I might have to stop attending Vikings games. They play terrible when I'm in the stands. Even when they've won, which hasn't been often, it hasn't been pretty.
Of course, I know that my attendance has nothing to so with the outcome. No matter how disappointing the outcome.
No matter how much the yakking heads in the media said otherwise I knew that the 49ers were going to be a tough opponent. Nearly everyone said that the Vikings and 49ers were teams headed in opposite directions. I still think that the Vikings best days are ahead of them. They couldn't possibly get worse. The one real takeaway from this game was that the 49ers aren't nearly as bad as everyone pegged them to be.
49ers running back Carlos Hyde ran great. The 49ers defense was tough and physical. If quarterback Colin Kaepernick's passing can catch up to Hyde's running the 49ers should be a very challenging team in 2015.
The Vikings were terrible. In nearly every phase of the game, the Vikings played terrible. It's that simple. And that disappointing.
At first glance from the stands, strong-side linebacker Anthony Barr might have been the only Vikings player that played well. Especially in the second half.
The Vikings defense was gashed often by Hyde cutbacks. He'd follow his line pulling one way, stop and head the other way. The Vikings defense failed repeatedly to cover any cutback lanes. It didn't help that the 49ers offensive line often got away with holding as Vikings defenders tried to get off of blocks and head the other way. If the Vikings don't get this defensive basic worked out teams will be doing this to them all year.
Hyde racked up 168 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns. He was the best #28 on the field last night.
There was much anticipation for Adrian Peterson's return to the football field. He looked tentative. He said after the game that he was a little "hesitant" running out of the shotgun formation. That's a little puzzling as the Vikings didn't just install that formation for this game. They've been practicing out of it for over a month. Still, this is his first actual game with that formation and young quarterback Teddy Bridgewater next to him.
Teddy Bridgewater. His final statistics don't look too bad. If you ignore the lack of any touchdowns and the presence of an interception. He completed 23 of 32 passes for 249 yards. That looks efficient on paper. Few of the nine incomplete passes were even close to the intended receiver.
A blocked field goal and return set the Vikings up nicely on the 49ers 26-yard line for their first offensive possession. The Vikings were done after three plays when Bridgewater proceeded to sail three passes. They had to settle for a field goal attempt. Blair Walsh missed that attempt. That left the Vikings with no points to show for what would be their best play of the night.
Bridgewater's interception in the fourth quarter essentially sealed the game for the 49ers. The pass was terrible. He sent it well over the head of tight end Kyle Rudolph and right into the hands of 49ers corner Trumaine Brock. Brock didn't even have to move to collect the errant throw,
That's four of Bridgewater's nine incomplete passes that were simply wild, sailing throws. I can recall one drop and one that probably should have been called pass interference. One of his most accurate throws of the night was a 49-yarder to Mike Wallace in the end zone. The ball was on Wallace's hands in tight coverage. Overly tight coverage. Nine times out of ten that's likely called defensive pass interference. Even with the possible interference, I'd like to see Wallace come down with that ball. It was on his hands.
That throw to Wallace might have been the play, or non-play, of the day for the 49ers. If not that one, it might have been Vance McDonald running down Marcus Sherels as he returned the blocked field goal in the first quarter. It looked like the Vikings had a touchdown and McDonald prevented it from happening. If either play had gone in the Vikings favor maybe it's a different game. But, maybe not. The Vikings really didn't play well enough to take advantage of any breaks.
The Vikings are really lucky that they have 15 more games to wipe away the memory of this disaster.
Some game day observations.
The NFL has to reconsider forcing two games on the opening Monday night. Starting a game at 7:20 on the west coast is ridiculous. No game that ends in regulation should finish up on a different day than it started on the east coast.
The 49ers sparkling new Levi's Stadium is beautiful. It will be a fine venue for Super Bowl 50. I sure hope that they get rid of the fire breathers.
There were a lot of Vikings fans at the game.
The Vikings have their home-opener against the Detroit Lions next week. They have some work to do.
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