Week 1 Ups and Downs: Minnesota Vikings vs San Francisco 49ers

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 09: Kyle Rudolph #82 of the Minnesota Vikings catches the ball in the end zone for a touchdown over defender Jaquiski Tartt #29 of the San Francisco 49ers in the third quarter of the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on September 9, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 09: Kyle Rudolph #82 of the Minnesota Vikings catches the ball in the end zone for a touchdown over defender Jaquiski Tartt #29 of the San Francisco 49ers in the third quarter of the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on September 9, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 09: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings and former teammate Pierre Garcon #15 of the San Francisco 49ers greet each other on the field after the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on September 9, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings defeated the 49ers 24-16. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – SEPTEMBER 09: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings and former teammate Pierre Garcon #15 of the San Francisco 49ers greet each other on the field after the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on September 9, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings defeated the 49ers 24-16. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

The Interesting Stuff

  1. Touchdown #100! Kirk Cousins throws his 100th career regular season touchdown. Of course, it went to Stefon Diggs, the man who had great chemistry with Cousins during the preseason and led the team in scoring catches last season.
  2. The Vikings staying healthy on the line. Normally, it’s Minnesota that struggles with keeping players on the field, but this game saw San Francisco go through multiple offensive linemen. Thank goodness for that since the team is already trying to establish that unit.
  3. A nice tribute. The FOX broadcast took a moment to remember Fred Zamberletti, the former trainer, consultant, and historian for the Minnesota Vikings who recently passed away. It was a nice way to thank him for what he did for the organization over the years.
  4. Picking the ball off. The Vikings intercepted Jimmy Garoppolo THREE TIMES during this game. That’s interesting since the team had only 14 total interceptions for the entirety of last season! Not a bad start to the season in that regard!
  5. The hard count. Kirk Cousins hard count worked way better than all the motion in the 4th quarter when trying to draw the 49ers offsides. The scare the team will actually run the play and the cadence was enough to get the job done, even when nearly everyone assumed no snap was going to be made.