Minneapolis Vikings— Sam Darnold’s difficulties in his first five years in the NFL pushed him to backup status in San Francisco last season, as another prospect failed to produce like a premium selection pick.
He has swiftly regained his position in Minnesota.
Darnold tossed for 268 yards and two touchdowns against his former team, including a 97-yard connection to Justin Jefferson in the second quarter, and the Vikings’ energetically attacking defense powered them to a 23-17 victory against the 49ers on Sunday.
Sam Darnold And An Attacking Defense Drive The Undefeated Vikings In A 23-17 Win Over The 49ers
“Sam has made a lot of outstanding decisions. Jefferson stated, “We just have to keep trusting him to make those decisions.”
Among those wise decisions was to join the Vikings, who needed a veteran to stabilize the offense before handing it over to rookie J.J. McCarthy, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last month.
“The amount of work that goes into that position on your quarterback journey when everybody decides that you can not play — we always believed in him,” Kevin O’Connell, his coach, told reporters. “It felt awesome to watch him go do that thing.”
Darnold finished 17 for 26 with one interception for the Vikings (2-0), who had three field goals from rookie Will Reichard and 146 running yards in their most productive ground game in nearly three years (6.1 yards per attempt).
Blake Cashman had 13 tackles, three passes defended, and a sack, while Patrick Jones II had two of Brock Purdy’s six sacks. Purdy threw two interceptions and played from behind the whole game.
“We have the players. We’ve got the plan. “We’ve got what it takes,” said Purdy, who finished 28 for 36 for 319 yards. “It’s dropping back and executing and getting the ball into guys’ hands.”
Despite two red zone turnovers that the 49ers (1-1) converted into touchdowns and a quadriceps injury that knocked Jefferson out of the game in the third quarter, Darnold and the Vikings put on a display in his home debut after backing up Purdy last season for the NFC champs.
But in terms of a statement win by a club projected to finish last in the NFC North or a told-you-so performance by a quarterback on the verge of being discarded by the public, he falls short.
“I don’t get into narratives like that,” Darnold said. “I think the biggest thing for us is just continuing to take it one day at a time.”
Jordan Mason ran 20 times for 100 yards and a touchdown for the 49ers in another solid replacement for All-Pro Christian McCaffrey, who will miss at least two more games due to lower leg problems.
The Vikings may have won easily if it hadn’t been for Fred Warner, the three-time All-Pro linebacker who made his NFL debut for the 49ers in the season opener against Minnesota in 2018.
Warner, who finished with nine tackles and two passes defended, made a diving interception at the San Francisco 10 to end a promising drive with the Vikings up 10-0. The 49ers took advantage of the momentum with a five-play drive that ended with a touchdown toss from Purdy to George Kittle.
Then, in the fourth quarter, with the Vikings leading 20-7, Warner jarred the ball loose from Aaron Jones at the 1-yard line after an 18-yard run.
Kittle recorded seven catches for 76 yards, giving him the third-most receiving yards (6,390) by a tight end in NFL history after 100 games. Rob Gronkowski (7,112) and Travis Kelce (6,762) were the only players with more.
Try again.
San Francisco has dropped eight straight games at Minnesota, including the second straight year following a 22-17 setback on a Monday night in Week 7 last season. The most recent victory here came in 1992.
Sam Darnold And An Attacking Defense Drive The Undefeated Vikings In A 23-17 Win Over The 49ers
Ham it up!
C.J. Ham, the Vikings’ ninth-year fullback and special teams stalwart blocked a punt to set up the team’s first field goal. Theo Jackson picked it up for a 37-yard return to the San Francisco 24.
Injuries: 49ers’ Talanoa Hufanga (knee) missed his second consecutive game. His backup, Odum, was the last line of defense on Jefferson’s touchdown. Coach Kyle Shanahan said “nobody knows” when McCaffrey will return.
Viking: WR Jordan Addison (ankle) was out due to an injury sustained during the game last week. Dallas Turner, a rookie OLB, left with a knee injury that was not judged serious, O’Connell said.
The 49ers will travel to Los Angeles to face the Rams next Sunday. The 49ers had a 10-game regular-season winning streak against their division opponent, except the NFC championship game in 2021-22, which ended with a 21-20 loss to the Rams on January 7, 2024. Darnold made only one start for the 49ers.
The Vikings will host Houston on September 22. They are 5-0 all-time against the Texans.
SOURCE | AP
