The third quarter was a wild one
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 in the game. 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.