MINNEAPOLIS — Sam Darnold strong-armed his former team in his home debut for the Minnesota Vikings — with a 97-yard touchdown pass to superstar Justin Jefferson.
The San Francisco 49ers weren't surprised by his success in the 23-17 victory by the Vikings on Sunday, but they sure were kicking themselves for some of his opportunities.
''It hurts my soul, honestly. We knew exactly the type of game it was going to be, what was going to be required for us to win the game,'' said linebacker Fred Warner, who had nine tackles, two passes defensed, an interception and two forced fumbles — one of which the 49ers recovered. ''We've got so much talent in the room. We're always going to play hard, but it's about playing smart.''
The 49ers, who were 2 for 10 on third down conversions and 1 for 3 on fourth down attempts, went for it on fourth-and-goal from the 2 early in the second quarter. Brock Purdy's pass for Jauan Jennings was deflected by Andrew Van Ginkel at the line of scrimmage and knocked down by Harrison Smith at the goal line, giving the Vikings the ball.
On second down from the 3, Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell called a play he'd been hanging onto to beat a certain coverage look from the 49ers that worked against them last season.
Jalen Nailor, who caught a touchdown pass for the second straight game, ran a crossing route to clear out cornerback Charvarius Ward. Jefferson, who lined up in the slot inside of Nailor, had man-to-man coverage from backup safety George Odum, with starter Talanoa Hufanga, the 2022 All-Pro, sidelined by injury. Jefferson ran straight up the seam to blow by Odum, bent his route slightly to the left and was suddenly past safety Ji'Ayir Brown, who was responsible for the middle third of the field.
''He's a good player and all, but we've got to do better on our leverage,'' Odum said. ''That's the reason he got us.''
Jefferson ran his route deceptively enough to fake Brown into thinking he was running toward the opposite sideline instead of Nailor.
