16 observations from the 49ers' win over the Vikings

The San Francisco 49ers are back to having a winning record. They were far from perfect on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, but were able to hold on to win the game, moving to 6-5 on the season.

With that win, their third in a row, they are in the driver's seat for a postseason berth. Here are my 16 observations from the 49ers win over the Vikings:

• Jimmy Garoppolo threw an interception on the 49ers' first drive. The Vikings turned it into seven points. That wasn't the way fans hoped this game would start. Garoppolo had a few ugly throws, but he also converted four third and long plays against a defense that is very good in third and long situations.
• The 49ers second drive was a great touchdown drive to answer the Vikings touchdown. The offense did this a few times on Sunday, answering when the Vikings scored.
• Charles Omenihu is starting to make some plays for San Francisco.

• The 49ers still need to fix their offensive line. That said, they had a good game overall.

• Every time the offense struggles, there seems to be a lack of misdirection, play action, bootlegs, and creativity, in general.
• Deebo Samuel does it all. He had two more rushing touchdowns in this game.

• Azeez Al-Shaair intercepted Kirk Cousins and set up an Elijah Mitchell touchdown. He's really becoming a great player. This season, he's played better than Fred Warner.
• One series after taking the ball away and setting up a touchdown, the 49ers defense let the Vikings move within a touchdown (and 2-pt conversion). The defense struggled at times in this game. But in the end, they did what they needed to do to seal the game.

• Mitchell continues to impress me. He's had a great rookie season. Today he had 133 yards rushing on 27 carries (4.9 ypc). And the kid never fumbles the ball.
• Brandon Aiyuk had another great game. He had three catches for 91 yards. He's also blocking really well downfield.
• The 49ers kickoff coverage let the Vikings back in the game. They didn't even come close to tackling the kick returner.
• Samuel had a third quarter catch that put him over 1000 yards receiving on the season. Later, he would leave the game with a groin injury. It's not a serious injury, but he will miss a couple of games. It will be challenging for the 49ers to win without him. He's become the team's best player.
• Al-Shaair had his second takeaway of the game. This time it was a fumble recovery, forced by Kevin Givens.
• Josh Norman was called for DPI—yet again. He's the worst.
• The 49ers Special Teams was especially bad in this game. That touchdown return and missed field goal almost cost the 49ers the game.
• The defense came through with a stop to win the game. If they can play like we know they're capable of playing, no one will want to play the 49ers. That said, this secondary still makes me very nervous.
  

The 49ers have now won three games in a row, and four out of their last five. They are well within reach of the playoffs.

Next up, the struggling Seahawks, in Seattle.

More San Francisco 49ers News

• Recap: 49ers win all three phases to cruise to 41-17 preseason win over Chargers

  Reports from this week's joint practice between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Chargers suggested the Chargers had a clear edge, particularly against the 49ers' defense. But when the teams faced off at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on Thursday night, it was...
  Read Article

• 49ers injury updates: Kyle Shanahan discusses Renardo Green, Nick Martin, others following preseason win over Chargers

  The San Francisco 49ers took on three injuries of note during their 41-17 preseason win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. Cornerback Renardo Green left the game with a hamstring injury in the first half and did not return....
  Read Article

• 49ers injury news: Kyle Shanahan provides 3 key updates after win over Raiders

  San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to reporters after Thursday night's 18-12 preseason win over the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium, providing three key injury updates from the game. Rookie cornerback Ephesians Prysock, a fourth-round pick in the 2026...
  Read Article

• Recap: 49ers finish preseason with 18-12 win over Raiders in field goal fest

  The final game of the preseason wasn't exactly a thriller, but they were at least able to close out with a win over the Las Vegas Raiders with the help of kicker Eddy Pineiro. In a battle of field goals, Pineiro out-dueled Raiders kicker Matt Gay, connecting on all six of...
  Read Article