It appears the Minnesota Vikings won’t be breaking up the band after all.
After winning only one of their first five games, the Vikings appeared to be in prime position to sell as the Oct. 31 trade deadline approached. An ugly six-point win over the Chicago Bears a week ago Sunday did little to increase confidence, but then came Week 7 of the NFL schedule.
The Vikings watched on Sunday as the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions (5-2) were embarrassed at Baltimore and the Green Bay Packers (2-4) lost by two at Denver.The Bears were the only team from a weak division that was able to win and nobody considers them a threat.
This opened the door for the Vikings to put themselves within two games of the Lions but they would have to beat seven-point favorite San Francisco at U.S. Bank Stadium to do that. That was no easy assignment, and the Vikings made it difficult on themselves to the end, but they departed with a 22-17 victory over one of the NFC’s best.
The Vikings’ chances of pulling the upset looked as if it had little chance of happening when Kirk Cousins’ second pass of the game — and the Vikings’ third play from scrimmage — was intercepted by Niners cornerback Charvarius Ward. It marked the fourth time this season the Vikings had turned over the ball on their opening drive and in the first three cases (vs. the Los Angeles Chargers, Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs) Minnesota gave up touchdowns.
The Niners appeared set to be the fourth team to turn a Minnesota mistake into points but running back Christian McCaffrey’s fumble was recovered by the Vikings at their own 11-yard line.
It had been Vikings rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison who hadn’t been able to secure Cousins’ pass that was picked by Ward, but that was about the only thing Addison might have done wrong Monday. The first-round pick rebounded by catching a 20-yard touchdown pass on the Vikings’ ensuing possession.
The 49ers pulled within three points of the Vikings late in the second quarter when Minnesota got possession with 1 minute, 1 second remaining. Facing a third-and-6 from his own 40, Cousins threw a pass to Addison that looked much like the ball that had been picked. Only this time, Ward had it go through his hands and Addison raced 60 yards for a touchdown.
Monday’s game was the second that Justin Jefferson missed while on the injured reserve list because of a hamstring injury. The Vikings’ hope when they took Addison was that he would complement Jefferson, but on Monday he was asked to play a starring role before a national television audience and he did exactly that.
He left the game in the third quarter because of cramps but was able to return and drew a pass interference penalty in the fourth. Addison finished with seven receptions for 123 yards (a 17.6-yard average) and two touchdowns.
Cousins, playing before 49ers coach and longtime Cousins fan Kyle Shanahan, completed 35-of-45 passes for 378 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
Tight end T.J. Hockenson, who left the game twice because of injuries but returned each time, had his best game of the season. The highly-paid veteran, who sat out team drills during training camp either because of health issues or because he wanted a new contract (go with the latter), caught 11 passes for 86 yards. It looked like the timing between Cousins and Hockenson was finally back.
The question is are the Vikings back and ready to make a run?
That remains debatable but considering they are members of a poor conference in which the final wild card spots will be wide open, there is little chance ownership is going to give general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah permission to bail on the season and trade any key players.
Five of the Vikings’ next six games will come against teams that are under .500, beginning on Sunday in Green Bay. This presents an opportunity for a team whose season looked dead after an 0-3 start.
Coach Kevin O’Connell will point to the fact that Jefferson’s stint on the injured reserve only has two games left and there is more hope for the season now then when Jefferson was injured. Addison already looked like he belonged before Monday and on Monday he looked like a star. Cousins, despite his interception, ended up having a terrific game and overall there was a lot to like about the Vikings’ performance.
That performance is why the band is likely to stick together for the reminder of this season.
Judd Zulgad is co-host of the Purple Daily Podcast and Mackey & Judd podcast at www.skornorth.com.
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