Ground attack leads 49ers to win over Vikings

[November 29, 2021] Deebo Samuel rushed for two touchdowns, Elijah Mitchell ran for 133 yards and another score, and the San Francisco 49ers held on for a 34-26 win over the visiting Minnesota Vikings on Sunday afternoon in Santa Clara, Calif.

Jimmy Garoppolo completed 17 of 26 passes for 230 yards, one touchdown and one interception for San Francisco (6-5). Jauan Jennings contributed a touchdown reception.

Kirk Cousins completed 20 of 32 passes for 238 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for Minnesota (5-6). Adam Thielen caught both of Cousins' touchdown passes, and Alexander Mattison had a rushing touchdown.

The loss stung worse for the Vikings because of a shoulder injury to star running back Dalvin Cook, who was carted off the field late in the third quarter. Cook clutched the left side of his chest after absorbing a hard hit from 49ers defensive lineman Kevin Givens, and he remained on the field for several minutes before sitting upright on the cart.

San Francisco scored back-to-back touchdowns in the first five minutes of the second half to seize a 28-14 lead. Samuel scored on a 3-yard run with 11:35 remaining, and after a quick interception by Azeez Al-Shaair, Mitchell punched in a 2-yard touchdown run 22 seconds later.
 

The Vikings pulled within 28-20 on Mattison's 6-yard touchdown run on the next possession.

The 49ers made it 31-20 on Robbie Gould's 46-yard field goal with 5:02 left in the third quarter.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) warms up before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Minnesota scored on the following play as Kene Nwangwu sprinted to a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown. A failed two-point conversion attempt kept the score at 31-26.

Gould added a 22-yarder in the final minute of the third quarter to make it 34-26.

The score was tied 14-14 at the half.

Minnesota struck first on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Cousins to Thielen with 8:31 remaining in the first quarter. But the 49ers pulled even three minutes later when Samuel took a handoff and rushed 20 yards down the right sideline to make it 7-7.

The Vikings regained a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter when Cousins hit Thielen for another score, this time from 20 yards.

San Francisco answered with a 15-play, 85-yard drive that culminated with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Garoppolo to Jennings with 18 seconds remaining in the half.

--Field Level Media

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