Entering Week 2, the Minnesota Vikings were already facing an uphill battle, matching up against the reigning NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers in front of their home crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Following a strong second-half performance by Sam Darnold and an impressive game plan put together by head coach Kevin O’Connell, the Vikings begin their season with a 2-0 record for the first time since 2016.
Sam Darnold Finds Success for Second Consecutive Week
After his impressive Week 1 performance, Sam Darnold continued his hot streak against the 49ers.
Through two weeks of the season, Darnold has completed 36 of 50 passes (72%) for 476 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions.
We're really about to put an active player in Canton.@JJettas2
📺: @NFLonCBs pic.twitter.com/cephalTst9
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 15, 2024
Darnold’s first half wasn’t as impressive as his second, though he lost another one of his limited weapons in the third quarter when superstar Justin Jefferson left the game with a quad injury.
As Darnold looks to continue leading Minnesota down a path of success that not many saw heading into the season, he could be doing so without two of his top receivers.
Jefferson accounted for 133 of Darnold’s 171 passing yards in the first half, so without one of the top receivers in the league running routes for Minnesota, the weight on Darnold’s shoulders just got even heavier, especially with Jordan Addison banged up.
Kevin O’Connell’s Game Plan Works to Perfection Against 49ers
While Brian Flores deserves credit for how well the defense played this week, head coach Kevin O’Connell earned his flowers, too.
Week 1 was an expected victory for Minnesota, but this week was far less of a promised victory.
No win in the NFL is easy, and that’s especially true when playing without your two top receivers, No. 1 tight end, and with a replacement quarterback running the offense.
Now, Darnold has been playing well through these first two weeks of action, but O’Connell’s coaching shouldn’t go unnoticed.
Against one of the top defenses in the league, the skeleton of O’Connell’s offense totaled 403 offensive yards, averaging 7.5 yards per play.
The Vikings’ offense is without a handful of their starting weapons, but this performance against San Francisco shows how well O’Connell did preparing his team to battle on Sunday.
With Jefferson potentially missing time with a quad contusion, O’Connell’s coaching must remain top-notch if the Vikings want to extend their record to 3-0 next week.