What Happened in Minnesota: How the 49ers Lost 23-17 to the Vikings

Ladies and gentlemen it is official, the Niners haven't won a game in Minnesota since 1992. The 49ers looked terrible in their loss to the Vikings at 17-23. With countless holes across the whole team, what happened to this team?

Sep 15, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) wipes off with a towel during a timeout during the second quarter against the Minnesota Vikings U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

For those of you who were expecting a dominant performance, the exact opposite was shown. An absolutely terrible showing was displayed.

Against a Vikings team with no Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, Justin Jefferson leaving early, and Aaron Jones going to the blue tent in the 4th quarter, the 49ers were outplayed yet again by Kevin O'Connell and Brian Flores.

So with all of that on the Vikings side, how did this happen?

Signs were shown early of possible issues in the offense. The 49ers started off the game, as you would guess, giving the ball to their big player last week, Jordan Mason. Oh wait, they didn't. Instead of doing the most basic thing in running the ball, Shanahan chose to try and pick apart the Viking's pass coverage with 3 straight passing attempts. This didn't work and led to a speedy 3 and out in a minute and a half.

The Vikings then started a decent drive, the offensive line was hitting their blocks, Darnold was throwing lasers (yes, this really happened), and they looked good. Then Darnold tried to throw a pitch to Aaron Jones that was very off. This put the Vikings in a 2nd and deep that they couldn't get out of, giving the 49ers a chance to get some points on the board.

This is about the time when the collapse began to happen. The Niners failed to get a quality drive going and were forced to punt again. C.J. Ham ran through the might side unblocked by George Odum or Robert Beal to block Mitch Wishnowsky's punt. This ball got taken all the way to the 24 yard line, giving the Vikings a free field goal to start the game.

The 49ers started to look good on offense. They took the ball from their own 5 all the way to Minnesota's 45 for a fourth down conversion. They converted and continued on to the 4 yard line, where they decided to pass on 3 downs and run the ball once. This lead to a turnover on downs, they could've simply ran the ball 4 times and likely gotten those yards. Seemingly Shanahan over planned on the Vikings continuing to be bad in pass coverage, which they weren't.

If you think losing the ball at the 2 is bad, it only got worse. Sam Darnold threw up the ball to Justin Jefferson for a 97 yard touchdown. Jefferson blew past George Odum and Ji'ayir Brown, yes he was double covered, to score the longest touchdown since 2016.

The game continued on with another turnover on downs for the 49ers. This was a bad look, but turned good with Fred Warner picking of Sam Darnold on one of his few mistakes of the game. The Niners responded with a big touchdown to Geroge Kittle to put the game at 7-10. The Vikings made a Field goal before half to put it at 7-13.

The second half started off as a punt fest, and Purdy getting sacked twice in his first drive. After three punts, Purdy got the ball back to throw an interception. A really bad one. Kyle Juszcyk was open in the middle, but Purdy threw it late for a pick. The Vikings then took that ball and scored another touchdown.

And it gets worse, on the Niners' next drive they gave up a sack-fumble. This felt like the end of the game. Until Fred Warner's dominance continued. Warner responded by hitting Aaron Jones at the 2-yard line for a fumble. Perfect punch from Warner and the Niners got the ball at the 1. After that the Niners scored again, but at that point, it was a little too late. Some poor clock management sealed the game. at 17-23. All in all a bad look for the Niners.

Flores' blitz tirade worked well against Purdy, as he was sacked 6 times. Although his passing was alright, going 28/36 for 297 yards and a 101.3 passer rating, the Niners were too out of rhythm to win the game.

This loss is on everyone. The coach's play calls were not working on both sides of the ball. Shanahan elected to pass, instead of running on key plays. Sorensen was unable to hold down Justin Jeffersons' big plays. The Offensive Line was ineffective. Brock Purdy was outdueled by Sam Darnold (what world is this). The only bright spot was Fred Warner who single-handedly kept them in the game.

So what should be expected next week? A revamped Niners team that will be gunning for a dominant win. And if not, Super Bowl contention might be out the door.