Kirk Cousins exorcised some demons during the Vikings' 22-17 win over the 49ers on Monday night. The Vikings quarterback, who entered the game with a 2-10 record in Monday night games, came up on the winning side this time while leading Minnesota to a second straight win.
Cousins also made history by becoming only the fifth quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least 300 yards in 50 games. The 12-year veteran threw for 378 yards on Monday night that included a pair of touchdown passes to rookie wideout Jordan Addison, whose 60-yard catch-and-run gave the Vikings a 16-7 halftime lead.
Minnesota's only scores in the second half came on Greg Joseph field goals. But it was just enough to hold off the 49ers, who lost for a second straight week after a 5-0 start to the season.
The 49ers had one last chance to win the game after Joseph missed a 50-yard field goal attempt with 1:16 left. But Vikings safety Camryn Bynum, who picked off Brock Purdy on the 49ers' previous drive, clinched the Vikings' win with a second interception of Purdy with 33 seconds left.
Here's a closer look at how the Vikings upset the 49ers.
Minnesota played well in all three phases. The offensive line provided stellar protection for Cousins, who wasn't sacked in his 45 pass attempts. Cousins utilized his protection by connecting seven times with Addison, 11 times with tight end T.J. Hockenson and a combined nine times to Brandon Powell and K.J. Osborn.
It'll be overlooked, but running backs Alexander Mattison and Cam Akers also played key roles in the win. Mattison's early success on the ground helped set the table for Cousins and the passing game. Akers had 61 total yards that included his 30-yard catch-and-carry that helped Minnesota take a 10-0 lead in the second quarter.
Defensively, the Vikings came up with two huge turnovers late in the game on Bynum's picks. They never allowed the 49ers' running game to get on track, as Christian McCaffrey averaged just 3.0 yards per carry. Harrison Smith's forced fumble of McCaffrey in the first quarter set up Cousins' first touchdown pass to Addison that gave the Vikings a 7-0 lead.
He wasn't perfect, but Joseph made enough kicks to propel the Vikings to victory. His 54-yard boot was big, as it gave the home team an eight-point lead entering the game's final stanza.
While Minnesota was able to overcome Justin Jefferson's absence, the 49ers weren't able to muster enough offense without Deebo Samuel, who was inactive with a shoulder injury. Jauan Jennings stepped up with five catches for 54 yards, but it wasn't enough to make up for the loss of Samuel. It didn't help that McCaffrey was playing with an oblique injury that hindered his effectiveness. The 49ers' running back did make history Monday night by scoring in his 16th straight game, the second-longest active streak in NFL history, but sported that measly yards-per-carry mark.
With McCaffrey playing hurt, the 49ers still gave him the lion's share of the carries (he had 15 of the 49ers' 22 rushing attempts). Purdy had five times as many carries as backup running back Elijah Mitchell, whose one carry was one more carry than Jordan Mason -- who is averaging 5.6 yards-per-carry this season -- received Monday night.
For as good as they've been this season, the 49ers defense looked plain average against the Vikings offense. It specifically had issues with Addison and Hockenson, who caught a combined 18 passes for 209 yards.
Can a turning point take place in the first quarter? It did on Monday night, when Smith forced a McCaffrey fumble on the 49ers' first possession after the Vikings turned the ball over on the game's first drive. The Vikings offense parlayed the turnover into a 10-play, 89-yard drive that was capped off by Cousins' 20-yard touchdown pass to Addison.
Addison's 60-yard touchdown catch was sweet payback after Charvarius Ward wrestled the ball away from his grasp to end the Vikings' first drive. Addison turned the tables on Ward on his second touchdown of the night.
"We found a way. This league's tough. One play here, one play there. We've had some tough losses. Last year, we were fortunate enough to pull them off. We found a way tonight. Got to keep stacking them." -- Cousins on the state of the Vikings during his postgame interview with ESPN
The Vikings will head to Green Bay to face the 2-4 Packers in a matchup of NFC North division rivals. The 49ers will return home to host the Bengals, who after an 0-2 start evened their record to 3-3 before their Week 7 bye.
Brock Purdy throws two INT in the second half and the Vikings upset the 49ers. Huge win for Minnesota to get to 3-4 as Kirk Cousins threw for 378 yards and two touchdowns. Biggest win for Kirk in primetime. The offensive line was great tonight, allowing no sacks for Minnesota as Cousins had 40+ attempts.
49ers fall to 5-2, 0.5 game ahead of the Seahawks.
Bad miss by Greg Joseph which would have given Minnesota a 25-17 lead with 1:11 left. The 49ers have a chance now, down by 5 at their own 40. Vikings have a history of unclutch kickers at home...
Brock Purdy picks a bad time to throw his first bad pass of the night, and it's a stinker, floating right over the middle and into the waiting arms of Vikings S Cam Bynum. Huge momentum-shifter there. Seemed to force/rush a target over the middle to Jauan Jennings, and Bynum had no competition for the ball.
The Vikings nearly get into scoring range with a heck of a one-handed try by K.J. Osborn along the sidelines, but the receiver can't quite hang on when his back hits the turf. So Minnesota punts it away, and the 49ers have a chance to take their first lead of the game with 9:14 remaining. San Francisco has scored on two straight possessions.
Speaking of Brandon Powell, his speed has been on display here tonight. Moves the chains on back-to-back plays. He's up to four catches for 64 yards, rotating in out wide. The ex-Rams return specialist was a standout in the summer.
Injury update: Jordan Addison is questionable to return for the Vikings with cramps. MIN could use its top WR for the final stretch. Remember, Justin Jefferson is sidelined. That leaves K.J. Osborn and Brandon Powell as the top alternatives.
