The Vikings prevailed 22-17 against the 49ers Monday in an impressive team performance.
Several players hit milestones, including Kirk Cousins, who passed for 378 yards, recording his 50th career game with at least 300 yards through the air. He’s the fifth QB to do so in his first 12 NFL seasons and 15th with at least 50 games all-time.
T.J. Hockenson led Minnesota with 11 receptions, blowing past a record for fastest tight end to record 100 receptions with a team. Hockenson entered the game with 96 through his first 16 regular-season games. The previous record was 20 games.
Jordan Addison recorded his first 100-yard game, making his Monday Night Football debut with style and substance, with 20- and 60-yard touchdown catches. He became just the fifth rookie since 1970 with at least 400 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns through his first seven games.
Danielle Hunter recorded his 80th career sack, passing former teammate Everson Griffen for seventh in franchise history.
Camryn Bynum snagged two interceptions for the first time in one game and teamed up on a tackle with Harrison Smith of Christian McCaffrey. Smith forced a fumble by the running back that was recovered by Dean Lowry.
Up next is a renewal of the Border Battle between the Vikings (3-4) and Packers (2-4) at noon (CT) Sunday.
Watch O’Connell’s Locker Room Speech After The Win Over The 49ers
Before Minnesota’s annual trip to Lambeau Field, here’s a deeper look at Week 7
Cousins, who led five consecutive scoring drives, could be referred to as “in the zone” after completing 35 of 45 passes, but his “stellar night” was built on his work against zone defenses implemented by San Francisco.
The 77.8 completion percentage was 12.4 points higher than expected, which was the second-highest above expectations in Week 7, according to Next Gen Stats.
NGS noted that Cousins completed 28 of 31 passes for 238 yards and a touchdown against zone coverage.
Kirk Cousins’ Best Throws From Monday’s Win Over The 49ers
Cousins also had an extremely hot hand when throwing to the right of the formation, completing 16 of 18 passes for 224 yards and both touchdowns.
Niners QB Brock Purdy was 6-for-6 with 81 yards on passes to the right of the formation, but there was a big discrepancy between Purdy and Cousins on intermediate throws (10 to 20 yards beyond the line of scrimmage).
Purdy finished 4-for-10 with 70 yards and both interceptions on such throws; Cousins, however, was 8-for-8 with 141 yards and his first touchdown of the night.
Hockenson & Addison
Almost all of Hockenson’s damage was done working against zones. NGS noted 10 catches for 85 yards on 10 targets against zones.
Addison was a wrecking crew on in-breaking routes, with NGS counting 102 of his 123 yards being gained on such plays.
His 60-yard touchdown had a completion probability of 26.4 percent, which was only the seventh least likely completion of Week 7, despite the play’s shock factor. The play also ranked third in Week 7 in terms of incredible YAC (yards after catch). The play gained 37, even though Addison was only expected to gain 3 after the reception.
