SAN FRANCISCO (5-1) at MINNESOTA (2-4)
Monday, 8:15 p.m. EDT, ESPN
OPENING LINE: 49ers by 7, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: 49ers 4-1-1; Vikings 2-4.
SERIES RECORD: 49ers lead 25-23-1
LAST MEETING: 49ers beat Vikings 34-26 on Nov. 28, 2021, in Santa Clara, California
LAST WEEK: 49ers lost to Browns 19-17; Vikings beat Bears 19-13
49ERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (6), RUSH (3), PASS (13), SCORING (2)
49ERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (3), RUSH (6), PASS (10T), SCORING (1)
VIKINGS OFFENSE: OVERALL (12), RUSH (30), PASS (3), SCORING (17)
VIKINGS DEFENSE: OVERALL (15), RUSH (18), PASS (17), SCORING (21)
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: 49ers plus-8; Vikings minus-7.
49ERS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Brock Purdy is coming off the first bad start of his young career, going 12 of 27 for 125 yards with one TD and his first INT of the season last week at Cleveland. Purdy had won his first 10 career regular-season starts with a 90-plus passer rating in all of them.
VIKINGS PLAYER TO WATCH: TE T.J. Hockenson hasn't scored since a two-touchdown game in Week 2 and has had some trouble securing the ball, a team-wide trend this season. With star WR Justin Jefferson sidelined by a hamstring injury, Hockenson will need to connect with QB Kirk Cousins in the passing attack for the Vikings to remain viable against a relentless defense.
KEY MATCHUP: 49ers defensive line vs. Vikings offensive line. Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead and the rest of the 49ers' pass rushers have given Cousins and his blockers plenty of trouble in the past. The 49ers rank only 24th in the league this season in sacks per pass attempt.
KEY INJURIES: RB Christian McCaffrey (oblique, ribs), WR Deebo Samuel (shoulder) and Trent Williams (ankle) were all banged up last week for the 49ers, putting their status in doubt this week. ... LB Dre Greenlaw (hamstring) is expected to return for the 49ers after a one-game absence. ... Vikings OLB Marcus Davenport (ankle) was placed on injured reserve this week, a significant hit for their pass rush. ... Vikings LG Ezra Cleveland (foot) was forced out at Chicago and replaced by Dalton Risner.
SERIES NOTES: The 49ers are 5-1 all-time against the Vikings in the playoffs. ... Cousins made his first start for the Vikings on Sept. 9, 2018, a 24-16 win over the 49ers. Armstead and LB Fred Warner are the only players still with the 49ers defense from that year. That's also the only trip San Francisco has made to Minnesota in the last 10 seasons. ... The Vikings have won six straight home games against the 49ers, last losing at the Metrodome in 1992.
STATS AND STUFF: The 49ers had a 15-game regular-season winning streak snapped last week. They have lost back-to-back games only once in the past 34 games. ... San Francisco was held to 215 yards last week for its lowest total in 104 regular-season games with Kyle Shanahan as coach. The 49ers averaged only 3.91 yards per play (the fourth-lowest under Shanahan) and had a success rate of 34.5% (second-lowest). ... The 49ers have five TDs and one FG on six game-opening drives, becoming the fifth NFL team since at least 2000 to score on the first drive in the first six games. The streak in the regular season stretches back eight games, one shy of the longest streak since 2000. ... San Francisco is second worst in the NFL with 45 penalties for 384 yards. ... McCaffrey has scored a TD in 15 straight games in the regular season and playoffs, tied for the second longest streak in history. Lenny Moore has the record with 17. ... Warner has an interception in back-to-back games. The last LB in the NFL to do it three straight games in one season was Lavonte David in 2013. ... Cousins is 2-10 as a starter in Monday night games. The wins came with the Vikings at Chicago in 2020 and 2021. ... The Vikings have converted all six rushing attempts on third-and-1 or fourth-and-1 situations, the only perfect percentage in the NFL this season. ... The Vikings have 23 completions of 20-plus yards, the fifth-most in the league. ... Vikings WR Jordan Addison leads NFL rookies with four TD receptions. ... Vikings OLB Danielle Hunter is tied for the NFL lead with eight sacks. ... Hunter and teammate Harrison Smith are among the six players in the league with at least 30 tackles and three sacks.
FANTASY TIP: The 49ers lead the NFL with 10 interceptions and have allowed a league-low 67.2 passer rating, but no touchdowns, only one fumble recovery and a lack of sacks has depressed their fantasy value thus far. The Vikings have worked their way under defensive coordinator Brian Flores up to bye-week sub status. LB Jordan Hicks had an interception and a fumble recovery for a TD last week against the Bears, and the Vikings had five sacks.
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