SF at MIN Game Prediction: Can the Vikings Push their Record to a Pristine 2-0?
SF at MIN Prediction: Week 2
Week 1 was a tremendous success. Kevin O’Connell’s crew dominated Brian Daboll’s, walking away from New Jersey with a 1-0 record behind their 28-6 win. Great stuff.
Week 2, though, is going to be quite difficult.
The San Francisco 49ers will be visiting U.S. Bank Stadium. Playing at home is a positive for O’Connell but he’s still in a tough spot. The 49ers are a fantastic football team with fantastic talent all throughout the lineup. Last season, Minnesota overcame San Francisco by a score of 22-17. Any chance there’s a repeat of that surprise victory?
SF at MIN: Week 2 Prediction
Brian Flores is going to earn his paycheck in this one.
The tactician at defensive coordinator coaxed 5 sacks and a whole pile of pressure out of his talented defense last weekend. Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel (stud), and the rest of the crew had an excellent day at the office. And that’s not even getting into Harrison Smith doing some tidy work and the revamped corner crew playing a nice game.
Stephon Gilmore followed Malik Nabers around for a good portion of the Giants tilt. Does he follow Brandon Aiyuk? Or, perhaps, is there more of an emphasis on Deebo Samuel? Even Jauan Jennings, the WR3, is a tough cover. The receivers are excellent in SF and that’s not even accounting for George Kittle or their monster at fullback, Kyle Juszczyk.
The best way to defend all of that talent is to see a strong day at the office for Aaron Jones (and Ty Chandler, too).
Jones started his Vikings career with 14 carries for 94 yards (6.7 YPC) and a touchdown. He tacked on a pair of catches for 15 yards. So, an excellent day against a Giants defense with some loaded talent along the defensive line.
During the 2023 playoffs, Jones almost propelled his Packers to the upset victory behind his 18 carries for 108 yards. The game finished with a razor thin margin for San Francisco — 24-21 — but it goes to show how a star running back can impact a game.
Plus, one thinks of Sam Darnold.
The journeyman QB played his 2023 with the 49ers, going all of the way to the Super Bowl as the QB2 for Coach Shanahan. Any chance he can overcome his former team?
The Week 1 effort involved going 19/24 for 208 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Within those stats, though, were just 59 yards (and, in fairness, a score) for Justin Jefferson. With Jordan Addison ailing and T.J. Hockenson already out, Jefferson needs to be featured more prominently. Jones, Jefferson, and some rock-solid play for Darnold. Oh, and a brilliant game plan from Flores. Maybe that will be enough.
The offseason involved me predicting a San Francisco victory. After all, we’re talking about the reigning NFC champions and one of the most loaded groups of skill in the NFL.
Even without Christian McCaffrey (potentially), the 49ers still boast Purdy, Samuel, Aiyuk, Kittle, and Juszskyc. Oh, and Kyle Shanahan and Trent Williams. And — and — that’s not even getting into the defense. Just can’t pick against SF right now, folks.
Official Prediction: 49ers 27 — Vikings 20
Prediction Record: 1-0
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and PFF helped with this piece.
Within the Strong Week 1, The Vikings Sprung a Leak
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.