The Minnesota Vikings pulled off the unthinkable and upset the San Francisco 49ers for the second year in a row. The Vikings’ special teams unit came up huge blocking the first punt attempt by the 49ers, which gave them excellent field position, and the Vikings were able to come away with at least a field goal.
Throughout the game, the Minnesota Vikings defense put on a clinic because it didn’t just stop after the blocked punt from the special teams unit, but the defense was able to make a huge fourth and goal stop at the five-yard line. Then after that huge stop by the defense, the Vikings make the play of the day. Sam Darnold launches a 97-yard dot to none other than Justin Jefferson for the touchdown as the Vikings go up 10-0 early.
Minnesota Vikings Brian Flores Led Defense On Full Display Today
The Vikings defense was cooking against the Niners. They did exactly what they needed to do against San Francisco, they sacked Brock Purdy six times, they didn’t let the 49ers get anything going on the ground, and they locked up Brandon Aiyuk. This is another impressive showing from this defense, a unit that’s been so impressive that you almost wonder how far they can go.
This marks the second straight season in which Brian Flore’s defense has bested Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Last year (similar to this year) they made Brock Purdy uncomfortable in the pocket and held them to just 17 points. This Vikings’ defense finished 11th in the league last year, and now coach Flores has more control, while the Vikings were dealt some pretty devastating blows in the offseason, they’ve been able to quickly onboard the newcomers they need to keep this defense rolling.
Sam Darnold is Still Coming Together But Looks So Far, So Good
Sam Darnold was able to complete 17 out of 26 passes for a total of 268 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception. He also added 32 yards on the ground in Minnesota’s 23-17 win. Darnold fumbled the ball twice, recovering one of them, but it’s safe to say that Darnold wasn’t as efficient as he’s been throughout week 1. Now Sam Darnold was missing a couple of key components in Jordan Addison who was out with an ankle injury, and Justin Jefferson got a minor quadricep injury late in the third quarter.
However, the veteran QB was effective overall even though the aggressive 49ers defense sacked Darnold three times and hit him an additional three which made him lose the ball twice. Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings escape with a huge victory but will need an even better performance in week 3 in another home matchup against the Houston Texans. We don’t know just yet if Addison will be available, but Justin Jefferson’s injury was just a minor one, and will most likely be ready to go come Sunday.
The Vikings are off to a great start 2-0, the first 2-0 start since 2016, and they sit first in the NFC North. This is a fun and exciting Vikings team to watch this year, and are a serious dark horse, not only in the NFC North but maybe in the entire NFC division.
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