“We play our best games against the best teams.”
That’s what Kirk Cousins said in the locker room after a massive 22-17 win against the San Francisco 49ers for the Minnesota Vikings.
There are a few aspects of this game that could have made this a better performance, but this was an overall dominant performance.
And it couldn’t have come at a better time.
We look at some of the players and facets of this game that saw their stocks rise and what facets saw their stock fall after this amazing primetime win.
Stock up: WR Jordan Addison
Kevin O’Connell stated last week that Jordan Addison was going to take over the Justin Jefferson role of being the primary target in this offense.
Even O’Connell could not have expected this sort of performance from the first-round rookie without Jefferson.
Addison had six receptions for 110 yards and two touchdowns before having to leave at the end of the third quarter with cramps.
That’s right, he had this kind of performance with an entire quarter of play to go. Addison’s catch-and-run before the half was a dominant showing that I was unaware that Addison had.
Outside of that, he also drew multiple coverage penalties that extended drives down the field. We really saw Addison look like a WR1 today.
Stock down: Red zone execution
Scoring against a top-five defense is tough enough. So, if you get two chances in the red zone, especially inside the ten-yard line, you have to execute.
Minnesota had multiple chances inside the ten-yard line on two separate occasions and only had two field goals to show for it. That is unacceptable in a game that the Vikings dominated offensively.
A few errant passes and some timely playmaking by the 49ers defensive line allowed San Francisco to hang around in this game.
Stock up: Kirk Cousins
Other than a few errant passes in the red zone and the early interception, this was as close to a perfect performance as you can get from Cousins.
He went 35-of-45 for 378 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Against the constant pressure of San Francisco, he looked calm and composed. Even when it seemed like the defense was going to be able to get to Cousins, he found his check-down or found someone down the field to get something positive.
He was not sacked all night and that was due to his ability to create in the pocket.
Jefferson made sure that everyone knew that he appreciated his quarterback by donning the SC Top 10 chain in his postgame interview with ESPN’s Lisa Salters.
It was an absolute masterclass from the starting quarterback.
Stock up: Defense
Holding this San Francisco offense to a measly 17 points is something that should not be ignored.
Brock Purdy threw two late-game interceptions to Camryn Bynum, the final one sealing the deal on this signature win. Christian McCaffery was held to three yards per carry on the ground and the 49ers could not convert when it mattered most.
This defense stepped up in the final quarter of this game and made the plays necessary to put Minnesota in a great position to win this game.
Stock up: Offensive Line
The 49ers defense is one of the more tenacious in all of football. They were held to zero sacks.
They were second in defending the run heading into today. Mattison and Akers both gashed this defense and kept them honest against the run.
All of that is due in large part to the play of the offensive line. After a rough start, this line held names like Nick Bosa and Javon Hargrave to pedestrian performances.
Stock down: Selling the farm
This performance was exactly what the doctor ordered for a Minnesota team wondering how much Danielle Hunter could garner in a midseason trade.
This game was a signature win for the Vikings as they improved to 3-4 and put the trade rumors to bed.
Does this mean that this team will compete for a deep playoff run? No. But it allows Minnesota to focus on finishing this season the best they can, instead of looking toward the future.
Some fans may think this is the wrong way to go, but there’s no way they take any pieces from a team that dominated a game against the previous odds-on favorites for the Super Bowl.
If anything, they may be buyers to help bolster this team to another shot at the playoffs.
There is hope in this team again and they are looking to ride it as long as possible.
