49ers at Minnesota Vikings

Brett Favre threw a 32-yard touchdown to Greg Lewis with two seconds remaining and the Minnesota Vikings beat the 49ers 27-24 at the Metrodome. Adrian Peterson ran for 85 yards. Shaun Hill threw for 195 yards and two touchdowns to Vernon Davis. Davis caught seven for 96. The 49ers held a 24-20 lead with under a minute left. The 49ers fell to 2-1 in heartbreaking fashion.[1][2][3]

Brett Favre threw a 32-yard touchdown to Greg Lewis with two seconds remaining Sunday morning at the Metrodome. The Minnesota Vikings beat the 49ers 27-24 in the kind of last-second road loss that, by any measure, the 49ers had earned the right to win.

Vernon Davis caught two touchdown passes from Shaun Hill and finished with seven catches for 96. Frank Gore ran for 54. The 49ers led 24-20 with under a minute left after Davis's second touchdown gave them the lead. Favre took the snap with 24 seconds remaining at the Minnesota 49-yard line, hit Lewis on a deep route, and the receiver caught it over Mark Roman in the end zone with two seconds on the clock.

2-1. The kind of road loss where everything that happened in the first 59 minutes is overshadowed by the final play. Singletary postgame called the result a step forward despite the loss. The kind of road game where a defeat actually authenticates a 49ers team as legitimately competitive. Minnesota improves to 3-0 with Favre still throwing 32-yard game-winners at 40. The St. Louis Rams come to Candlestick next Sunday.

Vikings 27, 49ers 24. Margin: -3. Three-game record: 2-1, +14 differential.

* Brett Favre: 24-of-46 for 301, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 32y game-winning TD to Greg Lewis with 0:02 left.
* Adrian Peterson: 19 carries for 85.
* Shaun Hill: 15-of-25 for 195, 2 TDs (Davis x2), 1 INT, 94.6 rating.
* Vernon Davis: 7 catches for 96, 2 TDs.
* Frank Gore: 12 carries for 54.
* Greg Lewis: 32y game-winning TD reception.
* 49ers 2-1; Vikings 3-0.

A 27-24 last-second road loss at the Metrodome. Brett Favre's 32-yard touchdown with two seconds left ends the 49ers' undefeated start.

How it unfolded

Minnesota kicked a field goal on their opening drive to make it 3-0. The teams traded possessions. Favre threw a touchdown to push the lead to 10-0. The 49ers answered with a Shaun Hill touchdown to Vernon Davis to make it 10-7. Minnesota added a field goal before halftime to make it 13-7. The third quarter was a Joe Nedney field goal that made it 13-10. The fourth quarter is where the game went back and forth. Hill threw a touchdown to Davis to give the 49ers a 17-13 lead. Peterson scored to make it 20-17. A 49ers touchdown drive that ended in a Frank Gore short run made it 24-20. Then Favre, with 24 seconds left, drove Minnesota into 49ers territory and hit Greg Lewis on the 32-yard touchdown with two seconds on the clock.

The turning point

Favre's 32-yard touchdown with two seconds left. With the 49ers up 24-20 and the defense one stop away from finishing the road upset, the deep ball over Mark Roman ended the game and changed the standings.

By the numbers

Hill 195 passing on 25 attempts with two TDs and an INT. Davis 96 receiving on 7 catches with two TDs. Gore 54 rushing on 12 carries. Glen Coffee 25 carries for 54 in his rookie work. Favre 301 passing on 46 attempts with two TDs and the 32-yard winner. Peterson 85 rushing. Greg Lewis the winning TD catch.

Personnel watch

Vernon Davis as the breakout receiving target, the kind of full-route-tree workload the second-year tight end had not produced under Mike Martz. Glen Coffee getting carries as the rookie. Shaun Hill in his most accurate-yet-efficient game. Patrick Willis the leading tackler.

What it means

2-1 with the Rams at home next Sunday. The kind of road loss that authenticates a team as legitimately competitive. The Singletary identity is showing up on the field. The Brett Favre last-second touchdown is the kind of play that, on another day, was a win on the schedule.