2023 NFL Week 7: San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings will be part of closing out Week 7 in the National Football League, as they’ll be making their second sojourn of the year into prime time. This week, the San Francisco 49ers come to town for Monday Night Football at U.S. Bank Stadium with the Vikings hoping to capture some momentum.

The Niners fell from the ranks of the undefeated this past week, as Jake Moody missed a last-second field goal as San Francisco fell to the Cleveland Browns by a final score of 19-17. The Vikings, on the other hand, won a game that could charitably be described as “ugly,” holding off the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field by a final score of 19-13.

Injuries could be a part of the story in this one, as several of the Niners star players suffered at least mild injuries in the loss to Cleveland. That list includes running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver Deebo Samuel, so their situations will be worth monitoring throughout the week. Of course, the Vikings will still be without star receiver Justin Jefferson, who will miss the second of the four games he has to sit out after going on injured reserve.

This will be the 49ers first trip to Minneapolis since the 2018 season opener, the game that kicked off the Kirk Cousins era in Minnesota. The Vikings walked away with a 24-16 victory in that one, while the Niners have won the last two games between these teams, one of which came in the NFC Divisional Playoffs in 2019 in Santa Clara.

The Niners are a heavy favorite in this one, as the opening line from the DraftKings Sportsbook has them favored by seven points. This will be the second straight week that sees the Vikings as a home underdog.

Kickoff for this one is scheduled for 7:15 PM Central time on Monday night on ESPN, and this game will also be getting the “Manningcast” treatment, with Peyton, Eli, and some of their friends talking about the game on ESPN2.