Anything can happen during Week 1 of the NFL season, but for now, Vegas oddsmakers are betting on the home-team Minnesota Vikings to beat the visiting San Francisco 49ers when the two teams square off this weekend at U.S. Bank Stadium.
One interesting storyline heading into the game is quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo going up against Kirk Cousins. Cousins, after all, was predicted to eventually reunite with head coach Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco before the 49ers pulled off a mid-season trade last October for Garoppolo, who proceeded to help the team win each of its final five games of the season.
Shanahan later admitted that a reunion with Cousins was always the long-term plan for the 49ers. Garoppolo's play during his audition for the head coach changed his mind. By the quarterback's third start last year, Shanahan was sold on abandoning his hope for Cousins.
Cousins may have seemed destined for San Francisco at one point, but now he is preparing to face his former offensive coordinator when the two were together in Washington — a man for whom he holds a great deal of respect.
For Garoppolo, Sunday's matchup is an opportunity to show his head coach once again that he made the right decision.
As things stand now, the Vegas oddsmakers have Cousins and the Vikings listed as anywhere from 5- to 7-point favorites over Shanahan, Garoppolo, and the visiting 49ers, according to various casinos and betting sites. Those numbers could change as the game draws near. The over/under for Sunday's game is listed at 46 points.
San Francisco came away with the win the last time the two teams met. The 49ers beat the Vikings 20-3 at Levi's Stadium in 2015. While San Francisco leads the all-time series 23-22-1, Minnesota is 14-9 against the 49ers at home.
The matchup would have also featured running back Jerick McKinnon, whom the 49ers signed as a free agent in March, going against his former team. McKinnon suffered a torn ACL during Saturday's practice, and San Francisco placed him on season-ending injured reserve on Monday.
"I think this game (against the Vikings) probably meant a lot (more) to me than anybody else at this point; against my former team and stuff like that," McKinnon told reporters this week.
The 49ers and Vikings kick off at 10:00 a.m. PT (12:00 p.m. CT) on Sunday.