The Vikings went 7-for-12 on third downs, converting three on a fourth-quarter drive that took 6 minutes, 46 seconds and sealed the game with a field goal. TThey sacked Brock Purdy six times, bringing their total to 11 for the season; five of those sacks came in a third quarter when Josh Metellus intercepted Purdy to set up a touchdown that put the Vikings up 20-7.
“When you’re a DB and you don’t get a lot of action, you know the front’s doing something right,” Metellus said. “The ball was coming out fast, just like they said it would. They were getting to the quarterback. Purdy was rattled, you could tell on the back end: not trusting his throws.”
Warner forced two turnovers deep in 49ers territory, intercepting Darnold as he tried to sling one over the middle for Trent Sherfield and punching the ball out of Jones’ hands as the running back approached the goal line on a third-quarter screen pass. But the Vikings forced two turnovers of their own, not including C.J. Ham’s blocked punt that set up Will Reichard’s field goal to start the scoring. They also forced two fourth-down stops, including one at their own 3 when Andrew Van Ginkel tipped a Purdy pass and Harrison Smith deflected it away from Jauan Jennings.
“They had a zero blitz, and one guy came free, which, in our pass protection, that’s just how it is,” Purdy said. “They got a hand on it, a tipped ball at the end, so it was just a good defensive play by them.”
In a game full of swings, the goal line stand preceded the day’s biggest thunderbolt.
The Vikings faced a second-and-9 from their own 3 when O’Connell called for a deep play action shot that “had been in the hopper for a little bit,” dating back to a play they ran against the 49ers last year. The precariousness of the moment, with Darnold lined up in his own end zone as Nick Bosa pressured off the right side, was not lost on O’Connell. “There’s some self-talk that goes into that,” he said. “The opportunity is there for both teams when your heels are in the paint like that.”