Three keys to the Vikings' 23-17 Week 2 win over the San Francisco 49ers

In the Vikings' home opener, a hometown player lit up the stat sheet and Justin Jefferson rewrote the record book again before getting injured.

By Naila-Jean Meyers Star Tribune

September 15, 2024 — 6:31pm

Key player

Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman

The Vikings' disruptive defense was the story of the game with six sacks (two for Pat Jones II, who has four this season already) and two takeaways. Cashman, a former Eden Prairie and Gophers star playing his first home game as a Viking, was all over the field with 13 tackles, one sack and three pass breakups, one of which was intercepted by safety Josh Metellus. That interception led to a touchdown on the next play that put the Vikings ahead 20-7 in the third quarter.

Key play

Justin Jefferson's 97-yard TD catch

There were plays later that were probably more important, including the one that forced Jefferson from the game with a quad injury. But no play will be replayed more than his 97-yard touchdown catch. For the second week in a row, the Vikings had a touchdown drive of 98-plus yards. They did it two different ways, though both ended with a Jefferson touchdown. Last week against the New York Giants, the drive was methodical: 11 plays, 99 yards in 6 minutes 44 seconds. This week, it was a lightning strike: two plays, the second one a 97-yard pass that traveled more than 50 yards in the air and saw Jefferson crisscrossing the field after the catch. Sam Darnold threw from his own end zone, and coach Kevin O'Connell called it "as pretty a throw as I've seen, especially in those circumstances." The TD put the Vikings up 10-0, they and had made an emphatic statement moments after a goal-line stand. Before leaving the game, Jefferson had four catches for 133 yards, the 30th 100-yard game of his career in his 62nd game, and he had surpassed 400 career receptions and 6,000 career receiving yards.

Key number

3-for-13

The 49ers were 1-for-3 on fourth down and 2-for-10 on third down in a game in which they dominated time of possession (34:48-25:12). They turned the ball over on downs twice in Minnesota territory. On fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line in the second quarter with the 49ers trailing 3-0, Vikings safety Harrison Smith knocked down a pass to Jauan Jennings in the end zone that had been tipped by Andrew Van Ginkel. The Vikings scored on that 97-yard Jefferson catch two plays later. The Vikings, meanwhile, were 7-for-12 (58%) on third down.