4 Bold Predictions for Minnesota Vikings’ Week 2 Matchup vs 49ers

By Andrew Buller-Russ

·Updated: September 11, 2024

The Minnesota Vikings have their first home game of the season on Sunday. Usually, Vikings games at U.S. Bank Stadium favor the home team. Not this week against the San Francisco 49ers, who some regard as one of the best teams in the NFL.

As of this publishing, the Vikings are six-point underdogs in Week 2. But much of these projections are based on what happened last season, and the 49ers made it to the Super Bowl. However, it’s a new year, and no one truly knows what the 2024 Sam Darnold-led Vikings are capable of.

Could the Vikings pull off an upset on Sunday? No one will give the Vikings a chance to beat one of the NFL’s best teams on Sunday. But if some of these bold Vikings vs 49ers predictions come true, Kevin O’Connell’s team could start the season 2-0.

Vikings’ offensive line allows zero sacks

The Minnesota Vikings’ offensive line has long been a big talking point. That’s never good. Offensive linemen aren’t ever supposed to be in the spotlight because it’s usually for all the wrong reasons, such as a missed block.

The Vikings had a huge challenge on their hands in Week 1 against the monstrous Dexter Lawrence-led Giants. The last time these two teams matched up, the Vikings allowed 16 pressures (Ed Ingram (5), Garrett Bradbury (5), Christian Darrisaw (3). This time around? Thirteen, with six ‘credited’ to Ingram and four more to Bradbury. Sam Darnold took two sacks.

But the last time Vikings quarterbacks didn’t get sacked at all? It actually came against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 7 of last season. It was the only time the Vikings didn’t take any sacks all year. Even though the 49ers have former Defensive Player of the Year winner Nick Bosa and ranked 11th in sacks as a team last year, we’ll go out on a limb and say Darnold doesn’t get sacked once on Sunday.

Jalen Nailor records 100 yards and two touchdowns

Jordan Addison’s latest ankle injury could force him out of the Week 2 lineup. If so, it only opens the door for Jalen Nailor to receive even more targets. Darnold targeted Nailor just once in the Vikings’ Week 1 win, but the former sixth-round pick made the most of it with a perfect route to get wide open on a 21-yard touchdown reception.

Kevin O'Connell said that Sam Darnold's 21-yard TD pass to Jalen Nailor was the result of the @Vikings countering early double teams on Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. O'Connell really got evil with receiver movement and placement here. pic.twitter.com/jG6vSfFPYC
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) September 10, 2024

Nailor has been hyped up all offseason thanks to having an excellent training camp, but his NFL breakout has yet to come. He’s had just two games with more than the 21 yards he recorded on Sunday and has never topped 89 yards. But with Hockenson out, and possibly Addison too, watch out for Nailor’s first 100-yard game against a very good defense.

Minnesota Vikings hold 49ers to less than 100 rushing yards

When the 49ers ruled Christian McCaffrey out just 90 minutes before kickoff in Week 1, many thought it meant San Francisco would struggle to run the ball. Nope. Not at all.

Instead, Jordan Mason, a third-year undrafted pro, received the most carries he’s had since high school. In fact, Mason’s 28 carries were more than any other running back in the Kyle Shanahan-49ers era (2017-now). Mason was incredible, rumbling for 147 yards and a touchdown. It was more yards than any other single rusher on a Robert Saleh defense since Week 9 of the 2021 season.

Now, there’s talk that Run CMC could return for Week 2, but he may not be at full strength, which means we could see a combination of Mason and the All-Pro RB. One would think that would lead to a long day at U.S. Bank Stadium, but after having a top-ten rush defense last season, we’ll put our faith in the home team and say the 49ers won’t even top 100 yards on the ground.

Vikings force three turnovers

The Vikings didn’t win the turnover battle in Week 1, but they didn’t lose it either. Both the Vikings and Giants committed two turnovers. One was a tipped Darnold interception, and the other came on the first drive when the helmet of a Giants defender collided with a ball that was once in C.J. Ham’s possession. However, the Vikings also intercepted Daniel Jones twice, both on very well-read plays.

Brock Purdy probably won’t make it as easy as “Danny Dimes” did in Week 1, but that doesn’t mean “Mr. Irrelevant” isn’t prone to making mistakes. Last year, Purdy had the 11th-most ‘Turnover-Worthy Plays’ per Pro Football Focus. While having a turnover-worthy play on 3.2% of his pass attempts may not seem like much, those odds could increase when having to dissect a pressure-heavy defense like the one Brian Flores operates.

They don’t all have to be interceptions. A turnover is a turnover, and the Vikings will enjoy a takeaway any way they can get them. But can they force three turnovers on Sunday? It could be Minnesota’s easiest path to victory.