A 39-yard field goal by Will Reichard was not decisive for the victory, but for Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold the points were crucial within the 23-17 victory over the 49ers.
Brock Purdy, who shared a quarterback room with Darnold last season, had just put the 49ers on the scoreboard with a 7-yard touchdown pass to George Kittle, cutting the Vikings' result in 10-7 with 1:53 left within the half.
To make matters worse, the drive got here after Fred Warner intercepted a pass from Darnold to provide the 49ers the lead.
But as an alternative of biding their time and ignoring Darnold's penchant for interceptions, Minnesota stayed aggressive. Darnold hit Jalen Nailor with an 18-yard pass on the primary down. He later threw a 16-yard pass to Justin Jefferson on third-and-13, breaking up an earlier sack by Nick Bosa.
Finally, Darnold made an 18-yard run up the center and slid to the turf with three seconds left to establish Reichard's field goal and take a 13-7 lead at halftime.
“I saw first hand all year last year how much momentum the Niners get when they score at the end of the half,” Darnold told reporters. “We had the ball in the second half, but that momentum can carry the team to victory most of the time. To have a two-minute drive at the end was huge for us.”
Darnold and Purdy each had their moments, nevertheless it was Darnold who got here up big in the most important moments. He finished the sport completing 17 of 26 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns, including a 97-yard touchdown pass to Jefferson and a 6-yard pass to Nailor. He had 32 yards on five scrambles.
Purdy accomplished 28 of 36 passes for 319 yards and scored a touchdown to Kittle and an interception. While Darnold touted his accomplishments, Purdy lamented the one which eluded the 49ers once they did not rating on a fourth down on the 2-yard line. The 49ers had covered 83 yards in 15 plays and had a first-and-goal on the 5 with 45 seconds left within the quarter.
On the primary attempt and goal on the 4, Purdy threw an incomplete pass to Brandon Aiyuk and Jordan Mason lost a yard to the 5. On the third attempt, Purdy threw a brief pass to George Kittle for 3 yards to the two.
Coach Kyle Shanahan went for the touchdown, and Purdy, looking directly right into a blitz, deflected a ball intended for Jauan Jennings that was incomplete. Minnesota got the ball, setting the stage for Darnold's 97-yard pass to Jefferson.
“We felt like we could have scored on that drive and I loved Kyle's aggressiveness on fourth-and-2,” Purdy said. “They had a zero blitz, a guy got free, they got a hand on it and tipped the ball. It was a good defensive play and I just wanted to give JJ a chance. The ball was where it was supposed to go against man coverage, I thought I had it and it got tipped.”
After watching Darnold as a substitute for Purdy all 12 months, Shanahan believed this could be an even bigger challenge than Aaron Rodgers was per week ago, given his age (40) and the indisputable fact that the quarterback was coming back from a torn Achilles tendon a less mobile version of himself.
“It didn't surprise me. We knew we had a challenge ahead of us,” Shanahan said. “Sam is a damn good quarterback. He has a lot of talent in his arm and we knew it was going to be a different challenge today in terms of scrambling. He got us scrambling a couple of times. We knew we had a challenge ahead of us with him.”
Minnesota coach Kevin O'Connell will make an enormous difference for Darnold due to his offensive skills.
.@jalennailor behind the top zone for six!!
: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/dmxULYwABg
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) 15 September 2024
“He's really good at scheming, he knows how to outsmart the big guys on defense, and he's got a lot of good players and a good O-line,” 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa said. “You can feel it when you're playing against a good coach.”
O'Connell said the Vikings got what they hoped for from a quarterback who signed a one-year, $10 million deal and served as a placeholder for first-round pick JJ McCarthy. That is, until McCarthy suffered a torn ACL and was out for the remainder of the season.
“Against his former team, at that position, in your career as a quarterback, when everyone decides you can't play, we always believed in him and it was great to watch him do that today,” O'Connell said. “I'm really proud of Sam Darnold.”
Purdy, who’s now 18-5 because the 49ers' regular season starter, stayed true to his role. He took responsibility and while he acknowledged that Christian McCaffrey's absence was significant, Purdy refused to make use of it as an excuse.
“It's as simple as executing,” Purdy said. “We have the players, we have the plan, we have what it takes. It's about knowing where my answers are, getting the ball in the guys' hands and getting first downs. All of that is important.”
“That's football, man. Just because you have good players and a good scheme doesn't mean the other team is going to give it to you.”
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