The Minnesota Vikings had a chance, but in the end, the San Francisco 49ers left the field on Sunday with the victory.
Despite there being more than a handful of games left on their schedule, the Minnesota Vikings knew their matchup on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers could have a gigantic impact on this year’s NFC playoff picture.
Unfortunately, the Vikings weren’t able to mount a fourth-quarter comeback this week, and they ended up falling to the 49ers by a final score of 34-26. With the loss, Minnesota is now 5-6 and they’ve dropped to the No. 7 seed in the NFC.
The Vikings will fall to the No. 8 seed in the conference if the Washington Football Team is able to defeat the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night.
Quick thoughts on the Vikings loss to the 49ers
Thielen starts the game off on fire – After his monster game last week, most probably figured the 49ers would be putting a lot of attention on Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Apparently, San Francisco put too much of their attention on Jefferson early in the contest as Minnesota’s other top receiver, Adam Thielen, managed to find the end zone not once, but twice, in the first quarter.
Nwangwu is a weapon: For the second time in the last four weeks, Vikings rookie running back Kene Nwangwu took a kickoff and returned it for a touchdown. Nwangwu has only been on the field for five games this season, but he’s already found a way to make a huge impact.
More quick thoughts from Minnesota’s loss to San Francisco
Have we seen that last of Bradbury?: Despite being healthy enough to play, the Vikings decided not to start Garrett Bradbury at center for the second week in a row. Minnesota stuck with Mason Cole at center on Sunday, and at this point, it seems like Bradbury will only find his way back onto the field if someone goes down with an injury.
Cook going down is a concern: Near the end of the third quarter, Vikings running back Dalvin Cook went down with a shoulder injury. Cook had to be carted off the field, and with him being such a huge part of Minnesota’s offense, his status is definitely going to be something to keep an eye on.
Speaking of injuries: During their matchup against the 49ers, the Vikings also saw linebacker Anthony Barr and rookie left tackle Christian Darrisaw leave the game due to injury. Like Cook, both Barr and Darrisaw are important pieces of Minnesota’s roster, so the severity of their injuries will be something to pay attention to.
Minnesota’s offense getting more creative: Not only did we see the Vikings call a flea-flicker for what seemed like the first time in forever, but we also saw a play on Sunday that had Justin Jefferson throwing a pass to Dalvin Cook. Minnesota’s offense is continuing to get more innovative as each week passes by.
Even more quick thoughts from Minnesota’s loss to San Francisco
Vikings get gashed on the ground: Most expected Minnesota to have trouble with a bunch of backup defensive linemen going up against a very talented 49ers rushing attack. And they were right.
San Francisco finished the game with over 200 rushing yards and the Vikings not having their top four defensive linemen certainly played a big factor in this taking place.
Jefferson held in check: After Justin Jefferson looked unstoppable last week against the Green Bay Packers, the 49ers were able to hold the Minnesota receiver to just four catches for 83 yards and no touchdowns. Jefferson was still targeted nine times on Sunday, however, so it’s not like the Vikings weren’t trying to get him the ball.
Golden opportunity slips away from Minnesota: The Vikings had a great chance on Sunday to improve their odds of making the playoffs this season by a large margin. However, Minnesota will now have to likely win four or five of the final six games left on their schedule to earn a spot in this year’s postseason?
Are the Vikings capable of this? Of course. Will it happen? That’s a whole different story.
Vikings need to make a statement next week: Next up for Minnesota is a road trip to take on the Detroit Lions. With an 0-10-1 record, the Lions are the worst team in the NFL this season.
The Vikings were only able to beat Detroit by two points back in Week 5, but next Sunday, Minnesota needs to do everything they can to blow the Lions out of the water. No more close games, the Vikings need to go on this road trip and just take care of business.