The San Francisco 49ers picked up their first loss of the season, falling 23-17 to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2. A special teams error, two turnovers (interception and fumble) and two turnovers on downs stalled the flow of the 49ers offense, and despite two takeaways from their defense, the team was unable to come back from their early deficit.
Here are five takeaways from the 49ers vs. Vikings game:
George Kittle Comes Up Big in Game No. 100
Sunday's matchup marked "The People's Tight End's" 100th career game, and he made his presence known in this milestone game. Kittle caught every pass thrown his way in the first half, snagging five catches for 56 yards and a touchdown. His highlight grabs of the first half included a 25-yarder on the 49ers second offensive series and a seven-yard touchdown reception to get the 49ers on the board in the second quarter. In the second half he added two more catches for 20 yards.
Jordan Mason Runs It Back
With All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey now on the Injured Reserve list, the third-year running back is the next man up in San Francisco for the foreseeable future. Mason stunned in his first-career start against the New York Jets, racking up 147 rushing yards and a touchdown, and he put together another noteworthy performance in Minnesota. Mason tallied up 100 rushing yards on 20 carries and punched in another score. His third quarter, 10-yard touchdown made it a one-score game with just over ten minutes to play.
Special Teams Plays
Punter Mitch Wishnowsky had his first quarter punt blocked and returned for 37 yards by Minnesota safety Theo Jackson to set up the Vikings on San Francisco's 24 yard line. The 49ers defense was ultimately able to keep the Vikings out of pay dirt with a key pass breakup from safety George Odum in the end zone but did secure three points off a 22-yard field goal from kicker Will Reichard.
Later in the third quarter, cornerback Isaac Yiadom saved the 49ers from a turnover following a muffed punt. The veteran corner recovered the loose ball amongst a pile of special teamers from both sides to keep the ball in San Francisco's possession and begin their drive on their own 13 yard line.
Fred Warner Creates Two Turnovers
After falling behind 10-0 in the second quarter, All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner provided the splash play the 49ers needed to reenergize both sides of the ball. Warner snagged a pass from Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold inside the red zone and returned it for 25 yards to set up San Francisco on their own 35 yard line. The interception marked Warner's first pick of the year, and the 49ers were able to capitalize on the turnover, punching in their first touchdown of the day on the ensuing drive.
Warner created a second turnover in the third quarter, punching the ball out of Vikings running back Aaron Jones' hands inside the red zone. Yiadom was able to once again secure the loose rock to lock down a possession for the 49ers. San Francisco's offense took over on the one yard line.
Defensive Front Stacks the Sacks
Defensive lineman Nick Bosa got home twice on Darnold, both times for a loss of five yards. His first sack came with a minute left to go in the first half and helped stall out the Vikings momentum on their final drive of the second quarter. Minnesota came away with just a field goal on that drive. Bosa's second sack came midway through the third quarter and secured a three and out for the 49ers defense. Bosa was injured on a rushing attempt by the Vikings later in the third quarter but was able to reenter the game in the fourth quarter. Warner and defensive lineman Kevin Givens added sacks of their own in the fourth quarter to bring the group total to four sacks in Week 2.
