Our Official Staff Prediction for 49ers at Vikings

Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.

The VikingsTerritory collective staff prediction for the San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings is ready.

Our Official Staff Prediction for 49ers at Vikings

Minnesota pummeled the New York Giants in all facets last weekend, jumping out to an easy 1-0 start for the season and instantly increasing its playoff probability. The win also left onlookers asking if the Vikings were a good football team — or if the Giants were rotten.

This weekend, the Vikings host the 49ers, a team that, per oddsmakers, will probably reach the Super Bowl in February.

The writers at VikingsTerritory predict Minnesota will lose its first game of the season.

Prediction
Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.

Writers mostly chose the 49ers, evidently shaky on the Vikings’ Week 1 performance transferring to an opponent as stacked as San Francisco.

Here’s how the panel sees the score for Week 2:

Dustin Baker: 49ers Win, 27-17
Sean Borman: 49ers Win, 27-24
Janik Eckardt: 49ers Win, 31-24
Josh Frey: 49ers Win, 28-17
Henrique Gucciardi: Vikings Win, 24-21
Wes Johnson: Vikings Win, 26-24
Kyle Joudry: 49ers Win, 27-20
Adam New: 49ers Win, 23-20
Ted Schwerzler: Vikings Win, 24-21
Ali Siddiqui:
49ers Win, 24-17
Cole Smith: 49ers Win 20-16

Mathematically en masse, we predict the 49ers will top the Vikings by a score of 25-21.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

And 2024 season standings for our writers’ predictions:

Dustin Baker: 1-0
Sean Borman: 1-0
Janik Eckardt: 1-0
Henrique Gucciardi: 1-0
Adam New: 1-0
Cole Smith: 1-0
Ted Schwerzler: 1-0
Josh Frey: 1-0
Wes Johnson: 1-0
Kyle Joudry: 1-0
Ali Siddiqui: 1-0

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Last week, Cole Smith most accurately predicted the outcome of Vikings at Giants. Smith forecasted a 19-point triumph for Minnesota, and it won by 22.

The 49ers are favored to prevail by 5.5 points against the Vikings, although San Francisco hasn’t won a football game in the state of Minnesota since 1992. That’s right — the franchise has lost seven consecutive games at the Metrodome and U.S. Bank Stadium. Oofta.

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports.

Sporting News picked the 49ers to defeat Minnesota, and SN’s Vinnie Iyer prognosticated a 24-20 final score. “The 49ers lost in Minnesota 22-17 last October in one of their few blemishes on their way to the top NFC playoff seed and Super Bowl run,” Iyer argued. “Brian Flores’ pass rush will present some pressure problems for Brock Purdy, who must protect the ball and lean a lot on Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel instead of aggressively testing the Vikings’ corners downfield. On the other side, Purdy’s former backup Sam Darnold will keep trusting his new brand of dynamic playmakers to keep his team in the game.”

The purple team’s quarterback, Sam Darnold, will face his old team on Sunday; the 49ers employed Darnold in the 2023 season as QB2.


Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL. 

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.