Injury update: Jordan Addison is questionable to return for the Vikings with cramps. MIN could use its top WR for the final stretch. Remember, Justin Jefferson is sidelined. That leaves K.J. Osborn and Brandon Powell as the top alternatives.
Jake Moody redemption! The 49ers kicker is good from 55 to pull San Francisco within five points early in the fourth.
Injury update: Vikings star rookie Jordan Addison is entering the locker room. Minnesota could be without their top target down the stretch here, which would be a critical loss. He leads both sides with 6 catches for 110 yards and two scores.
Greg Joseph is good from 54 yards on the field goal try, and the Vikings extend their lead to 22-14, forcing San Francisco into a potential two-point try down the line. Nice leg on that one. Minnesota obviously can't keep settling for threes and expect to win, but you take what you can get at this point. It's been a true back-and-forth here.
Another Vikings injury: Right after T.J. Hockenson returns, rookie WR Jordan Addison -- arguably tonight's MVP -- is slow to get up after a hard sideline collision. Has a slight limp walking off, but he doesn't need any help from the trainers, so that's a good sign.
Injury update: Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson is OK after initially going down and grabbing his ankle/foot. Got help from trainers to walk off the field. Was quite slow on the way into the medical tent. But he comes out of the tent jogging and juking, returning to the lineup after a single-play absence.
Most surprising stat of the night, perhaps: Nick Bosa has zero QB hits, zero sacks, just two tackles. Vikings neutralizing San Francisco's greatest edge rusher even when Kirk Cousins hangs in the pocket to deliver something downfield.
"Let's go Niners!" chants breaking out at U.S. Bank Stadium after San Francisco pulls within four points.
CMC TD No. 2! This time it comes on a screen that he cuts back into open turf. It came right after a perfect downfield strike from Brock Purdy to George Kittle. That was quick. All of a sudden the Vikings' botched red-zone trip looks like it could cost them big.
The numbers said to go for it on that 4th-and-goal, but the Vikings settled for the short FG -- the second one under 21 yards tonight. Points are valued right now for Kevin O'Connell, but this 49ers offense can make up a 12-point deficit.
Poor red-zone showing there from Minnesota, with a chance to take a big lead. Vikings try the Eagles' famous tush push and it goes nowhere. Then they false-start on the very next play running the same thing. Maybe don't try it unless you're Philly.
Heck of a night for the rookie Jordan Addison, who's now up to 5 catches for 106 yards and 2 TDs with a quarter and a half to go. He's finding open spaces against this 49ers secondary, and it's easy to see why Kirk Cousins keeps coming back his way.
The Vikings celebrate a would-be strip-sack of Brock Purdy, but the 49ers QB had his arm moving forward while going down. Brian Flores' defense is winning the night, not San Francisco's. Game feels well in Minnesota's control, believe it or not. Purdy has been solid under a decent amount of pressure, but he's got little support on the ground or in the trenches. Also missing Deebo Samuel.
Trent Williams' absence appears to be significantly affecting the 49ers' run game. D.J. Wonnum knifes into the backfield for a behind-the-line stop of Christian McCaffrey on a toss play, and San Francisco's top ball-carrier is now averaging under 3 yards per rush.
Some key halftime numbers:
Holy mackerel, Jordan Addison! Kirk Cousins laces one deep to the rookie, and Charvarius Ward appears to nab his second pick before the wideout wrestles the ball back -- payback for the earlier interception?! -- and sprints untouched to the end zone. Touchdown! And maybe one of the most impressive catches of the week, if not season.
The Christian McCaffrey TD streak continues. The 49ers RB has now hit the end zone in 16 straight games, giving him the second-longest stretch in NFL history. Minnesota had mostly controlled the clock before this drive, but now it's nearly a dead-even split. We've got ourselves a ballgame, with the Vikings' lead cut to three. Had Jake Moody made his 40-yard FG earlier, it'd be a tie game.
Man, for a 7-minute drive to end in a FG like that after the Vikings were able to establish the run could hurt them later. The Cam Akers catch and run was the highlight of that drive. Vikings have 10 carries for 58 yards and are controlling the clock. Up 10-0, but 14 would have been better.
Vikings can't capitalize on Cam Akers' big catch-and-run after Kirk Cousins misses an open Jordan Addison coming across the field, then puts one over the heads of two receivers on third-and-goal with the pocket collapsing. Greg Joseph hits the short field goal, though, so it's a 10-0 Minnesota lead halfway through the second quarter. That's more than most Vikings fans could've asked for.
The Cam Akers Game, anyone? So much physicality from the ex-Rams RB on a little dump-off from Kirk Cousins, moving the chains and ending up with a 30-yard gain to the 49ers' 2-yard line. Akers now with 54 yards from scrimmage as Kevin O'Connell shows off some nice offensive design to try to pad Minnesota's early lead.
Kevin O'Connell breaks out a nice trick play, with Jordan Addison catching one behind the line and slinging it back to Ty Chandler, but the big gain is negated by an offensive pass interference call on K.J. Osborn. A real bummer there for Minnesota. O'Connell livid with the refs after the call. Both Osborn and Charvarius Ward were grabbing each other's jerseys on the play.
Another miss FG for Jake Moody. His struggles have been something to watch after SF chose not to re-sign Robbie Gould this offseason and the rookie missed a late FG last week that led to the 49ers loss. This miss was from 40 yards -- in a dome no less.
Vikings are getting push up front, though, with Trent Williams absent at left tackle for San Francisco. Brock Purdy had to get rid of the ball quickly on third down in the red zone, forcing an incompletion. And then Jake Moody is no good on the ensuing 40-yard field goal try, missing wide right! Wow. Talk about a wasted series from the 49ers. Vikings retain their 7-0 lead.
