SANTA CLARA – Saturday night’s opening act by the 49ers served as a harsh reminder this new-era turnaround won’t be easy, and there isn’t room for error. Or errors.
First, a special teams gaffe and defensive penalties helped the 49ers promptly fall behind 7-0 during coach Kyle Shahanan’s Levi’s Stadium debut, a 33-14 exhibition loss to the Denver Broncos.
Then the 49ers offense got into the blooper-reel act: quarterback Brian Hoyer had the ball slip out of his hand for a fumble on a would-be, third-down pass attempt.
