The San Francisco 49ers have some new faces, but Carlos Hyde and a rebuilt defense led the way in a 20-3 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night.
Hyde was the offensive star of the game for the 49ers with his first career 100-yard game as he hopes to adequately replace the departed Frank Gore in the backfield. He finished with 168 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries, all of which were career highs.
ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon discussed the running back's surprising play compared to his counterparts:
Colin Kaepernick wasn't the center of attention, but he had a solid showing without making mistakes. The quarterback went 17-of-26 for 163 passing yards, adding another 41 yards on the ground.
Still, a lot of the credit goes to the 49ers defense, which held the Vikings to just a field goal and 248 total yards. The team also added five sacks during the win.
Bleacher Report's Matt Miller provided his thoughts during the second half:
This was a bit of a surprise after San Francisco lost big names like Patrick Willis, Justin Smith and Aldon Smith in the offseason. The younger stars might not have the fanfare of those Pro Bowlers, but they showed they have what it takes to keep opposing offenses quiet.
Rich Eisen of NFL Network mocked those who doubted the organization after a poor offseason:
The 49ers held Adrian Peterson to a quiet game. The former MVP picked up 31 rushing yards on 10 carries, a disappointment to many fantasy owners around the country.
Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater also struggled at times in the game and could contribute only 231 passing yards on 23-of-32 passing. He had one interception and zero touchdowns.
Bleacher Report's Cian Fahey didn't mince words in his evaluation of the quarterback:
He was often rushed within the pocket but also missed a number of throws throughout the game. While the second-year passer received a lot of preseason hype as a potential breakout star, he has a lot of room for improvement.
Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer was certainly disappointed with his squad's overall effort in the loss, via Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:
Neither team was able to get much going early in a sloppy first quarter. The highlights included only miscues on special teams, including this blocked kick by the Vikings:
Between turnovers, mistakes and penalties, the scoreless quarter was something to forget. Tom Pelissero of USA Today even joked about the two squads needing more exhibition time:
The second quarter didn't feature much more excitement, unless you are a fan of punters. Neither offense was able to move the ball consistently, and the game seemed destined to go into halftime with a 0-0 tie.
Mercifully, Hyde broke the tie with an impressive 10-yard touchdown run to help the 49ers go up 7-0. The run featured some great individual effort by the second-year running back:
The play was enough to give the home team a lead heading into intermission.
Defenses once again ruled the second half, which led many to wonder about what they were watching along with ESPN's Ron Jaworski:
In either case, scoring remained at a premium. A Phil Dawson field goal represented the only scoring of the third quarter as San Francisco took a 10-0 lead into the final period.
After the Vikings finally got on the board with a field goal, the 49ers answered right back with a 10-play, 80-yard drive resulting in a 17-yard touchdown run from Hyde to give the home team a 17-3 lead.
San Francisco added a field goal and continued to limit the Vikings offense throughout the fourth quarter. An Aaron Lynch sack on fourth down effectively sealed the win as head coach Jim Tomsula's squad moved to 1-0.
As well as the 49ers played at times, though, they will likely have to make some adjustments to continue this level of success. The next game comes on the road against a Pittsburgh Steelers team that will be coming off four extra days of rest after playing Thursday night.
It will be important to cut down on the penalties and various other mistakes to remain undefeated.
On the other hand, the Vikings will have to go back to the drawing board after a disappointing showing in Week 1. Things won't get any easier with a home battle against the Detroit Lions, another squad hoping to avoid an 0-2 start.
The talent is there to turn things around, but everyone on the roster will need to show some improvement to come away with a better result next week.
Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for more year-round sports analysis.
via http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2566701-vikings-vs-49ers-score-and-twitter-reaction-for-monday-night-football
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