Inside The Vikings

5 things that stood out in the Vikings' statement win over the 49ers

Minnesota took down the 49ers but lost Justin Jefferson to an injury.

Sep 15, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (bottom) scores on a 7 yard touchdown pass as guard Dominick Puni (77) blocks and Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith (22) and safety Josh Metellus (44) and cornerback Stephon Gilmore (2) attempt to make the stop during the second quarter U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Sep 15, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (bottom) scores on a 7 yard touchdown pass as guard Dominick Puni (77) blocks and Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith (22) and safety Josh Metellus (44) and cornerback Stephon Gilmore (2) attempt to make the stop during the second quarter U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
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The NFL has been put on notice that the Minnesota Vikings are more of a contender than a cupcake after taking down the reigning NFC champion San Francisco 49ers 23-17 Sunday in Minneapolis. Let's dig into five underrated game details that stood out...

1. Sam Darnold clutch when it mattered most

Perhaps the biggest play of the game came on Minnesota's drive to kick a field goal and go up by nine points, 23-14, with under four minutes left in the fourth quarter. The most important play of the drive came on third-and-eight from the 46-yard line when Darnold hit Jalen Nailor down the seam for a 26-yard gain and a first down.

That play allowed the Vikings to delete another FOUR minutes off the clock and force the Niners to use all of their timeouts while being down by two possessions.

2. We predicted the 97-yard Justin Jefferson touchdown

While all attention is on Jefferson's health after he left the game in the second half with a quad injury, the electrifying wide receiver hauled in a 97-yard touchdown pass from Darnold in the first half. What's more impressive than the play itself? How about predicting it moments before it happened...

That's precisely what Joe Nelson predicted three minutes before it happened. See the proof below from our Slack chat.

Joe Nelson predicted the long-bomb Jefferson touchdown three minutes before it happened.
Joe Nelson predicted the long-bomb Jefferson touchdown three minutes before it happened. / Vikings On SI

3. Red zone turnovers

Minnesota could've blown out the Niners if it weren't for a couple of turnovers in the red zone. In the second quarter, Darnold threw into a mass of defenders and Fred Warner made an easy interception that turned into seven points as the 49ers marched down the field for a George Kittle touchdown.

The more costly turnover came when Aaron Jones caught a screen pass and fumbled at the 1-yard line. Had he scored, the Vikings could've led 27-7. And guess who forced the fumble? Yep, it was Warner.

4. Narrow miss on muffed punt

When the 49ers muffed a punt midway through the third quarter, the Vikings had multiple chances to recover the loose ball but San Francisco wound up on the ball inside their own 20-yard line. Look how close Jay Ward and Brian Asamoah II were to recovering the ball. Had the Vikings recovered, they could've put a nail in the 49ers' coffin far sooner than anyone predicted.

5. Andrew Van Ginkel is extremely disruptive

Van Ginkel popped in the highlights last week with a sack and an athletic interception for a touchdown against the Giants, and he a menace on the edge all day against the 49ers.

In the first half, Van Ginkel nearly jumped a Purdy pass at the line of scrimmage near the goal line the same way he did to Giants QB Daniel Jones. He also tipped Purdy's pass on a key fourth down inside the 5-yard line in the first half, and then tipped and nearly picked a pass at the line late in the fourth quarter.

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