49ers beat Vikings 20-3: Game recaps from Sep. 14
Sep 14, 2015 at 10:18 PM
•
The San Francisco 49ers beat the Minnesota Vikings 20-3 in their regular season opener on Monday at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.
With much of the pre-game hype centered around Vikings RB Adrian Peterson, it was 49ers RB Carlos Hyde who stole the show. Hyde emerged as the definitive replacement for the departed
Frank Gore, as he racked up 182 all-purpose yards with 168 rushing yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns for an average of nearly 6.5 yards-per-attempt.
QB Colin Kaepernick was 17 of 26 for 165 passing yards against the Vikings defense.
As for the 49ers' defense, they held Peterson to a pedestrian 31 yards on the ground and added five sacks of QB Teddy Bridgewater. CB Tramaine Brock even jumped in front of a Bridgewater pass for the interception.
Bridgewater was 23 of 32 for 231 passing yards and an interception against a stout 49ers defense that was supposed to regress this season. Someone forgot to tell them that.
On Sunday, the 49ers will travel to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers at Heinz Field.
Here are the recaps from numerous 49ers beat writers and other sources. More will be added to the list as they come in.
49ers play their game, handle Vikings
Niners Digest
Hyde's big game gives Tomsula win in debut over Vikings
Examiner.com
Victory kicks off the Jim Tomsula era
Sacramento Bee
Niners ride Carlos Hyde in win over Adrian Peterson's Vikings
Sporting News
Carlos Hyde, defense lead 49ers past Vikings 20-3
The Mercury News
Hyde Leads 49ers to Opening Victory
NBC
Carlos Hyde launches post-Frank Gore era with 168 yards, 2 TDs
ESPN
49ers 20, Vikings 3: Grades
Press Democrat
49ers were sloppy on offense, but defense remained impressive
Examiner.com
Report card: 49ers defense halts Adrian Peterson ... again
Sacramento Bee
Run and Hyde: Young runner has team winning like the 49ers of old
Sacramento Bee
Video: Kaepernick, Hayne and Peterson postgame
Sacramento Bee
Tomsula earns game ball from 49ers' opening victory
CSN Bay Area
49ers report card: RB Carlos Hyde, LB NaVorro Bowman lead their respective units
The Mercury News
49ers defense limits Peterson, Vikings
Niners Digest
49ers' frenzied defense puts the squeeze on Vikings
ESPN
MIN-SF Grades: 49ers RB Carlos Hyde dominant in opener
Pro Football Focus
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
Eagles' Lane Johnson agrees matchup vs. 49ers would have been "a different game" with healthy Brock Purdy
Lance Johnson fought through injuries to play in the Philadelphia Eagles' three playoff games, including the Super Bowl. The offensive lineman suffered a torn adductor injury late in the regular season but held off on undergoing surgery to participate in the Eagles' playoff run.
Johnson was in pain throughout the run, which included an NFC Championship Game win over the San Francisco 49ers. However, the two-time All-Pro wasn't the only one fighting through an injury. Both of the 49ers' quarterbacks suffered injuries in the game. First, Brock Purdy left after tearing the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow. Then, he was forced to return to the field after his backup, Josh Johnson, suffered a concussion.
Purdy couldn't throw the football, though,
NFL approves roster exemption for 3rd active QB on game days after 49ers' playoff woes
The NFL has reportedly approved a bylaw allowing teams to have a third quarterback active on game days without teams needing to use a roster spot for them.
The NFL bylaw on allowing a third QB to be active without burning a roster spot was approved, per source.— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 22, 2023
This would have helped the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game last season. The team's starter,
Podcast: 49ers OTAs Day 1 recap
By Rohan Chakravarthi
May 24
Rohan Chakravarthi and Jessie Naylor break down Day 1 of the San Francisco 49ers OTAs that was available to media.
The audio for the show is embedded above, while the video is available below.
You can listen to "The Rohan Chakravarthi Show" from our dedicated podcast page, on
Kyle Shanahan feels "really fortunate" with 49ers' QB room
Kyle Shanahan praises his quarterback room every year. Last season, the San Francisco 49ers went through three starting quarterbacks and still made it to the NFC Championship Game. Trey Lance was the Week 1 starter but suffered a season-ending ankle injury during his second game. Eleven weeks later, Jimmy Garoppolo sustained a broken foot.
That opened the door for rookie Brock Purdy to show his coaches and the NFL world that he belonged, despite being the last overall pick in the draft. Purdy guided the 49ers to eight consecutive wins before suffering a severe injury in that NFC title game matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Two of the quarterbacks from last season—Lance and Purdy—remain. Both are just 23 years old. They are joined by Sam