The Minnesota Vikings hosted the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, and they didn’t care about the star-studded group at U.S. Bank Stadium as they came away with a statement 23-17 win to move to 2-0 on the season.
The 49ers, now 1-1, were coming off a brilliant “Monday Night Football” performance against the New York Jets, where running back Jordan Mason, filling in for the injured Christian McCaffrey, was electric.
But the electricity in this building came from the arm of Sam Darnold, who is clearly loving it in Minnesota right now after another great performance.
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Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold warms up before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at U.S. Bank Stadium. (Brad Rempel-Imagn Images)
Darnold, who had two touchdown passes against the New York Giants in his Week 1 win, had two more in this victory and one of them was something the Vikings hadn’t done since 2008.
Darnold connected with veteran receiver Justin Jefferson, who would later leave the game with a quad injury in the second half, for a 97-yard touchdown. It was the longest score the team had since 2008.
VIKINGS’ SAM DARNOLD LAUNCHES 97-YARD TOUCHDOWN TO JUSTIN JEFFERSON VS 49ERS TO START WEEK 2
Darnold would finish the game 17-of-26 for 268 yards, with his other touchdown going to Jalen Nailor, which was ultimately the game-winning score.
On the other sideline, Brock Purdy didn’t have a bad game by any means, throwing for 319 yards on 28-of-36. However, the 49ers couldn’t make the most of their red zone trips, as he threw for only one touchdown and Mason ran one in as well.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy scrambles against the Minnesota Vikings in the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. (Brad Rempel-Imagn Images)
Also, the 49ers were just 2-of-10 on third-down conversions, as Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores was drawing up all kinds of blitzes to disrupt Purdy in the pocket.
One of the two turnovers the Vikings forced was a game-changer in the second half, as Purdy threw his lone interception of the day, which Josh Metellus picked off and returned to San Fran’s 10-yard line. It set up Darnold’s pass to Nailor in the end zone and made it 20-7 midway through the third quarter.
Looking more at the box score, Mason had another great game for San Fran, totaling 100 yards on 20 carries. However, the Vikings set the tone running with 146 team yards, where Ty Chandler led the way with 82 on 10 carries.
Jefferson may not have finished the game on the field for Minnesota, but his four catches went for 133 yards to lead the game. Deebo Samuel Sr. led the 49ers in the receiving category with 110 yards on eight receptions.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold throws a pass against the San Francisco 49ers during the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. (Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images)
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George Kittle was the lone receiving touchdown recipient, as he had seven catches for 76 yards.
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