Vikings at 49ers: Live Updates and Analysis
Playoff football is in full effect for the San Francisco 49ers who will be hosting their first ever playoff game at Levi's Stadium.
The 49ers spent the wild card weekend on a bye after clinching the No. 1 seed for homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Now they will face off against the surging Minnesota Vikings, who knocked off the mighty Saints in New Orleans.
The Vikings will prove a challenging outing for the 49ers, but the good news for the red and gold is that they are getting back a bunch of key players. Dee Ford, Jaquiski Tartt and Kwon Alexander are slated to play in today's divisional playoff matchup. Expect a battle between these two hungry teams as it is win or go home with the chance to advance to the NFC title game.
We have you covered for today's NFC divisional playoff game at Levi's Stadium. Follow along for live updates and analysis throughout game. Join in on the conversation as the game progresses.
49ers Inactives
Vikings Inactives
1st Quarter
15:00 - 49ers won the coin toss and have elected to differ. Their defense will take the stage to open the game. Let's see how the defense will handle Dalvin Cook.
13:41 - Vikings offense is bottled up and go three-and-out on their first offensive series. 49ers will take over to drive the field.
9:30 - San Francisco strikes blood first with Jimmy Garoppolo threading the needle to Kendrick Bourne for the touchdown. 49ers took eight plays to score, simply picking apart the Vikings defense.
Vikings 0 49ers 7
5:32 - Vikings answer the 49ers first blood strike with one of their own. They drive the field in seven plays to cap it off on a 41-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs. Ahekllo Witherspoon was the man in coverage, who actually had good positioning initially. Unfortunately, his feet got tangled up and would fall to allow the touchdown. Wonder how long until Witherspoon gets pulled.
Vikings 7 49ers 7
1:18 - Garoppolo under pressure gets hit, but somehow manages to deliver the ball 20-yards down the field to Bourne for a diving catch. Impressive feat by Garoppolo to absorb the hit and still hit his man.
End of quarter
2nd Quarter
15:00 - 49ers will punt it away to the Vikings after an error filled drive. Garoppolo received some punishment in the pocket due to the shaky pass protection of Mike McGlinchey. He allowed a sack and a pressure along with a false start penalty. Arguably the worst quarter of football from him since week 10. Vikings will look to take the lead on the upcoming drive.
12:45 - Arik Armstead starts the sack party by getting to Kirk Cousins that would eventually cause the Vikings to go three-and-out. A perfect defensive stand for the 49ers that was needed after a poor offensive drive.
10:35 - Deebo Samuel coughs up the football, but the review shows that his knee was down prior. 49ers will maintain possession.
7:10 - 49ers take the lead on a clinical drive to allow Tevin Coleman the walk in touchdown. Vikings defense could not find its bearings and will now have to answer the touchdown.
Vikings 7 49ers 14
2:41 - Interception! We have our first turnover of the game. Eric Kendricks picks off Garoppolo to give the Vikings prime field position to score.
0:31 - Defense holds up strong against the Vikings following the interception, but Minnesota manages to get three points on the board. Will the 49ers try to drive the field for one last score? They do get the ball back to open the second half, so it will be interesting to see what they do with one timeout left.
Vikings 10 49ers 14
End of quarter
3rd Quarter
15:00 - Feels like the 49ers need to score on their opening drive in the second half with a touchdown. Will force Cousins to drop back more on the following drive.
10:42 - The kick is good! Robbie Gould's 36-yard field goal attempt sails between the posts to extend the lead for the 49ers. However, the 49ers left points on the board. Prior to the field goal, Garoppolo had Kyle Juszczyk wide open in the endzone for six. Garoppolo missed him, thus the 49ers settled for a field goal. That play could loom large.
Vikings 10 49ers 17
9:49 - Interception! This time Kirk Cousins joins the party with an interception of his own. He tried to throw Adam Thielen open, but Richard Sherman was draped all over him to catch the easy throw. 49ers will take over at midfield following a penalty on Nick Bosa.
4:54 - And just like that, the 49ers have their largest lead of the game. A methodical drive following the interception of Cousins finishes with a touchdown run by Tevin Coleman. Vikings are now in a corner and will need to muster some magic. Their offense is not built to comeback from a two score lead. 49ers in control of this one now with the crowd roaring.
Vikings 10 49ers 24
3:37 - Vikings fail to sustain their offensive drive to attempt to cut the deficit. Kirk Cousins looks pressed in the pocket and may even be skeptical of the pass protection. Minnesota will need to desperately stop any score against the 49ers on this possession, or this game will be officially out of reach for them.
1:00 - Muffed punt! The Vikings muff the punt and the ball is recovered by the 49ers. Mostert gets on top of the ball and the 49ers are within striking distance of the endzone to put this game away.
End of quarter
4th Quarter
14:13 - Robbie Gould connects on his second field goal to give the 49ers a three score lead. This game looks to be out of reach for the Vikings who just do not have the ideal offense to comeback from this, especially with the limited time remaining.
Vikings 10 49ers 27
11:00 - 49ers fail to sustain the drive to drain the clock. With a huge lead, they will look to run the ball to get this game over with so that injuries do not occur.
8:59 - Vikings offense with yet another three-and-out. Cousins gets sacked by DeForest Buckner to force the Vikings to punt. Put away drive coming up for the 49ers. Key stat: 49ers 33 minutes of possession vs. Vikings 18 minutes. Sustaining drives has been a downside for the Vikings.
2:00 - 49ers are two minutes away from advancing to their first NFC title game since the 2013 season.
There you have it. The San Francisco 49ers defeat the Minnesota Vikings to advance to the NFC Championship game. 49ers will await for the results of tomorrow's game between the Packers and Seahawks.
Final: Vikings 10 49ers 27
