The Minnesota Vikings started their home season with an upset win over the heavily favored defending NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers, winning 23-17. Vegas favored the Niners by 5.5 points over the Vikings, but Minnesota surprised Fog City for the second year in a row.
Led by former 49ers backup QB Sam Darnold, the Vikings controlled most of the game and never relinquished their lead. The team set the tone early, creating havoc with a blocked punt that they turned into three points. The defense did more than its fair share against the high-powered 49ers offense, stopping them at the one-yard line on the next drive. In the shadow of their goal line, the Vikings orchestrated a 99-yard drive for the second week in a row.
However, the Vikings missed several opportunities to make this a more convincing win. They turned the ball over twice deep in San Francisco territory, played impressively through the second half, and were the better team on offense and defense. Up only six without his top tight end and two best receivers, Darnold orchestrated a six-minute, 46-second drive for a field goal to make it a two-score game, leaving the Niners with 3:30 left in the game and no timeouts. Minnesota’s defense held strong, allowing only three points, and the game ended when the special teams recovered the onside kick to start 2-0 on the season.
The Vikings called their first timeout with 11:34 left in the first quarter. The lack of a timeout hurt them when they took over with 1:50 left in the second half following Darnold’s pick and San Francisco’s first touchdown. Getting the play in on time has been something the Vikings have struggled with throughout the Kevin O’Connell era, and it happened yet again early in the first quarter.
