49ers @ Vikings

Van Ginkel has been a great addition. Surprised the team has started this well. Keep it up.

comet52 wrote:
Van Ginkel has been a great addition.  Surprised the team has started this well.  Keep it up.

Cashman had an unbelievable game today.

Key number
3-for-13
The 49ers were 1-for-3 on fourth down and 2-for-10 on third down in a game in which they dominated time of possession (34:48-25:12). They turned the ball over on downs twice in Minnesota territory. On fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line in the second quarter with the 49ers trailing 3-0, Vikings safety Harrison Smith knocked down a pass to Jauan Jennings in the end zone that had been tipped by Andrew Van Ginkel. The Vikings scored on that 97-yard Jefferson catch two plays later. The Vikings, meanwhile, were 7-for-12 (58%) on third down.

Key play
Justin Jefferson’s 97-yard TD catch
There were plays later that were probably more important, including the one that forced Jefferson from the game with a quad injury. But no play will be replayed more than his 97-yard touchdown catch. For the second week in a row, the Vikings had a touchdown drive of 98-plus yards. They did it two different ways, though both ended with a Jefferson touchdown. Last week against the New York Giants, the drive was methodical: 11 plays, 99 yards in 6 minutes 44 seconds. This week, it was a lightning strike: two plays, the second one a 97-yard pass that traveled more than 50 yards in the air and saw Jefferson crisscrossing the field after the catch. Sam Darnold threw from his own end zone, and coach Kevin O’Connell called it “as pretty a throw as I’ve seen, especially in those circumstances.” The TD put the Vikings up 10-0, they and had made an emphatic statement moments after a goal-line stand. Before leaving the game, Jefferson had four catches for 133 yards, the 30th 100-yard game of his career in his 62nd game, and he had surpassed 400 career receptions and 6,000 career receiving yards.

Key player
Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman
The Vikings’ disruptive defense was the story of the game with five sacks (two for Pat Jones II, who has four this season already) and two takeaways. Cashman, a former Eden Prairie and Gophers star playing his first home game as a Viking, was all over the field with 13 tackles, one sack and three pass breakups, one of which was intercepted by safety Josh Metellus. That interception led to a touchdown on the next play that put the Vikings ahead 20-7 in the third quarter.

Source: Startribune

QUALITY coaching on display today. This was an absolutely awesome game. If we can keep key players out of the tent as much as possible then IMO we have a very real chance to take the division

MaroonBells wrote:
Sam Darnold really just led a 4th quarter game-clinching drive against maybe the best team in the NFL without his WR1, WR2 or TE1

Yes, this is absolutely key. That drive won the game. We kick a FG and there is 3:30 on the clock. I texted my friend and said if the 49ers don't score before a minute and a half all we need to do is get the onside kick and the game is over.

Another one for the record books.@JJettas2 pic.twitter.com/674sWKp4IJ

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 15, 2024

MaroonBells wrote:
https://x.com/NickOlsonNFL/status/1835410737042526372

That was a fantastic drive.  No JJ, no Addison, no Hock, and I don't even know if A Jones was in there?

Darnold is impressing me.  He's got an arm and it's fitting right in with KOC's offense...  defense keeps playing with their hair on fire and Jones and Chandler running well...  A guy might start dreaming...

StickierBuns wrote:

Sammy is a bigger dude than I originally thought. And better wheels. I give him all the credit in the world for being confident, KOC isn't babying him in pressure situations. He's a playmaker so far in this offense, which is huge. Not afraid to take a shot anywhere. Raise your hand if you thought San Fran had any notion Sam was going to sling a 57 yard pass in the air 2 yards deep in his own end zone? Yeah, not seeing any hands. Offensively and defensively, the Vikings are being unpredictable. And they have talent.

That's a dangerous combo in the NFL. I bought my ticket for the Darnold Express Hype Train....almost ready to step foot on the platform.

He's been really good. But what makes it even more impressive is that he hasn't been perfect. He had a couple bonehead plays yesterday (the no look, the grounding, the pick), but to his credit, they didn't send him cowering into a shell. He's going to make bonehead plays. They all do. Purdy does. So does Mahomes. The key is not letting them crush your confidence. Sam was as good at the end of the game as he was at the beginning. That's encouraging.