Both teams land some punches, but mistakes later in the game cost the Vikings a bigger margin of victory
The Minnesota Vikings beat the reigning NFC champion and favorite to win the NFC again this season San Francisco 49ers 23-17 in a hard-fought game by both teams at US Bank stadium.
It was hard fought, but not mistake-free for either team. It was also a big win for the Vikings- and could’ve been even bigger but for a couple of mistakes late in the game. The first was the fumble by Aaron Jones near the goal line that took away what could’ve been a touchdown to go up 27-7, and the second was a stalled drive that was first and goal at the five that ended with a field goal, costing the Vikings another four points.
But the Vikings did well to hold the 49ers to just 2/10 on third down and 1/3 on fourth down, creating two takeaways (and an opportunity for at least one more) and a blocked punt that was effectively a turnover as well. They also sacked Brock Purdy six times- a career-high.
Brian Flores generally got the better of Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers offense schematically, making it more difficult for Brock Purdy and the 49ers to run their offense effectively in key situations and holding them to 17 points.
Offensively the Vikings battled through some tough situations, going 7/12 on third down and hitting some big plays in both the run and pass- none bigger than the 97-yard TD pass from Darnold to Justin Jefferson to take a ten-point lead early on. But Ty Chandler and Sam Darnold added some big plays on the ground, while Jalen Nailor had a couple of big receptions as well to convert a big third down and score a touchdown. The offensive line battled as well, giving Darnold time to make those key plays but also giving up a couple of sacks as well.
But overall, the Vikings were able to match the 49ers’ physicality, win the turnover battle (if you include the blocked punt), and schematically make it difficult for the 49ers to execute their offense effectively. All those were keys to the win, along with Sam Darnold playing well outside the interception, which was part bad decision on his part and part good play by All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner, who caused both turnovers by the Vikings.
Andrew Van Ginkel had a few great plays as well that didn’t show up in the box score, including a near interception on a screen pass similar to last week but was actually caught by Deebo Samuel on the tip- but for a loss on third down that forced the 49ers to kick their last field goal of the game. The other was a tipped ball on fourth and goal that capped a goal line stand by the Vikings’ defense.
C.J. Ham had the blocked punt, and the Vikings also had another opportunity for a turnover on special teams on a botched punt reception by the 49ers but they managed to recover in the resulting scrum.
The 49ers continue their 30-year losing streak against the Vikings in Minnesota, with the Vikings being able to expose their Achilles heels of recent years: not winning when they lose the turnover battle, and not being able to come back in the fourth quarter when behind by 8+ points.
Overall, it was a big, momentum-building win by the Vikings that might have been even more of a statement win had they avoided some of the issues in the red zone. As it was, the Vikings look a lot more formidable than they did at the beginning of the season.
As it stands, the Vikings are 2-0 and in sole possession of first place in the NFC North, pending the Bears-Texans game. It’s the first time the Vikings have started the season 2-0 since 2016. Historically, teams that start the season 2-0 make the playoffs 68.7% of the time, dating back to the start of the 16-game season back in 1978. Since 1990 and the advent of the 12-team playoff format, 72.6% of teams that started 2-0 made the playoffs. The current 14-team format and 17-game season probably increase that probability slightly as well.
Stay tuned.
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