The Top 4 Things to Watch in 49ers at Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings’ start of the season turned out wonderfully, chipping off the New York Giants by 22 points on the road.
The Top 4 Things to Watch in 49ers at Vikings
Kevin O’Connell’s squad is expected to lose by five or six points this weekend, however, vs. the San Francisco 49ers.
Along the way, these are the four storylines to watch, ranked in ascending order of importance (No. 1 = most important).
4. Joshua Dobbs One Snap Away
A fun little fact about the Vikings’ offseason: Minnesota and San Francisco basically swapped backup quarterbacks. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah swiped Sam Darnold from the free-agent wire while Joshua Dobbs signed on the 49ers’ dotted line.
An injury to QB1 Brock Purdy is unlikely, generally speaking, but if so, Dobbs would have a crack at revenge — not long after creating Josh Dobbs Mania in Minneapolis that gripped the city for 2-3 weeks in 2023.
3. Sam Darnold against His Old Team
49ers coaches and players expressed their ardor all week for Darnold, including resounding endorsements from Kyle Shanahan and Brock Purdy. Now, Darnold will play against the club that employed him as QB2 last year.
The cool part? Darnold should intimately know everything about the 49ers. He’s seven months removed. Darnold should know the San Francisco defense from practice — probably more than anybody not named Brock Purdy.
2. Offensive Efficiency
Last weekend, the Vikings avoided stalled drives for one primary reason: his name is Aaron Jones.
The Green Bay Packers defector moved the sticks repeatedly, thanks to 6.7 yards per rush. Vikings fans forgot what it was like to have a running back like Adrian Peterson or Dalvin Cook who could do that. Jones freed up Darnold to cook all afternoon, interweaving fabulous efficiency that the Giants could not hinder.
This weekend, Minnesota must do it again — against a team in the 49ers that might have the exact opposite record of New York by season’s end.
1. The Turnovers (as Always)
For the last 2.1 seasons, Vikings football is just a turnover fulcrum. Kevin O’Connell is 18-0 when his team wins the turnover battle or breaks even. Conversely, the Vikings are 3-14 since 2022 when they end up on the wrong side of the turnover differential.
Of course, all teams have a better chance of winning when the turnover split is upright. It’s just that no team has the wild variance of the Vikings.
If Minnesota can take care of the rock, it can beat San Francisco. It’s that simple.
Vikings Clear Even More Cap Space
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.