Tag: Vikings

How 49ers’ worst play vs Vikings went wrong

Ji’Ayir Brown explained what went wrong on Justin Jefferson’s 97-yard touchdown during the Vikings’ win over the 49ers on Sunday.

The San Francisco 49ers loss to the Minnesota Vikings will likely be headlined by a historic connection between former Niner Sam Darnold and his new star pass catcher Justin Jefferson.

After stopping the 49ers on fourth and goal at the goal line, the Vikings quickly took advantage with a bomb from Darnold to Jefferson. From their own 3-yard line, Darnold placed a perfect pass into the hands of Jefferson for a 97-yard touchdown.

Jefferson was able to slip behind both of the 49ers’ safeties on the play, Ji’Ayir Brown and George Odum. After the game, Brown took a bulk of the blame for the long touchdown and explained what went wrong on the play.

I’ve got to be better. I kind of left my safety hanging there. Yeah, I just got to be better there.

I’ve got Jefferson on an over. He’s got Jefferson on an up-and-out. Jefferson stemmed inside — kind of slowed me down — anticipating him going over, and he just took the roof off.

Via @NBCS49ers on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/NBCS49ers/status/1835432425633272165

Darnold’s 97-yard pass to Jefferson will live in San Francisco’s record book as the longest touchdown pass against the 49ers in franchise history.

Darnold finished with 268 yards passing, two touchdowns and an interception against his former team. Before exiting the game early, Jefferson notched 133 yards receiving on four catches with a touchdown.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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Sam Darnold throws 97-yard TD to Justin Jefferson for Vikings

Sam Darnold started Week 2 right for the Vikings, hitting Justin Jefferson on a 97-yard touchdown pass to give Minnesota a first-half lead versus the 49ers.

The Minnesota Vikings, head coach Kevin O’Connell and Sam Darnold answered a lot of questions in Week 1 against the New York Giants in a 28-6 victory. Darnold tried to carry momentum into Week 2 against the San Francisco 49ers. He got off to a good start on a 97-yard touchdown to Justin Jefferson.

Darnold was strong against the Giants a week ago, going 19-24 for 208 yards with two touchdowns and just one interception on a tipped ball. All that resulted in a Vikings win, and a quarterback rating of 113.2 for Darnold.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell called Darnold a surprise and noted him having the hottest start of any Week 1 quarterback.

“If you’ve held onto your Darnold bags all these years, your time might have arrived. Once picked with the hopes he would torch bad defenses in the Meadowlands, Darnold returned to his old stamping grounds and laid waste to the Giants, starting his Vikings career by completing his first 12 passes in what would eventually be a 28-6 Minnesota victory.

What was most impressive about Darnold, though, was his anticipation and ability to throw into open spaces. He hit a seemingly covered Justin Jefferson for 44 yards on a pass that threw the star wideout open. His most impressive throw of Week 1 might have been a 21-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Nailor, where he worked from one side of the field to the other and then back, resetting his feet each time, before lobbing a pass under duress to Minnesota’s third wideout for a score.

Being able to hit a long home run against the vaunted 49ers is keeping the arrow pointed in the right direction for Sam Darnold.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1835376103617077588

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Drew Brees previews Saints-Cowboys with Jon Gruden

Drew Brees previewed this week’s Saints-Cowboys game with ex-NFL coach Jon Gruden. He doesn’t envy Derek Carr having to prepare for Mike Zimmer’s defense:

Jon Gruden has been out of the NFL for a few years now after being fired by the Las Vegas Raiders in the wake of a scandal centering on his extensive use of hateful language, and he’s keeping busy these days by talking shop with current and former players when the New Orleans Saints aren’t inviting him to observe practice and sitting down with him for team meals in Tampa.

Gruden still has a lot of connections and fans around the league. His old quarterback Derek Carr is one of them. Another Saints quarterback, Drew Brees, is another. Brees joined Gruden on his YouTube channel to discuss a wide range of topics including youth football, fatherhood, and this week’s matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.

