Vikings Win!

Vikings Win!

The Minnesota Vikings opened the 2018 NFL Season with a 24-16 home win over the San Francisco 49ers. It was one of those games that felt like it should've been a relatively easy three-score win. In reality it was a game that wasn't decided until Harrison Smith grabbed the Vikings third interception of Jimmy Garoppolo with 1:45 to play. It was a nerve-fraying game that, in reality, was a one-score game.

The Vikings are 1-0. It's on to Green Bay.

ESPN showed their priorities with this headline for the game:

49ers QB Garoppolo suffers first NFL loss

When was the last time anyone gave a hoot about ESPN's leanings? Drama over reporting. Always.

The Flea Flicker leans towards the Vikings: Always.

Vikings QB Kirk Cousins is solid in first win in purple

That's a much better, attention-grabbing headline. I'd read the article under that headline.

Kirk Cousins was solid in his Vikings debut. 20/36 for 244 yards and two touchdowns. He also made some plays with his feet, four carries for 26 yards. A couple of those runs moved the sticks when they desperately needed to be moved. The biggest play of the game might've been when he got 49ers defensive tackle Solomon Thomas to jump offsides on 4th-and-1 with 2:54 to play. The downside to Cousins' game, seeing as the quarterback always gets the blame, was the three consecutive thee-and-outs from late in the third quarterback to midway through the fourth. The Vikings really needed to eat some clock with their possessions. On those three possessions the offense gained a total of two yards (2!) and took a total of 2:42 off the clock. That sort of offensive hibernation can turn a win into a loss. Fortunately for the Vikings it didn't cost them the game yesterday. But give credit to the 49ers defense. They stepped up and got the ball to their offense.

Cousins was solid despite little help from the running game. 32 attempts for 116 yards. A 3.8 average per carry. 26 yards of those yards came on scampers by Cousins. Running back Dalvin Cook made his first appearance since a torn ACL took him off the field in Week 4 of last season. He had 16 carries for 40 yards. His best run, a 15-yard burst in the second quarter, ended with a fumble. Backup Latavius Murray had a little more success. 42 yards on 11 carries. Any quarterback will play a little better, see a softer pass defense when the threat of the run is real. The Vikings running threat wasn't strong yesterday. It needs to be. I expect that it will be as Cook knocks off the rust.

While Cousins was solid in his Minnesota debut, it was the Vikings defense that decided this game. They intercepted the great Garoppolo three times. Rookie corner Mike Hughes returned the first one  28 yards for a touchdown. Harrison Smith sealed the win with his late interception. Xavier Rhodes was in on the intercepting fun as well. Smith made impact plays all over the field and in many ways. As he often does. In addition to the interception, he recovered a fumble when the 49ers were a yard from a touchdown. He ended another 49ers fourth quarter threat with a third down sack. It was a typical Harrison Smith game. He wasn't alone on the defense. Garoppolo faced pressure on nearly every drop back. He was sacked three times. He was hit nine times. The addition of Cousins during the offseason was talked about so much that the addition of defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson to the defense was barely noticed. Quarterbacks get all the love. Richardson's presence will be noticed this season. He was noticed yesterday. Six tackles, 0.5 sacks, and 3 QB hits. He was routinely in the 49ers backfield. As were defensive ends Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen. Then there's nose tackle Linval Joseph jamming up everything in the middle. He's the one that forced the fumble that Smith recovered one yard from a would-be 49ers touchdown. The Vikings defense was the difference in this game.

The 49ers are heading in the right direction. They have a promising head coach and terrific play-caller in Kyle Shanahan. Jimmy Garoppolo put some footballs in the hands of players that he shouldn't yesterday. He also made some throws that are the sort of throws that have caused some people to prematurely put him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He has rare throwing talent. They will miss Jerick McKinnon this year but Shanahan and Garoppolo will find a way to make backs Alfred Morris and Matt Breida effective playmakers. Tight end George Kittle looks like a potential star. It helps that the Vikings defense let him run free a few too many times. They have young playmakers on each level of the defense in defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (2.5 sacks and 3 tackle for loss yesteday) rookie linebacker Fred Warner, safety Jaquiski Tartt, and corner Ahkello Witherspoon. They'll get second-year linebacker Rueben Foster back from suspension in a couple weeks. If he can stay on the field he has all the linebacking talent in the world. It's more a matter of when the 49ers establish themselves as a contender than if.

As with the play of their quarterback, this was a solid win for the Vikings. They need to run the ball better. They need to protect Cousins better. The defense was strong throughout but they still had a few breakdowns. Tight end Kittle (often) and fullback Kyle Juszczyk had free runs through the secondary. That can not happen. Ever. The Vikings did make adjustments in the second half to have a defender key on late-releasing 49ers. The Vikings started the season with a win. That's all that really matters. They are 1-0 and heading to Green Bay.

Vikings Win!