won't make things easier.
But if Hoyer is the starter for multiple weeks, Week 5 could be the date when it all changes. The Detroit Lions weren't all that good to begin with, and they're starting to pile up injuries. Week 4 isn't out of the question, not with the way the Packers' offense has been struggling to start the year. But if it doesn't work out, Oct. 9 at Gillette Stadium could be the moment when the streak finally snaps.