Brees visited the Saints at their training camp in Southern California, and he’s eager to see more of their offense with Klint Kubiak calling plays into Carr’s headset: “I love what that offense brings, both in the run game and I think the mentality, the way it shapes up the play action the passing game as well. I think there’s a renewed enthusiasm there. I think Derek’s about to have some of his best years. He’s got some explosive weapons around him.”

Interestingly, Brees pointed to what the Saints are doing now in comparison to what he and Sean Payton did back in 2006. Just like Payton learned much from Gruden as a coaching mentor in adapting the West Coast offense for his own designs, Kubiak is making Kyle Shanahan’s system his own in New Orleans. “It came from the same source, right?” Brees added.

As to this matchup in Dallas? Brees is hoping Carr can build on his strong performance: “That’ll be a heck of a matchup. I’ll be glued to the TV for that one.”

One wrinkle to this year’s game Gruden pointed out? Mike Zimmer’s return to Dallas. He’s once again the Cowboys defensive coordinator after a couple of seasons out of the league, running the defense where he first rose to prominence as Payton’s coworker so many years ago. And Brees doesn’t envy Carr and Kubiak having to outwit a defensive coach he has a ton of respect for.

“I’ll say this, we played against Zim a bunch. And there was never a week I expended more mental energy preparing for a defense than a Zimmer defense,” Brees said. “Because just like you said, the minute they walk those two linebackers up in the A gaps, even if they’re just bluffing them, it gets you thinking so much about, ‘Where can I get the ball out? What coverage are they potentially rolling to?'”

That sounds exhausting just from the description. What’s really intriguing about the Kubiak-Zimmer chess match is that Kubiak last worked as an offensive coordinator calling plays under Zimmer on the Minnesota Vikings. But the offense he’s running now is more heavily derived from Shanahan’s San Francisco 49ers system than what Kubiak used in Minnesota, so it’s not like either coach has an inside track on what the other is planning. It’s all going to come to a head on Sunday. Like Brees (and Gruden), we’ll be watching.

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49ers were hoping Vikings starting QB would return to San Francisco as backup

Sam Darnold would’ve been the 49ers backup QB again if Kyle Shanahan hand his druthers.

The San Francisco 49ers went into the offseason with only one quarterback under contract.

Last season Sam Darnold held down the backup QB role. Brandon Allen operated as the emergency third QB. The only time the 49ers strayed from this setup was when Brock Purdy sat out the season finale and Darnold started with Allen as QB2. Both Darnold and Allen were free agents entering 2024.

San Francisco’s chances to retain Darnold were slim. The former No. 3 overall pick joined the 49ers in part to rehab an image that had been battered during tumultuous tenures with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers. His success in simply existing as the 49ers’ backup for a season put the then-26-year-old on track to score a decent free agent contract and a potential starting job.

He landed with the Minnesota Vikings, but 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was hopeful Darnold would have no suitors and be forced to return to San Francisco.

“Yeah, I thought it was a real good spot for him,” Shanahan told reporters in a press conference on Wednesday. “And I was happy for him. I was hoping he’d find no good spots and come back here. But I was happy for him. He got this opportunity because Sam more than deserves it. Sam is a starting quarterback in this league and he should run with it.”

Darnold proved his supporters correct in his debut with the Vikings. He completed 19-of-24 throws for 208 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in Minnesota’s 28-6 rout of the New York Giants.

The 49ers weren’t able to keep Darnold, and now they’ll have to face him in Week 2 when he lines up under center for the Vikings. Shanahan believes Darnold is a starting QB in the NFL, but the 49ers and their coach will be hoping he looks more like a backup on Sunday.

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Vikings star WR may miss game vs. 49ers

Last season against the 49ers, the Vikings young pass catcher recorded seven catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns.

While the San Francisco 49ers are dealing with an injury to one of their key playmakers, so is their next opponent, the Minnesota Vikings.

During the Vikings win in Week 1 against the New York Giants, Jordan Addison exited the game exited Sunday’s game in the third quarter due to an ankle injury.

