Week 7 of the NFL season came to a close with a surprising Minnesota Vikings win over the San Francisco 49ers.
What are the biggest things to take away from this game? Here are three interesting notes.
1. Jordan Addison Is the Real Deal
Minnesota Vikings rookie WR Jordan Addison had a breakout game last night. He had seven catches for 123 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions. All of these are personal highs in an individual game this season.
Considering that the Vikings just lost star WR Justin Jefferson to a hamstring injury, somebody had to step up in his absence. Addison may have shown Minnesota that they have another wide receiver for the foreseeable future.
Not only is he making a strong case for Rookie of the Year, but he is also putting up elite wide receiver stats.
Addison currently has six touchdown receptions this season. Only Tyreek Hill has more than him through Week 7.
Even if the Minnesota Vikings miss the playoffs, they are likely pleased with how their 2023 first-round draft pick has turned out thus far.
2. San Francisco 49ers Need Key Players
On the other end of the spectrum, we are starting to see how important health is for the San Francisco 49ers. The spotlight is on the offensive side of the ball these last two losses.
San Francisco scored just 17 points in each of those losses. During their 5-0 start, they never scored fewer than 30 points in a game.
A big reason for this is that their offensive weapons are not all healthy. WR Deebo Samuel did not play last night and will miss next week’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals due to a hamstring injury.
On top of this, RB Christian McCaffrey has had health problems dealing with an oblique injury. Although he played last night, his impact was minimal.
He had just 45 rushing yards last night. The 49ers are 0-2 this season when he has fewer than 50 rushing yards. They are 5-0 when he has over 50 rushing yards in a game.
It is clear that San Francisco needs Samuel back and needs McCaffrey more involved to succeed.
3. Minnesota Vikings Are Back In The Playoff Hunt
Last night’s win was big for the Vikings’ playoff chances. They have won two straight games and now have a 3-4 record.
This puts them just half a game out of the final NFC Wild Card spot. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers currently hold that spot with a 3-3 record.
Minnesota also had a lot of help from other playoff contenders in Week 7. The New Orleans Saints, Washington Commanders, Los Angeles Rams, and Green Bay Packers all lost.
Most of those teams fell under .500 because of this. The Packers fell further behind.
After a big home win over the 49ers fans, Vikings fans should have hope to make something of this 2023 season.
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