Vikings Showcase Depth and Youth in Statement Win over 49ers

The Vikings were not given great odds to beat the San Francisco 49ers, but it was the very nature of odds that propelled them to victory.

The Vikings don’t necessarily have the season hanging in the balance, but with playoff aspirations and about three or four losses that they can take for the rest of the year before that dream dies, the 49ers game was pretty important.

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But the 49ers were among the conference leaders and a Super Bowl favorite. Their top-tier defense and remarkably efficient offense propelled them to a 5-1 record and the implied probability of their win against the Vikings, according to Vegas odds, was 75 percent.

With the win, the Vikings doubled their playoff odds to about a one-in-three shot. And it came courtesy of getting what, statistically, has been due.

Some of those were worrisome bills to pay – a missed extra point changed the end of game playcalling and a missed 50-yard field goal gave the 49ers a chance to engineer a game-winning drive with good field position.

But for the most part, the Vikings found ways to turn their blitzes into pressure and their pressure into sacks. They recovered fumbles – finally – and reeled in the interceptions that Brock Purdy, entering the game ranked fourth in turnover-worthy play rate but ranked 31st in interception rate, had been daring to throw all season.

Even Cousins, who this year has found himself throwing pick after pick on throws that hit his receivers hands, earned one back after Jordan Addison wrestled a ball away from Charvarious Ward to earn an end-of-half touchdown.

Kirk Cousins has always been a better primetime performer than his record has suggested, but this time it actually turned into a win against a top-tier team.

The Vikings defied the odds by letting the odds finally work in their favor.

Vikings Defense Comes Through