A 39-yard field goal by Will Reichard didn’t account for the margin of victory, but to Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold the points were crucial in a 23-17 win over the 49ers.
Brock Purdy, who shared a quarterback room with Darnold last season had just gotten the 49ers on the board with a 7-yard touchdown pass to George Kittle to cut the Vikings lead to 10-7 with 1:53 to play in the half.
To make matters worse, the drive came after Fred Warner intercepted a Darnold pass to get the 49ers going.
But instead of killing the clock and ignoring Darnold’s penchant for interceptions, Minnesota stayed aggressive. Darnold hit Jalen Nailor with an 18-yard pass on first down. He later threw a 16-yard strike to Justin Jefferson on third-and-13, shrugging off an earlier sack by Nick Bosa.
Finally, Darnold had an 18-yard scramble up the middle and slid to the turf with three seconds left to set up the Reichard field goal and a 13-7 lead at halftime.
“I saw it first-hand the entire year last year, how much momentum the Niners get when they score at the end of the half,” Darnold told reporters. “We were getting the ball in the second half, but that momentum can carry that team to a win most of the time. For us to get a two-minute drive at the end was big-time for us.”
Darnold and Purdy both had their moments, but it was Darnold who came up big in the biggest moments. He finished 17-for-26 for 268 yards and two touchdowns, including a 97-yard touchdown pass to Jefferson and a 6-yard strike to Nailor. He had 32 yards on five scrambles.
Purdy was 28-for-36 for 319 yards and the one touchdown to Kittle and one interception. While Darnold was talking up his successes, Purdy was lamenting the one that got away when the 49ers failed to score on a fourth down at the 2-yard line. The 49ers had driven 83 yards in 15 plays and had a first-and-goal at the 5 with 45 seconds left in the quarter.
With first-and-goal at the 4, Purdy threw incomplete to Brandon Aiyuk and Jordan Mason lost a yard to the 5. On third down, Purdy threw short to George Kittle for three yards to the 2.
Coach Kyle Shanahan went for the touchdown and Purdy, looking directly into a blitz, had a ball intended for Jauan Jennings deflected that fell incomplete. Minnesota got the ball, setting the stage for Darnold’s 97-yard strike to Jefferson.
“We felt we could have scored in that drive and I loved the aggressiveness Kyle had going for it on fourth-and-2,” Purdy said. “They had a zero blitz, one guy came free, they got a hand on it, tipped the ball. It was a good defensive play and I was just trying to give J.J. a shot. The ball was where it’s supposed to go against man (coverage), I thought I had it and it got tipped.”
After watching Darnold all year backing up Purdy, Shanahan believed it would be more of a challenge than Aaron Rodgers was a week ago, given his age (40) and that the quarterback was coming back a less mobile version of himself after a torn Achilles.
“It didn’t surprise me. Knew we were up for a challenge,” Shanahan said. “Sam’s a hell of a quarterback. He’s got a lot of arm talent and we knew scrambling-wise it was going to be a different challenge today. He got us on a few scrambles. We knew we had a challenge with him.”
Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell will make a world of difference for Darnold, given his offensive expertise.
.@jalennailor in the back of the end zone for 6!!
: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/dmxULYwABg
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 15, 2024
“He’s really good with the scheme, he knows how to scheme up the big-time players on defense and he’s got a lot of good players and a good O-line,” 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa said. “You can feel it when you’re playing a good coach.”
O’Connell said the Vikings have gotten what they hoped out of a quarterback who signed for a one-year, $10 million contract and was a placeholder for first-round pick J.J. McCarthy. That is, until McCarthy had an ACL tear and was ruled out for the season.
“Against his former team, at that position, on your quarterback journey, when everybody decides that you cannot play, we always believed in him and it was awesome to watch him do that today,” O’Connell said. “I’m really proud of Sam Darnold.”
Purdy, now 18-5 as a regular-season starter for the 49ers, stayed in character. He accepted responsibility and while he conceded Christian McCaffrey’s absence is significant, Purdy wasn’t about to use it as an excuse.
“It’s as simple as executing,” Purdy said. “We’ve got the players, we’ve got the scheme, we’ve got what it takes. It’s knowing where my answers are at and getting the ball into guys’ hands and getting first downs. It’s all of that.
“It’s football, man. Just because you’ve got good players and a good scheme doesn’t mean the other team is going to give it to you.”