49ers make crucial mistakes in 23-17 road loss to Vikings

The 49ers had their opportunities but could not get out of their own way.

We expect the San Francisco 49ers to score every time they touch the ball, making you scratch your head whenever they go three-and-out. That’s what Brock Purdy and the Niners did on their first drive.

Sam Darnold and the Vikings had more success after Darnold ran for a first down, which brought Minnesota to around mid-field. Defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen was not going to let Justin Jefferson beat him, as they had bracket coverage on Jefferson on the first drive. A penalty and an awkward toss backward put the Vikings in a 2nd & 23 situation.

On 3rd & 10, the Vikings targeted Fred Warner. There aren’t many situations where that’s a good idea. That’s on third and long. Warner made a diving stop:

A blocked punt on the ensuing drive gave the Vikings great field position. But the defense held in the red zone after George Odum nearly intercepted Darnold in the end zone. You never want to fall behind a touchdown early in the game, so holding Minnesota to three was crucial at that juncture of the game.

George Kittle picked up a first down on a third down reception, but a sack on the next set of downs allowed the Vikings to put the 49ers in a 3rd & 14, where Kittle came up a couple of yards short, forcing a 4th and manageable.

This was a punt in years past, and let your defense give you the ball back with an advantageous field position. Instead, Kyle Shanahan elected to go for it on 4th & 4, and Jauan Jennings beat his man over the middle of the field for 25 yards. Jennings has been remarkable at the start of the season, and he came through for the team there.

That would not be the last time the Niners leaned on Jennings. After Kittle’s 3rd & goal reception came up a yard and a half short of the end zone, Purdy targeted Jennings on 4th & goal, but the ball was behind JJ after being tipped, and the 49ers would turn the ball over on downs.

Many wanted the 49ers to run the ball, and you won’t get many awon’tnts, but Jennings was open. It’s tough to foreshadow a tipped pass and an unblocked defender. In hindsight, not getting any points hurts, as the defense surrendered a 97-yard touchdown to Justin Jefferson. That was the longest allowed ever in franchise history.

Jefferson was matched up against George Odum in the slot. It’s impossible for safety, even with help over the top. Jefferson lining up in the slot makes it difficult for Mooney to match up against Jefferson, but there needs to be some check that doesn’t isolate him.

Ji’Ayir Brown didn’t exactly do a great job deep in coverage. Jefferson is the Vikings’ only deep threat, and that should’ve been where Brown’s eyes were.

After another punt, the Vikings drove the field again and looked to tack on to their 10-0 lead. But Fred Warner made an acrobatic interception that gave the 49ers the jolt of energy they needed.

Jordan Mason ran for seven and 22 yards after breaking multiple tackles. That came after Deebo had a gain of 28 yards. A well-designed screen pass to George Kittle got the Niners on the scoreboard to trim the lead to three.

But the Vikings had time before the end of the half and would receive the ball to begin the second half. Nick Bosa had his first sack of the season, but Jefferson would gain 16 yards on 3rd & 13 to keep Minnesota on the field. Darnold converted another third down on a scramble, which put the Vikings in a manageable range to make a field goal.

That made it 13-7. To begin the second half, both teams had negative plays and ended up punting. Darnold began to tilt. He was holding onto the ball, and it looked as if he was close to making a bad decision. Bosa picked up his second sack of the game early in the third quarter.

It would be Purdy who would make the first egregious mistake. He stared down his receiver, and multiple Vikings defenders tipped the pass before the ball was intercepted.

On the ensuing drive, Kevin O’Connell dialed up the perfect play-call where his wide receiver faked like he was blocking, and the 49ers fell for it. Jailen Nailor’s wide-open touchdown gave the Vikings a 20-7 lead.

Unfortunately, that would not be Purdy’s final turnover. The ball inexplicably slipped through his hands, and the Vikings had another short field.

As Aaron Jones was running into the end zone, Warner would make his third spectacular play of the game. With his heels on the goal line, Warner punched the ball loose and saved a touchdown and the game.

The offense would have another opportunity to take advantage. Facing a 3rd & 10, Purdy found Kittle for a first down. Purdy argued for a roughing the passer penalty and was rewarded. Three plays later, Mason scored from ten yards out to make it a 20-14 game with ten minutes to play. One stop was all the Niners’ defense, which gave them the lead.

But the 49ers allowed the Vikings to convert three third downs on their next drive. Darnold found Brandon Powell for 11 yards on 3rd & 7. Nailor picked up 26 yards on 3rd & 8. Darnold then found Powell again for five yards on 3rd & 2. The Vikings finished the game 7-for-12 on third down. A short field goal gave the Vikings a 23-14 lead with just over 3:30 to play.

The 49ers had an opportunity to trim the deficit to a field goal. On 3rd & 1 from the 4-yard line, Shanahan called a screen pass to Deebo—who had an outstanding game with eight catches for 110 yards prior to this play. The pass was tipped, and Samuel lost nine yards.

The way Mason had been running that felt like an easy running call, as he was bound to pick up the first down or score at the same probability as the screen play. Instead, the Niners settled for a field goal, had to kick an onside, and we know the kicking team rarely recovers those.

It was a game where the 49ers could not get out of their own way. You can’t make the type of mistakes they did and expect to win.

Vikings 23, 49ers 17.