Tickets On Sale for Vikings-49ers Practices
Dustin Baker
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Minnesota Vikings training camp gets underway in Eagan on July 24th. Rookie reports on Day One, followed by veterans on July 26th. Then, fans can join the party in Eagan on July 30th.
The team will also host joint practices with the San Francisco 49ers. Minnesota’s new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah worked for the 49ers from 2013 to 2019.
The Vikings and 49ers will scrimmage on August 17th and 18th at TCO Performance Center. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased here. Tickets are $5 for adults (18 and over) and free to children.
Ordinarily during Vikings training camp, a Saturday night practice occurs and is popular among fans, especially out-of-state travelers who can make a weekend of the trip to the Twin Cities. But in 2022, the Vikings opted for a Monday night practice that will take place on August 8th. Tickets for that primetime event are $10 for adults and $5 for children.
The 49ers were three points away from a Super Bowl appearance in 2021. They reached the NFC Championship with Jimmy Garoppolo at the helm, falling 20-17 to the eventual champion Los Angeles Rams. The Vikings new head coach, Kevin O’Connell, was the offensive coordinator for those same Rams. En route to the NFC title game, the 49ers shockingly downed Minnesota’s main rival, the Green Bay Packers, at Lambeau Field 13-10. San Francisco has jettisoned Green Bay from the postseason four consecutive times dating back to the Colin Kaepernick era.
The Vikings, on the other hand, have missed the playoffs two years in a row. Despite billing both campaigns as Super-Bowl-or-bust, Minnesota finished 7-9 in 2020 and 8-9 in 2021, leading to the dismissals of general manager Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer.
Minnesota has a splotchy recent history with San Franciso, losing three out of four matchups during the Zimmer era. In fact, the one time that the Zimmer-Cousins won a playoff game, the Vikings were defeated by the 49ers the following week in San Francisco.
San Francisco is tentatively predicted to hand the franchise’s keys to second-year quarterback Trey Lance this season. General Manager John Lynch traded the farm for the young passer during the lead-up to the 2021 NFL Draft. Still, the 49ers stuck with Garopplo in 2021, but now is the time to make good on the splashy trade. Otherwise, why conduct the trade in the first place?
The Vikings first preseason game is in Las Vegas on August 14th against the Raiders. After that and the two joint practices, the 49ers head to U.S. Bank Stadium for the second preseason game on August 20th.
The 49ers are expected to win 9.5 games in 2022. Minnesota has an 8.5-win over-under.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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