Jordan Addison provided the offense, while Cam Bynum provided the defense.
Together they helped the Vikings pull off a 22-17 upset win over the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football.
That helped the Vikings move to 3-4 heading into a huge matchup against the rival Green Bay Packers next week at Lambeau Field.
It was a complete effort from the Vikings on both sides the ball, as Addison posted 7 catches for 124 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and Bynum had a forced fumble and a pair of interceptions. Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins performed at a high level as well, finishing 35 of 45 for 378 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The vibes were bad early on when Cousins threw an interception before many fans had even found their seats. If the Vikings wanted to pull off the upset against the 49ers in primetime, they knew they were going to have to take care of the ball. You feel the nervous energy reverberating throughout U.S. Bank Stadium in the immediate aftermath of the turnover.
Then the Vikings did something they haven’t been able to do much this season. They stopped the bleeding.
Thanks to a perfectly executed tackle Bynum, the Vikings forced a fumble to get the ball back. On the following drive, Cousins found T.J. Hockenson for big gains of 16 yards and 22 yards, capping things off with a touchdown pass Addison to make it 7-0 in favor of the Vikings.
After a missed field goal on the other end, the Vikings took over with a chance to take complete control. The offense stalled out near the goal line, and while he could’ve gone for it on fourth down, O’Connell opted to kick a 21-yard field goal instead to stretch the lead to 10-0.
Naturally, the 49ers made the Vikings pay with a 12-play, 75-yard drive to cut the deficit to 10-7 right before halftime. The score came from running back Christian McCaffrey, extending his streak to 16 games with a touchdown.
The only issue? That left too much time for the Vikings.
They got the ball back with about a minute left and Cousins unleashed a 50-50 ball to Addison in the face of a blitz. He wrestled the ball away from cornerback Charvarius Ward, then broke a tackle and raced toward the end zone for a 60-yard touchdown to make it 16-7 because of a missed extra point.
Not long after halftime, the Vikings got another chance to take complete control. The offense once again stalled out near the goal line, and while he could’ve gone for it on fourth down, O’Connell settled for a 20-yard field goal instead to extended the lead to 19-7.
It felt like a missed opportunity for the Vikings in real time, and sure enough, the 49ers took advantage roughly a minute later. A simple swing pass to McCaffrey turned into an explosive play as he broke a tackle in the open field and went 35 yards to the house to cut the deficit to to 19-14.
After both teams traded field goals to pull the score to 22-17, Bynum made his mark, intercepting quarterback Brock Purdy twice to put the finishing touches on a big win.
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