Vikings win over 49ers off of big day from Sam Darnold

Minnesota looked very confident in themselves on the way to a big win over the 49ers!

Final: San Francisco 49ers 17 Minnesota Vikings 23
Stats:
Minnesota:
QB:
S. Darnold 17/26 268 yds 2 TD 1 INT 109.1 rtg
RB:
T. Chandler 5 car 82 yds 8.2 avg 25 long
A. Jones 9 car 32 yds 3.6 avg 9 long (5 rec 36 yds)
WR:
J. Jefferson 4 rec 133 yds 33.3 avg 1 TD 97 long
J. Nailor 3 rec 54 yds 18.0 avg 1 TD 26 long
T. Sherfield Sr 1 rec 17 yds
B. Powell 2 rec 16 yds 8.0 avg 11 long
J. Mundt 2 rec 12 yds 6.0 avg 6 long
DEF:
J. Ward 1 fumble recovery
J. Metellus 1 INT
P. Jones II 2 sack
B. Cashman 1 sack
A. Van Ginkel 1 sack
J. Greenard 1 sack
Team 1 sack
K:
W. Reichard 3/3 FG (22, 39, 27) 2/2 XP

Game summary:
Minnesota didn't come out swinging this game. But neither did San Francisco. Both teams traded punts, until Minnesota was able to recovered a muffed punt by San Francisco. This setup Will Reichard's first field goal of the day from 22 yards.  Next, the Niners had drown up a persistent drive, with multiple 3rd down conversions and even a 4th down conversion. However, they were held short of the goal line by the Vikings defense. Two plays later, Sam Darnold would launch a throw downfield for Justin Jefferson who would catch it and take it 97 yards for the first touchdown of the day! It went down as Minnesota's second longest touchdown in franchise history. San Francisco would punch in a touchdown of their own with just under 2 minutes left in the first half. Minnesota would manage a 39 yard field goal right as time expired.
In the second half, Minnesota opened the scoring with a 10 yard pass from Darnold to Jalen Nailor. In the 4th, San Francisco started to gain some momentum and scored a touchdown untouched for 10 yards. Minnesota was able to answer back with a 27 yard field goal to push the lead back to two scores. Then the Niners got the ball back and were able to reach field goal range, and booted a 31 yard field goal to make it a one score game. Fortunately for Minnesota, they recovered the onside kick attempt and were able to end the game.

Overall it was a good performance by Minnesota, with plenty of positives in a no-expectations season. Ty Chandler looked quite impressive at times, and the connection between Darnold and Jefferson is looking quite strong right now. Minnesota's other wide receivers also made quite the difference, including Jalen Nailor. 

Injury Report
WR Justin Jefferson left the game late in the 3rd quarter with a quad injury. From what Justin said after the game, it does not sound like a serious injury and he expects to be ready for next Sunday's game. 
EDGE Dallas Turner left the game in the 4th quarter with what appeared to be a knee injury. There is not much information yet on his status, so we will find out in the coming days just how serious (or not) this injury is.

Up Next
Next week, the Vikings will host the high-flying Houston Texans, which will also feature the return of former Vikings receiver Stefon Diggs to US Bank Stadium. Kickoff is at 12 PM CT.

​#SKOL