San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings preseason: Second half discussion

We’re at halftime at U.S. Bank Stadium, and your Minnesota Vikings lead the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 7-6.

The Vikings gave Kellen Mond the start at quarterback in this one, starting with what was basically the second-string offense. The drive pretty well encapsulated where Mond is at this point, as he made a couple of nice throws and kept plays going. Unfortunately, with the Vikings in field goal range, he threw a pass that was intercepted by Niners safety George Odum for a turnover on the first possession of the game.

The Niners took possession in Minnesota territory after the pick and pushed their drive to a 4th-and-1 from the Minnesota 39-yard line. The Niners went for it and were unsuccessful thanks to a very nice tackle from rookie cornerback Akayleb Evans to turn the ball back over.

The teams exchanged some punts, and then the Niners had another fourth-down opportunity, this one a 4th-and-3 from the Minnesota 34. Niners’ quarterback Brock Purdy dropped back to pass and his throw went off the hands of his receiver and fell incomplete for another turnover on downs.

After another Minnesota punt, the Vikings forced the Niners to punt as well, but the return was fumbled by Ihmir Smith-Marsette and recovered by the visitors in Minnesota territory. The Niners turned that into the game’s first points, as Robbie Gould’s 49-yard field goal gave San Francisco a 3-0 lead with nine and a half minutes remaining in the second quarter.

The Vikings finally dented the scoreboard just after the two-minute warning, as Mannion moved the offense downfield and, eventually, Ty Chandler found his way into the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown run. Greg Joseph’s extra point was good, and the Vikings found themselves up 7-3.

The Niners closed the gap on the final play of the quarter, as Gould connected on a 46-yard field goal to make it 7-6 heading into the locker room at halftime.

Rookie cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. suffered a non-contact injury during the second quarter and has been ruled out for the rest of the game with an ankle injury. We’ll be watching for further word on his status through the course of the week.

We’re at halftime at U.S. Bank Stadium, and your Minnesota Vikings lead the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 7-6. Come on in and join us for the second half!