49ers Humbled By Vikings Again: Top Takeaways From Sunday's ...

16 Sep 2024

Forbes

Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers were a mistake waiting to happen on Sunday. (AP ... [+] Photo/Stacy Bengs)

The San Francisco 49ers still have not won in Minneapolis since all the way back in 1992.

San Francisco took to U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday riding high on a short week following Monday’s win over the New York Jets. Kyle Shanahan’s squad ended up falling to the Minnesota Vikings by the score of 23-17 in a mistake-filled game.

Defensively, the 49ers gave up an absud 97-yard touchdown to star Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson. It was part of a broader lackluster effort for this unit.

Though, it was the 49ers’ offense that stood out in a bad way Sunday in Minnesota. Without star running back Christian McCaffrey, quarterback Brock Purdy looked lackluster. Meanwhile, the 49ers’ offensive line was overwhelmed by the scheme of Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

There certainly are a lot more questions than answers after this lackluster effort from the defending NFC champions.

Top Takeaways From 49ers Loss To The Vikings

From Purdy’s performance to the absence of McCaffrey and what we saw on defense, there are certainly a lot takeaways for the 49ers. As noted above, there are also a ton of questions. Let’s look at four takeaways here.

San Francisco 49ers Missed Christian McCaffrey

The 49ers certainly missed Christian McCaffrey on Sunday. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Yes, and the sun comes up in the morning. McCaffrey put up north of 2,000 total yards and 21 touchdowns for a reason last season. He’s among the most dominant skill-position players in the game.

That showed in his absence on Sunday. Sure, Jordan Mason put up triple-digit rushing yards for the second time in McCaffrey’s stead on Sunday. But the 49ers missed their starting running back in the passing game.

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Mason caught just one pass for four yards on one target. Purdy missed him open on the flat at times, a clear indication that he doesn’t have the same connection with Mason as he does with McCaffrey.

CMC’s dual-threat ability made the 49ers’ offense nearly unstoppable last season. Without him in the mix on Sunday, that certainly was not the case.

Sloppy Play All The Way Around

Justin Jefferson's 97-yard touchdown was a black eye for the 49ers. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

San Francisco put up its sloppiest performance since a Week 16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens last season.

Purdy lost a fumble and threw an interception. Break downs from safeties George Odum and Ji’Ayir Brown led directly to the 49ers giving up the longest play in franchise history, that 97-yard touchdown from the aforementioned Jefferson.

A break down in punt coverage led directly to a long return and more points for the Vikings. This is not a winning formula. San Francisco’s head coach agrees.

“They (the Vikings) played really well, but it was too sloppy on our part,” Kyle Shanahan told reporters after the game.

Playing on a short week can lead to some iss]ues. But that’s not an excuse. Shanahan just didn’t have his team ready to play in this one.

49ers Overlooked The Vikings

This is an obvious takeaway. Fresh off a blowout win over the Jets, San Francisco simply overlooked what is now a pretty good Vikings team on the road. It’s extremely disappointing in the grand scheme of things.

Were the 49ers looking ahead to next week’s rivalry game against the Rams in Los Angeles? It’s possible. But it’s any given Sunday in the NFL. San Francisco found that out first hand.

Pass Protection Issues, Brock Purdy Struggles

Brock Purdy's mistakes played a role in the 49ers loss. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)

After going down just two times in last week’s win over the Jets, Purdy was sacked a whopping six times. That included Pat Jones and Andrew Van Ginkel both getting to him for two sacks.

Schematically, Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores had his way with Shanahan from a play-calling perspective. That’s a rarity.

However, it’s the 49ers’ offensive line that deserves most of the blame here. It was, too, confused by what Flores threw at this unit. In particular, struggling right tackle Colton McKivitz continued to act as a turnstile. One now has to wonder if San Francisco looks outside of the organization for a replacement.

49ers Pass Rush Steps Up

Nick Bosa recorded his first two sacks of the season. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Nick Bosa had two sacks. Fred Warner added another. All said, San Francisco took down Sam Darnold four times in the loss.

For Bosa, this represented his first two sacks of the season. He’ll need to continue making an impact with San Francisco’s depth out on the edge in question.

As for Warner, he created two turnovers. That included an interceptions of Darnold with the Vikings driving and up 10-0. It led to San Francisco’s first touchdown of the game. Warner is the best defensive player in the NFL right now. It’s not necessarily that close. It’s also one positive takeaway from Sunday’s loss.