NFL

Rookie strikes twice as Minnesota Vikings down San Francisco 49ers

By Sports Desk October 23, 2023

Two first-half touchdowns from rookie Jordan Addison set the Minnesota Vikings on the way to a 22-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

Christian McCaffrey, an injury doubt ahead of the game, matched him with two scores of his own but it was not enough as the 49ers slipped to a second successive defeat.

Kirk Cousins found Addison either side of McCaffrey’s opening score, the second from 60 yards on the brink of half-time.

Field goals from Greg Joseph stretched the Vikings’ lead to 18-7 early in the third quarter.

And Joseph struck again from 54 yards after McCaffrey had claimed his second touchdown on a 35-yard pass from Brock Purdy.

Jake Moody landed a field goal early in the fourth quarter to cut the gap, but Purdy was intercepted twice to stall any late revival.

After starting the season with five straight wins, the 49ers fell to 5-2 to leave last year’s Super Bowl rivals the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles as the only teams with a 6-1 record.

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