MINNEAPOLIS — The struggles Sam Darnold faced in his first five years in the NFL led to him being demoted to backup last season with San Francisco, where he once again failed to perform up to par with a top draft pick.
He quickly regained his status in Minnesota.
Darnold threw for 268 yards and scored two touchdowns against his former team, including a 97-yard strike in the second quarter to Justin Jefferson. The defense was also active, helping the Vikings beat the 49ers 23-17 on Sunday.
“Sam has made a lot of great decisions. We just have to continue to trust him to make those decisions,” Jefferson said.
One of the smartest moves was to join the Vikings, who needed a veteran to stabilize the offense before handing it over to rookie JJ McCarthy, who suffered a season-long knee injury last month.
“The amount of work that goes into that position in your quarterback journey when everyone decides you can’t play — we always believed in him,” coach Kevin O’Connell said. “It felt great to see him do that.”
Darnold completed 17 of 26 passes with one interception for the Vikings (2-0), who got three field goals from rookie Will Reichard and had 146 rushing yards on their most productive (6.1 yards per attempt) ground game in nearly three years.
Blake Cashman had 13 tackles, three passes defensed and a sack and Patrick Jones II had two of the six sacks on Brock Purdy, who threw two interceptions and trailed the entire game.
“We’ve got the players. We’ve got the scheme. We’ve got what it takes,” said Purdy, who went 28 of 36 for 319 yards. “It’s just dropping back, executing and getting the ball in the guys’ hands.”
Darnold and the Vikings put on a show in his home debut after replacing Purdy for the NFC champions last season, overcoming two red-zone turnovers that the 49ers (1-1) turned into touchdowns and dealing with a quadriceps injury that forced Jefferson out of the game in the third quarter.
But when it comes to a convincing win over a team that most predict will be in last place in the NFC North, or a performance by a quarterback that is publicly consigned to the scrap heap, well, he’s not into that.
“I don’t get into those types of stories,” Darnold said. “I think the biggest thing for us is just to keep taking it day by day.”
Jordan Mason rushed 20 times for 100 yards and a touchdown for the 49ers, once again filling in for All-Pro Christian McCaffrey, who will miss at least two more games with a lower leg injury.
The Vikings might have won in a landslide had it not been for Fred Warner, the three-time All-Pro linebacker who made his NFL debut for the 49ers in the 2018 season opener at Minnesota.
Warner, who finished with nine tackles and two passes defensed, made a diving interception at the San Francisco 10 to thwart a promising drive with the Vikings leading 10-0. The 49ers seized the momentum with a five-play march that culminated with a touchdown pass from Purdy to George Kittle.
In the fourth quarter, with the Vikings leading 20-7, Warner threw the ball away to Aaron Jones at the 1-yard line after an 18-yard run.
Kittle had seven catches for 76 yards, which gave him the third-most receiving yards (6,390) by a tight end in NFL history at the 100-game mark for his career. Rob Gronkowski (7,112) and Travis Kelce (6,762) were the only ones with more.
Try again
San Francisco lost for the eighth time in a row in Minnesota, including for the second year in a row after a 22-17 loss in Week 7 on a Monday night last season. The most recent win here came in 1992.
Go crazy
The Vikings set up their first field goal with a blocked punt by C.J. Ham, the ninth-year fullback and special teams stalwart. Theo Jackson collected the ball for a 37-yard return to the San Francisco 24.
Injuries
49ers: S Talanoa Hufanga (knee) missed a second straight game. His backup, Odum, was the last line of defense on Jefferson’s TD. … Coach Kyle Shanahan said “nobody knows” when McCaffrey will be back.
Vikings: WR Jordan Addison (ankle) was inactive after being injured in last week’s game. … Rookie OLB Dallas Turner suffered a knee injury that was not considered serious, O’Connell said.
Next
49ers: Visit the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday. The 49ers had a 10-game regular season winning streak against their division rival, not including the 2021-22 NFC championship game, that ended with a 21-20 loss to the Rams on Jan. 7, 2024. That was Darnold’s only start for the 49ers.