For Week 2, the sophomore pass catcher’s status could be in jeopardy. Addison missed practice on Wednesday due to the ankle injury he picked up in Week 1.

Via @Andrew_Krammer on Twitter:

Addison torched the 49ers last season, leading the Vikings to an upset victory in Week 7 on Sunday Night Football with 123 yards and two touchdown receptions.

If Addison is ruled out Brandon Powell, Jalen Nailor and Trent Sherfield could be in line for bigger roles in Kevin O’Connell’s passing attack.

Although Addison could be sidelined on Sunday, Nick Sorensen and the 49ers defense will still have to find a way to slow down Justin Jefferson and his new quarterback Sam Darnold.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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Kene Nwangwu signs with the New York Jets practice squad

After failing the New Orleans Saints’ entry physical, former All-Pro kick returner Kene Nwangwu signed with the New York Jets practice squad:

Kene Nwangwu has found a new home with the New York Jets as a member of their practice squad, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. This means he passed their physical which was not the case in New Orleans.

The New Orleans Saints initially claimed Nwangwu in August after he was waived by the Minnesota Vikings. The vision was that he could pair with Rashid Shaheed to give the Saints two All-Pro returners. With the NFL looking to increase the amount of kickoff returns, this combination could have paid dividends for the squad.

Unfortunately, we were never able to see this as the Saints failed Nwangwu’s physical. It wasn’t revealed what exactly led to the failed test, but it has been a week and a half since then. It was either something minor or this is an example of how all team physicals aren’t the same.

For the Jets, this is their second attempt at adding a dynamic kick returner. New York now adds Nwangwu to the practice squad. Expect him to be called up to the active game-day roster at least once. If he’s productive, he has a skillset that creates an easy path to the 53-man roster.

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Former Packers RB Aaron Jones scores TD, goes over 100 total yards in Vikings debut

The former Packers RB had a big debut with the Vikings in Week 1.

Former Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones enjoyed a productive debut during the Minnesota Vikings’ 28-6 win over the New York Giants in Week 1 on Sunday.

Jones, who was released by the Packers in March, bounced to the outside and raced into the end zone from three yards out to finish off the Vikings’ first touchdown drive of the 2024 season. In typical Jones fashion, he turned a modest number of touches — 16 — into 109 total yards. His 14 rushing attempts gained 94 yards and the score.

“I’m feeling great. This is a great way to start my journey with the Vikings, and as a team, we came and accomplished what we wanted to do,” Jones said post-game, per the team’s official site.

Jones had a 19-yard run and averaged 6.7 yards per attempt. He split time with Ty Chandler, who had eight rushing attempts and three catches.

Does this look familiar? Here’s Jones’ touchdown run:

https://twitter.com/Vikings/status/1832833072183562431

Josh Jacobs, who replaced Jones as the new starting running back in Green Bay, carried 16 times for 84 yards, caught two passes for 20 yards and finished with 104 total yards during the Packers’ season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil.

Jacobs and the Packers face off against Jones and the Vikings in three weeks at Lambeau Field.

In other notable plays made by former Packers in the NFC North, safety Jonathan Owens returned a blocked punt for a touchdown as the Chicago Bears came back from 17-0 to beat the Tennessee Titans in Week 1. Owens returned a fumble for a touchdown as a member of the Packers last season.

Saints claim former All-Pro return man Kene Nwangwu off waivers

The Saints claimed a former All-Pro return man in Vikings running back Kene Nwangwu, adding more options for the new kickoff format:

The New Orleans Saints utilized their waivers position at No. 14 to make a claim Wednesday, bringing in 2022 All-Pro returner Kene Nwangwu per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. This move was also officially confirmed via the NFL waiver system transaction report, shared  by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

First off, this move will require a respective move to be made, whether that be another player to injured reserve or someone being released or waived.

