MINNEAPOLIS — After being widely regarded as the top NFL team after five games, the 49ers have now dropped two consecutive games as heavy road favorites.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings’ offense sliced and diced the 49ers en route to a 22-17 victory in front of a national television audience on Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium.
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And the 49ers’ offense could not rescue them.
Quarterback Brock Purdy threw two interceptions to Vikings safety Camryn Bynum in the final 5:30 to end any hope of a comeback.
His deep pass for Jauan Jennings was intercepted by Bynum at the Minnesota 30-yard line with 5:30 remaining.
Vikings kicker Greg Joseph missed a 50-yard field-goal attempt with 1:11 remaining to give the 49ers one last chance.
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Bynum picked off Purdy again to end it.
Here are three takeaways, as the 49ers come crashing down to fall to 5-2 on the season:
Vaunted 49ers’ defense looks shaky
The first major sign was a week earlier when the offensively challenged Cleveland Browns with a backup quarterback picked up big yards in crucial times against the 49ers.
Even without wide receiver Justin Jefferson, one of the NFL's top offensive threats, the Vikings made it look easy against the 49ers.
Cousins attacked the middle of the 49ers’ defense. He and wide receiver Jordan Addison teamed up to beat an all-out blitz with an unconventional 60-yard touchdown pass with seven seconds remaining in the first half.
Addison wrestled the ball away from Charvarius Ward, who looked as if he would come up with the interception.
Coincidentally, the Vikings’ first drive ended when Ward took the ball away from Addison.
The 49ers’ defense was outclassed all the way around.
Cousins picked the 49ers apart, completing 35 of 45 pass attempts for 378 yards with two touchdown passes, one interception. He was not sacked in the game.
The Vikings rolled up 452 yards of total offense.
McCaffrey responds after first-drive fumble
Christian McCaffrey scored two touchdowns to keep his streak going, but his Monday night did not start off so well.
McCaffrey’s second touchdown came in the third quarter, as he helped the 49ers beat an eight-man blitz to score on a 35-yard catch and run.
McCaffrey suited up for the game despite being listed as questionable with an oblique injury.
He scored a touchdown from scrimmage in his 16th consecutive game, including postseason, with a 3-yard scoring run that cut the 49ers’ deficit to 10-7 late in the first half.
McCaffrey now is just one game behind Lenny Moore’s all-time NFL record of 17 consecutive games with a touchdown. Moore accomplished the feat in 1963 and 1964 with the Baltimore Colts.
The night got off to a rough start as McCaffrey’s second lost fumble of the season prevented the 49ers from scoring on their opening drive for the seventh consecutive game this season.
Minnesota safety Harrison Smith knocked the ball loose from McCaffrey as he was going to the ground. Defensive lineman Dean Lowry recovered to thwart the 49ers’ scoring drive at the Vikings’ 11-yard line.
The 49ers had already driven 35 yards on five plays after Ward’s interception and appeared to be on the verge of taking an early lead in the game.
McCaffrey finished with 45 yards and one rushing touchdown on 15 carries, with another 51 yards and a receiving touchdown on three catches.
Moody’s up-and-down night
The 49ers made a huge commitment kicker Jake Moody when they selected him with the No. 99 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to take over for ultra-reliable Robbie Gould.
It certainly looked as if the 49ers had a problem when his first attempt on Monday night looked eerily similar to his kick on the banks of Lake Erie.
Moody, fresh off his miss in the closing seconds in the 49ers’ 19-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns, did nothing to re-build his confidence with his first attempt.
But he later connected on a career-long 55-yard attempt to pull the 49ers to within 22-17 with 13:21 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Before that, Moody had a notably rough pregame warmup, including falling while attempting one practice kick.
And once the game began, things only got worse with his first kick that mattered.
The 49ers drove 53 yards down the field before stalling. Coach Kyle Shanahan called on Moody to attempt a 40-yard field goal.
Just as he did with his game-deciding 41-yard attempt against the Browns, Moody pushed his kick wide right.