Sam Darnold finished 17-of-26 for 268 yards and two touchdowns, including an epic 97-yard strike to Justin Jefferson, to lead the Minnesota Vikings to a 23-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
Despite two red-zone turnovers that the 49ers turned into touchdowns and losing Jefferson to a quad injury in the third quarter, Darnold and the Vikings held on in his first home start after serving as a backup for San Francisco last season.
PFF's dedicated team of graders was hard at work, analyzing every player on every play in real time. After a thorough review tomorrow at 12 p.m. EST, the grades and data will be available.
In the meantime, we’ve gathered some high-level data and snap counts from the game to give you an early look. Our expert graders have also nominated the standout player of the game, highlighting exceptional performance on the field.
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PLAYER OF THE GAME
Niners linebacker Fred Warner reminded everyone why he's the best linebacker in football on Sunday, making several staggering plays in his attempt to disrupt the Vikings offense. He made an impact in every single facet of the game in what will be one of the season's most dominant performances.
Over 21 snaps against the run, Warner racked up five defensive stops, with his average tackle depth coming out to just 1.2 yards past the line of scrimmage. On 30 coverage snaps, he was targeted four times and allowed two catches for 29 yards. However, he intercepted one pass, broke up another and forced two fumbles.
BOX SCORE
| 49ers | Vikings | |
| Total points | 17 | 23 |
| Total offensive plays | 67 | 54 |
| Average EPA per play | -0.012 | -0.006 |
| Total net yards | 406 | 374 |
| Avg yards per play | 6.1 | 6.9 |
| Total first downs | 23 | 17 |
| Rushing first downs | 4 | 6 |
| Passing first downs | 17 | 11 |
| Penalty first downs | 2 | 0 |
| Third-down efficiency | 20% | 58% |
| Fourth-down efficiency | 14% | 0% |
| Possessions | 10 | 11 |
| Avg plays per drive | 7 | 5.6 |
| Avg yards per drive | 36.9 | 31.2 |
| Avg points per drive | 1.6 | 1.9 |
| Red-zone possessions | 4 | 4 |
| Red-zone plays | 14 | 11 |
| Red-zone TDs | 2 | 1 |
| Red-zone FGs | 1 | 2 |
| Red-zone scoring efficiency | 75% | 75% |
SNAP COUNTS & PLAYER PARTICIPATION
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