The 49ers open 2018 at U.S. Bank Stadium against the Minnesota Vikings, 1:00 ET kickoff. Kyle Shanahan's year two.
Jimmy Garoppolo starts as the QB1 in his first full season after the trade from New England. Kirk Cousins makes his Vikings debut after signing the offseason free-agent contract. Pierre Garcon and Marquise Goodwin lead the receivers.
The Vikings were 13-3 a year ago, the NFC Championship loser.[1][2][3]
Kirk Cousins's first game as a Viking. Jimmy Garoppolo's first full-season opener after the 2017 midseason trade. The Vikings, the NFC's 13-3 conference championship loser from a year ago, are the kind of opening road test that Kyle Shanahan's Shanahan rebuild needs.
The 49ers ended 2017 on a 5-0 run after the Garoppolo arrival. The offseason added Richard Sherman, Jerick McKinnon, Weston Richburg. The defense lost Reuben Foster's preseason status. The Vikings, coming off the Case Keenum-led playoff run, paid Cousins to upgrade and now learn what kind of fit it is.
Underdog by 6 on the road. The kind of Sunday a young team takes its first read of the season's trajectory.
Opening Sunday begins the league sort. The Patriots return as defending AFC champion. The Eagles return as defending Super Bowl champion. The Vikings, Rams, Saints, and Falcons round out the NFC's preseason top tier. The 49ers, with five straight wins to close 2017, are the offseason's most-hyped project. Around the AFC the Patriots, Steelers, and Chiefs lead. The Sunday opener in Minneapolis is the Shanahan-era rebuild's first test.
Through zero games the 49ers reset to the 6-10 of 2017 with the late-season 5-0 run after Garoppolo's first 49ers start. Returning starters: 18 of 22. Richard Sherman signed in free agency. Jerick McKinnon signed in free agency (since torn ACL in preseason). Weston Richburg signed at center. Vegas opens the 49ers as 6-point road underdogs; total 47.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 0-0 | -- |
| Miami Dolphins | 0-0 | -- |
| New England Patriots | 0-0 | -- |
| New York Jets | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens | 0-0 | -- |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 0-0 | -- |
| Cleveland Browns | 0-0 | -- |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Texans | 0-0 | -- |
| Indianapolis Colts | 0-0 | -- |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 0-0 | -- |
| Tennessee Titans | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 0-0 | -- |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 0-0 | -- |
| Oakland Raiders | 0-0 | -- |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 0-0 | -- |
| Los Angeles Rams | 0-0 | -- |
| Seattle Seahawks | 0-0 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 0-0 | -- |
| New York Giants | 0-0 | -- |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0-0 | -- |
| Washington Redskins | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 0-0 | -- |
| Detroit Lions | 0-0 | -- |
| Green Bay Packers | 0-0 | -- |
| Minnesota Vikings | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 0-0 | -- |
| Carolina Panthers | 0-0 | -- |
| New Orleans Saints | 0-0 | -- |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0-0 | -- |
2018 NFL Season 49ers @ Vikings Week 1
2018 NFL Season 49ers @ Vikings Week 1
2018 Week 1 San Francisco 49ers (0-0) at Minnesota Vikings (0-0)
49ers vs. Vikings Week 1 Highlights | NFL 2018
NFL 2018 Week 1 - San Francisco 49ers vs Minnesota Vikings - 1st Half - Madden NFL 19 PS4 PRO - HD
2018 RAIDERS - RAMS (9-10-18)Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Vikings | Daniel Carlson 48 yard field goal | 0-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Vikings | Stefon Diggs 22 yard pass from Kirk Cousins ( Daniel Carlson kick) | 0-10 |
| 49ers | Robbie Gould 42 yard field goal | 3-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Vikings | Mike Hughes 28 yard interception return ( Daniel Carlson kick) | 3-17 |
| 49ers | Robbie Gould 33 yard field goal | 6-17 |
| Vikings | Kyle Rudolph 11 yard pass from Kirk Cousins ( Daniel Carlson kick) | 6-24 |
| 49ers | Dante Pettis 22 yard pass from Jimmy Garoppolo ( Robbie Gould kick) | 13-24 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Robbie Gould 22 yard field goal | 16-24 |
Kirk Cousins threw for 244 yards and two touchdowns and the Minnesota Vikings beat the 49ers 24-16 at U.S. Bank Stadium. Stefon Diggs caught two TDs. Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 261 with one TD and three interceptions. Alfred Morris ran for 38 yards and a touchdown in his 49ers debut. The 49ers' defense produced one sack. The 49ers fell to 0-1 in Garoppolo's first full-season opener.[1][2][3]
Stefon Diggs caught two touchdowns Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium. Kirk Cousins, in his first game as a Viking, threw for 244 yards and two scores. The Vikings beat the 49ers 24-16 in the kind of road opener where the home team's offseason additions look the part of immediate fits.
Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 261 yards in his first full-season opener but three interceptions, the kind of stat line that would not have been encouraged by his late-2017 5-0 run as a starter. Alfred Morris ran for 38 yards and a touchdown in his 49ers debut after the Jerick McKinnon preseason ACL.
The defense produced one sack of Cousins. The kind of cross-conference road opener where the 49ers' offseason additions need more time to gel. 0-1 with the Detroit Lions coming up at home next.
Vikings 24, 49ers 16. Margin: -8. Season opener.
A 24-16 loss at U.S. Bank Stadium to open the season. Kirk Cousins's Vikings debut. The 49ers fall to 0-1.
How it unfolded
Cousins led a touchdown drive ending in the first of two Stefon Diggs touchdowns. The 49ers answered with a Robbie Gould field goal. Cousins's second touchdown to Diggs made it 14-3. The 49ers added another field goal. Garoppolo threw an interception that led to a Vikings field goal. The 49ers cut the deficit to 17-9 on a Pierre Garcon catch. Cousins drove for another touchdown to make it 24-9. Alfred Morris ran in a goal-line touchdown for the 49ers' lone TD. The 49ers' final possession ended in another Garoppolo interception.
The turning point
Garoppolo's second-quarter interception. With the 49ers down 14-3 and driving for the tying touchdown, the pick gave Minnesota a short field that produced a field goal and the kind of two-score halftime lead that road teams have a hard time overcoming.
By the numbers
Garoppolo 21-of-34 for 261 with one TD and three INTs. Cousins 20-of-36 for 244 with two TDs. Diggs 6 catches for 76 with two TDs. Goodwin 5 catches for 89. Morris 12 carries for 38 with a TD. The 49ers' one sack of Cousins.
Personnel watch
Garoppolo's first full-season opener producing three interceptions. Morris taking the lead-back role after the McKinnon preseason ACL. Goodwin in efficient production. The defense, with Sherman in his first 49ers game, produced limited pressure on Cousins.
What it means
0-1 with the Detroit Lions coming up at home next week. The cross-conference road opener confirms that the Niners' rebuild, with the Sherman and Richburg additions but the McKinnon loss, still has work to do to translate the late-2017 momentum into a 2018 identity.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Jimmy Garoppolo | 15/33 | 261 | 1 | 3 | |
| MIN | |||||
| Kirk Cousins | 20/36 | 244 | 2 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Matt Breida | 11 | 46 | 0 | 11 |
| Alfred Morris | 12 | 38 | 0 | 14 |
| Jimmy Garoppolo | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| MIN | ||||
| Latavius Murray | 11 | 42 | 0 | 9 |
| Dalvin Cook | 16 | 40 | 0 | 15 |
| Kirk Cousins | 4 | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| Stefon Diggs | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| George Kittle | 5 | 90 | 0 | 36 |
| Dante Pettis | 2 | 61 | 1 | 39 |
| Kyle Juszczyk | 1 | 56 | 0 | 56 |
| Trent Taylor | 4 | 28 | 0 | 10 |
| Pierre Garcon | 2 | 21 | 0 | 11 |
| Matt Breida | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| MIN | ||||
| Adam Thielen | 6 | 102 | 0 | 34 |
| Dalvin Cook | 6 | 55 | 0 | 17 |
| Stefon Diggs | 3 | 43 | 1 | 22 |
| Laquon Treadwell | 2 | 18 | 0 | 16 |
| Kyle Rudolph | 1 | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| David Morgan | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Tyler Conklin | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
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