The 49ers moved to 2-0 in the postseason with their 17-7 win over the Vikings on Saturday night in Minnesota.
It was a defensive slugfest that matched the tenor of the joint practices the teams ran together Wednesday and Thursday before the game. Both defensive lines dominated, but a couple 49ers takeaways were the difference.
Here are some thoughts from the second preseason contest:
First quarter
– 49ers broadcaster Tim Ryan’s hair is super long. Big Tarzan vibes from TR.
– Kellen Mond is the starting quarterback for the Vikings. Remember when Mond was a favorite for that random portion of 49ers Twitter? Same. He stinks.
– Really nice tackle for Tarvarius Moore on a short throw. He’s the starting strong safety alongside George Odum
– What a rep for 49ers DL Charles Omenihu. Just carried the left tackle into Mond’s lap to force a throwaway.
– Speaking of Odum, he’s the recipient of a bad throw from Mond. It looked the QB wanted to throw short, but Samuel Womack flew in off the edge to force a bad throw over the top. Four INTs for the 49ers in the preseason.
– Trey Sermon was dealing with an ankle injury, but he’s the starting RB.
– New 49ers short-yardage back Tyrion Davis-Price goes backwards on a fourth-and-inches. Big yikes! The 49ers OL got worked and didn’t give him much room. He needs to get downhill though. Cutting back isn’t the move.
– Oof. After the play wide receiver Malik Turner is flagged for unnecessary roughness. That’s not good for the receiver who’s looking to carve out a roster spot in a crowded WR room.
– 49ers DE Jordan Willis nearly came up with a sack. San Francisco is going to have to let go a couple of NFL-caliber defensive linemen.
– 49ers broadcaster Greg Papa thinks camouflage is tie-dye.
– Apparently TE Tyler Kroft made a nice catch, but a disastrous job by the camera crew made it impossible to see.
– Oh there’s a replay. Confirmed, it was a terrific catch.
– Two false starts on one drive. Hard to blame the offensive line when the stadium is rocking like this.
– Hey a Javon Kinlaw sighting! He made a really nice move to beat the right guard for a sack. He needed a play like that, especially since he’ll see a lot of one-on-one matchups on this defensive front.
– Two good throws by QB Brock Purdy get dropped. The first by Jauan Jennings and the other by Trey Sermon. That’s not good for either of them since both are battling for roles on offense.
End of first quarter: 49ers 0, Vikings 0
Second quarter
– Sermon consistently hesitates to get to the corner. He looks a little more explosive, but he’s just not doing a great job of finding the edge and getting upfield.
– Sheesh, the 49ers reserve offensive line is atrocious. Aaron Banks got worked on a third down.
– Another takeaway for San Francisco. Malik Turner forced a fumble on a punt return and Samuel Womack jumped on it for the fifth takeaway of the preseason for the 49ers.
– Another drop by Tanner Hudson on what would’ve been a conversion on third-and-seven. That’s a good throw from Nate Sudfeld, who’s back in. Robbie Gould banged home a field goal after the third-down drop. It’s 3-0, 49ers.
– Tariq Castro-Fields “has all the juice,” per Tim Ryan.
– Nice pass breakup by Deommodore Lenoir on a deep shot. He’s in the mix to play the nickel.
– There’s Davis-Price. He just railroaded a defensive back in the open field.
– Another win for Kinlaw on a pass rushing rep. He looks good in this game.
– The 49ers defense is constantly ripping at the ball. They’re looking hard for takeaways.
– Touchdown Vikings. The home team is up 7-3. Devastating at the end of the half for the 49ers.
– Purdy can move. It’s interesting the 49ers are alternating series between him and Sudfeld. The rookie gets the two-minute drill at the end of the half.
– Pre-snap penalties are killing the pace of this game.
– Nice throw and catch in traffic on a third-and-12. Turner on the receiving end. He’s making a case to make the team. Purdy is doing a better job stepping into his throws after floating a couple in his debut.
– Sweet catch by Danny Gray on a deep shot. He was out of bounds, but he made a good adjustment in tight coverage.
Halftime: Vikings 7, 49ers 6
Third quarter
– A nice return from WR Marcus Johnson to open the second half. The 49ers are clearly fired up after going into the half down one.
– Veteran OL Jordan Mills is not putting together his best night.
– Davis-Price looks unpleasant to tackle.
– Hilarious missed offsides call on a 49ers fumble.
– Why is Javon Kinlaw still playing?
– Tim Ryan wanted all the smoke with the trivia question and got it wrong. Tough look.
– Davis-Price is a load. He has good balance through contact, too.
End of third quarter: Vikings 7, 49ers 6
Fourth quarter
– TOUCHDOWWWWWWWWWWN. SAN. FRAN. CISCEWWWWWWWWWWW! Nice throw by Sudfeld to JaMycal Hasty on a Texas route. Hasty was wide open and the QB did a nice job to find him in traffic. It’s 12-7, 49ers.
– Danny Gray was wide open for the two-point conversion. He got open because TE Tanner Hudson ran a corner route. The broadcast team is now comparing Hudson to George Kittle. 14-7, 49ers.
– Tough drop for a Vikings tight end who might want to jog past the huddle and back to the locker room.
– Jeremiah Gemmel, an undrafted linebacker, made a nice play to break up a pass. He nearly intercepted it. The 49ers have a really good set of LBs.
– Jordan Mason is a tank. He looks more decisive than Sermon. Nice run through contact for 17 yards.
– Purdy running head first into a defensive back is not a good play.
– Gould’s third field goal of the game puts the 49ers up 17-7.
– A Tarvarius Moore pass breakup is a welcome sign for the 49ers. He looks much better than he did vs. Green Bay.
– Drake Jackson is super active. He’s fun to watch.
– There’s another interception. This time undrafted rookie Tayler Hawkins snags an underthrown deep ball for an easy pick. That’s the third takeaway for the 49ers and it should end this one.
– Final score: 49ers 17, Vikings 7
