Struggling Vikings take on 49ers on Monday Night Football

The San Francisco 49ers will take on the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football.

The Niners will look to bounce back after losing a shocker last week to the Browns. Brock Purdy’s suffered his first NFL loss in a game he started and finished. They will look to bounce back tonight against a struggling Vikings team.

Both of these teams made the playoffs last year, but they have had drastically different seasons so far. The 49ers have looked dominant, boasting a squad full of stars on both sides of the ball. The Vikings have been less fortunate, as they sit at 2-4.

Odds stacked against the Vikings

Minnesota’s season has been a total opposite of last season. Last year, the Vikings led the league in one-score wins. This year, all four of their losses have been one-possession losses.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins has been notably bad in primetime games (11-19) over the course of his career.

Furthermore, they have to play the best defense in the league, according to a plethora of sources. A defense that features Fred Warner, Nick Bosa and Dre Greenlaw  is not a defense you want to play in a “get right” game.

49ers or Vikings? 🤔

📺: #SFvsMIN — 8:20pm ET on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/zXkrWBoqUd

— NFL (@NFL) October 23, 2023

49ers looking to bounce back

San Francisco took on the Deshaun Watson-less Browns last week. Rookie kicker Jake Moody missed a 41-yard field goal at the horn, and the Niners suffered their first defeat of the season in gross weather in Cleveland.

Despite that ugly loss, the Niners have been phenomenal this year. They average 30.7 points per game (2nd in the NFL), give up 14.5 points per game (2nd in the NFL), have a +8-turnover differential (best in the NFL), and would have the best record in the league with a win tonight.

This team somehow improved after last year, thanks in a large part to their star players: Nick Bosa, Trent Williams, Christian McCaffery, Fred Warner, Deebo Samuel, Talanoa Hufanga, George Kittle, Dre Greenlaw, Brandon Aiyuk, the list goes on. They have absolute stars at nearly every position. Last year, they fell in the NFC Championship to the Eagles after Purdy got hurt early and the team couldn’t use the forward pass for most of the game.

Unfortunately, San Francisco won’t be full strength tonight. Trent Williams, the best offensive lineman in the league for years, and the versatile Deebo Samuel both won’t be able to go tonight. Christian McCaffery and Dre Greenlaw are expected to play.

Everything else you need to know

• Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. at U.S. Bank Stadium.
• Radio: Coverage begins at WRUF at 7:30 p.m.
• The 49ers are currently favored (SF -7.0, O/U: 43.5).