Bulletin-board material: Vikings are 'too outclassed' by 49ers

If the Vikings need a talking point to get them revved up for the game, look no further...

Oct 23, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) is tackled during the second quarter as Minnesota Vikings cornerback Akayleb Evans (21) looks on at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The only dose of respect the Vikings have received this week is the minuscule half-point that went back to them in the betting odds against the 49ers. Minnesota began Wednesday as a 6-point home underdog against the defending NFC champions, but on Thursday the line has shrunk to 5.5 points in favor of the Niners.

If that alone isn't enough to charge up the Vikings for Sunday's noon kickoff, the prediction from The Athletic's Vic Tafur should do the trick. Tafur makes weekly picks via The Athletic he believes the Vikings having no chance to beat San Francisco.

"Will Christian McCaffrey play? Eh. He might, but he probably can rest up some more, as Jordan Mason was the latest example Monday night of why running backs don’t matter. And in this matchup, the Vikings secondary will be exposed by all of the 49ers targets, and one of them, Brandon Aiyuk, will knock off some more rust and won’t be dropping touchdowns like he did against the Jets," Tafur wrote.

"Plus, we have another double-down opportunity. Sam Darnold looked good last week against the shellshocked Giants, but the Niners know their former backup well and will expose all his flaws. Darnold was 5-for-5 for 81 yards and two touchdowns when the Giants blitzed him, but the 49ers will be able to apply pressure without exposing themselves. I don’t care if the 49ers are traveling halfway across the country on a short week, the Vikings are just too outclassed."

While it's true that the 49ers might know how to get to Darnold's weaknesses, it's also true that Darnold spending a year with the Niners means he knows how to attack the soft spots in San Francisco's defense.

Fun little fact that will go unnoticed by most: Tafur spent 12 years writing for the San Francisco Chronicle and he currently covers the Las Vegas Raiders. We're detecting a bit of bias in his prediction, which is fair because we too can sometimes get caught wearing purple-colored glasses when attempting to predict a Vikings outcome.

We'll just let the football players settle it on the field on Sunday...