3 Takeaways For San Francisco 49ers After Loss To Minnesota Vikings

The San Francisco 49ers succumbed to the Minnesota Vikings in one of the more surprising upsets of the weekend. The loss is leaving analysts and fans alike scratching their heads.

While the defeat was far from season-ending, it does need some explaining.

Here’s a look at the state of the 49ers as revealed by the game.

Jordan Mason confirms starting ability

The brightest spot of the day goes to 49ers running back Jordan Mason. Mason rushed 20 times for 100 yards and a touchdown in the contest.

After seeing Christian McCaffrey miss time, not many expected San Francisco’s rushing attack to seemingly fail to skip a beat. However, Mason has slid into the starting role as clean as one could hope.

At this point, Kyle Shanahan has little reason to rush McCaffrey back to the fold.

San Francisco 49ers probably shouldn’t have let Sam Darnold go

Last season, Brock Purdy was the starter and Sam Darnold was the backup. However, in Week 2, a head-to-head matchup between the two quarterbacks went to Darnold. At this point, it is safe to say that had the 49ers kept Darnold, they at least would not have needed to face him in Week 2.

Either way, it appears the Vikings once again might be getting their “Case Keenum moment” at the cost of the 49ers this week.

It will take more time as to whether the Vikings will hit a wall with their bridge quarterback, but right now, the 49ers have every reason to kick themselves over letting Darnold walk.

Brock Purdy needs to find the end zone more

While essentially every other statistical throwing category is either acceptable or impressive, Purdy’s touchdown ratio leaves something to be desired.

After two games, Purdy has thrown for one touchdown and one interception. At his current rate, he will have around 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions by the end of the year.

This pace simply cannot continue for the quarterback who is still on his rookie deal. If Purdy wants to assure the San Francisco 49ers they will not be taking a massive risk on him on the next deal, he will need to turn it up a notch.

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