As for Nwangwu, he has been an exceptional kick return man throughout his career, leading the league in 2022 with 35 kick returns, and in 2021 with two kick return touchdowns (three of them in his career). His most notable of the three was a 99-yard return touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers in 2021, which conveniently came when Klint Kubiak was with the Vikings as well. Nwangwu only ran the ball sparingly for Kubiak that season but he averaged 4.7 yards per carry.

With the new kickoff format coming to the NFL this season, the Saints will now have two All-Pro returners on the team in Nwangwu and Rashid Shaheed, which should help their chances at being one of the first teams to really get accustomed to it quickly.

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Saints sign former Patriots second-round pick Joejuan Williams after group tryout

The Saints signed former Patriots second-round pick Joejuan Williams after a group tryout. He played college football at Vanderbilt:

The New Orleans Saints signed former Patriots second-round pick Joejuan Williams after a group tryout, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. The cornerback played college football at Vanderbilt and has lined up almost exclusively out wide in the NFL — on 436 of his 608 career defensive snaps, with 111 of them starting in the slot.

So he’s not exactly the Justin Simmons consolation prize some fans may have hoped for.  Instead, look for Williams to compete at the bottom of the depth chart with other corners like Rejzohn Wright, Mac McCain II, and Kaleb Ford-Dement. The Saints are still looking for players to round out their practice squad as guys like Rico Payton and Shemar Jean-Charles separate from the pack. And with injuries hitting three of their top four corners (Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo, and Kool-Aid McKinstry) they need the help just to keep practice on schedule.

As for Williams? He’s listed  at 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds and was drafted at No. 45 overall in 2019, the sixth cornerback to be picked. But he played out his four-year contract with the Patriots without intercepting a single pass. He’s since spent time with the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings but has struggled to earn snaps for either team, instead coming up from their practice squad. He needs to impress right away if he’ll catch on with the Saints.

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Brian Flores responds to Tua Tagovailoa’s harsh criticism of coaching

A day after Tua Tagovailoa had some harsh criticisms of Brian Flores, the former Dolphins head coach responded Tuesday.

A day after Tua Tagovailoa described Brian Flores as a “terrible person” whose constant criticisms tore the quarterback’s confidence, the former Miami Dolphins head coach responded to the comments Tuesday.

“I’m genuinely happy for the success that Tua’s had, I really wish him nothing but the best,” said Flores, who now serves as defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings. “I think player relationships are very important to me. I think that’s kind of the foundation of coaching. I got into coaching because I was impacted as a young guy by my high school coaches, my college coaches, going all the way to Pop Warner. I got into coaching because I want to make that same kind of impact: a positive impact.

“[I want to] pour into young people. Help them become — as [Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell] always says — the best versions of themselves. And that’s really my goal always in coaching. So I wish nothing but the best to Tua. Really, more than anything, I’m focused on the Vikings.”

While Flores didn’t get into specifics of the relationship, the coach later seemed to accept some responsibility for the issues with Tagovailoa, even if he didn’t confirm or deny the quarterback’s retelling.

“Look, I’m human. That hit me in a way that would say was positive for me,” Flores said. “But at the same time, I’ve got to use that and say ‘Hey, how can I grow from that? How can I be better?’ That’s really where I’m at, from that standpoint. Do I feel like that’s me? No. But how can I grow from that and create a situation where nobody says that about Brian Flores?

“I’ve done a lot of reflecting on the situation. Reflecting on the situation, the communication, and I think there’s things I can do better, for sure. And I’ve grown in that way. I’ve tried to apply the things that I could do better and the things that I’ve learned over the last two, three years.”

Still, Flores maintained that he’s not a coach who butts heads with others often.

“I’d say over the long-haul, I’ve had a lot of great relationships over my 21 years here in the league. Players, coaches, personnel, equipment, people in the kitchen, really across the board, I’ve had a lot of great relationships. I’m going to continue to do that. But I’m also always looking to get better and evolve.”

Flores, 43, spent three seasons as the Dolphins’ head coach, leading them to a 24-25 record during his tenure. After he was fired in January 2022, Flores spent a year as senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers before he was hired by the Vikings in 2023.

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