Instant reaction: 49ers wear down Vikings in second half for 34-26 win
Minnesota remains in playoff position but lost more starters to injury in the game
By Sam Ekstrom
Injuries and turnover luck finally caught up to the Vikings in Santa Clara.
But it wasn’t without some typical Vikings craziness and devastation along the way.
Minnesota fell 34-26 in another one-score game that came down to the final minute, again denying them a shot to climb over the .500 mark.
The Vikings had two opportunities to tie the game in the fourth quarter. Try No. 1 resulted in a turnover on downs at the San Francisco 3-yard line, where Cousins threw incomplete on third and fourth down. Try No. 2 in the waning seconds stalled at the San Francisco 38-yard line, again with Cousins throwing incompletions on the final two passes.
The loss means Minnesota will have to continue scratching and clawing to secure a playoff spot, while a win would’ve put them in the driver’s seat. They remain a 7-seed despite the defeat.
The 49ers wore down a depleted Vikings defense that was missing its entire starting defensive line and lost linebacker Anthony Barr (leg) along the way. Meanwhile the Minnesota offense gifted the 49ers 10 points with turnovers on the opening play of two second-half drives — an ill-time interception by Kirk Cousins and a fumble by Dalvin Cook where he suffered an apparently serious shoulder injury and was carted off the field.
The injuries are certainly something to be concerned about long-term. Yet the undermanned Vikings found a way on Sunday to make it a game as they’ve done all season.
Down 28-14 early in the third quarter, the Vikings punched back with a quick five-play touchdown drive featuring a Justin Jefferson pass to Dalvin Cook and an Alexander Mattison touchdown run. After allowing a field goal on the ensuing possession, Kene Nwangwu returned his second kickoff for a touchdown in four games, bringing the Vikings within five at 31-26.
Nwangwu may be seeing more run in the offense due to Cook’s injury, which wouldn’t be a bad wrinkle to include.
Cook’s fumble a few minutes later led to another San Francisco field goal that capped a 32-point third quarter and kept the Vikings within a single possession. Minnesota proceeded to drive 72 yards with a chance to score a touchdown and tie the game with a 2-point conversion, but Cousins threw incomplete to Tyler Conklin and Justin Jefferson to end the drive on the doorstep. Both of Cousins’ final fourth down throws, including the game’s final drive in the last minute, were intended for Jefferson but overthrown and out of his reach.
Cousins was hit or miss in the second half, ending the day with 238 passing yards, two touchdowns (both to Adam Thielen) and an interception. Unlike weeks prior, he wasn’t able to deliver a timely clutch throw when required.
Ultimately, it was the stretch from late in the second quarter to early in the third that made the Vikings fight an uphill battle.
After trailing 14-7, the 49ers scored three straight touchdowns during a stretch where the Vikings ran just three plays. The interception by Cousins — just his third of the year — set the 49ers up at the Vikings’ 2-yard line to stake San Francisco to a 28-14 lead after their two previous scoring drives totaled 160 yards.
The 21-0 run would be enough for San Francisco to hang on for their third straight win.
The Vikings made Jimmy Garoppolo look uncomfortable early — intercepting him in the first quarter — but as the 49ers got the run game going Garoppolo got a second wind, converting 8.8 yards per attempt on 26 throws. Between the hard-nosed running of Elijah Mitchell and the gadget plays designed for Deebo Samuel, the Vikings’ patchwork front seven had few answers. Samuel rushed six times for 66 yards and two touchdowns before leaving with an injury, while Mitchell added 133 more, and Garoppolo bailed out the 49ers twice with third-and-11 and third-and-13 conversions that extended touchdown drives. After his pick to Harrison Smith, Garoppolo played largely mistake-free and helped the ‘9ers control over 37 minutes of clock.
Minnesota will fly back to the Twin Cities bruised and humbled. Their injury woes may not be cleared up anytime soon, depending on the severity of injuries to Barr and Cook. Dalvin Tomlinson will need to clear protocol to return from the COVID-19 list, Michael Pierce hasn’t played since Week 4, and Everson Griffen is out indefinitely to deal with his mental health.
The Vikings thin defense was exposed for a second straight week, and unlike Week 11, the offense wasn’t able to win a shootout.
The Lions may offer some reprieve next Sunday, but Minnesota has plenty more challenges awaiting that will require better defensive play.
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As opposed to some other losses, it is hard to get angry with this loss (not saying we should be happy) but given our injury problems and the bad matchup (SF being great at the run) we did keep this a ball game... Cousins what not at his best, but let`s be honest, the officiating seemed extremely one sided as well (not that I think the game result would have been different, but it certainly Could have been).
Hey Sam and Matthew, I listened to your commentary and couldn’t agree more. You did mention how frustrating their four tries at the goal line was (that’s the one where KC picked the wrong butt to get behind right?). I did not hear you mention the play call at 2nd and goal. We knew it was 4 down territory, hopefully the Vikes knew that too. Most of the game, 2nd down was a run. So why run on 2nd and goal? Again a run on 2nd. The defense was ready for it. Perfect time for something creative like a pass to a tackle. As soon as I saw the handoff on 2nd and goal, I sighed and figured the drive was doomed. Thoughts?