5 San Francisco 49ers to blame for upset loss to Sam Darnold’s Vikings

The San Francisco 49ers really don't like playing in Minnesota. They haven't won in the Gopher State since 1992.

On Sunday, the trend continued with Sam Darnold's Minnesota Vikings getting the better of Brock Purdy and company.

The surprise 23-17 result was one of the surprises of the weekend. It may have been proof that the Vikings are for real. From the San Francisco perspective, it full of signs of trouble for the Super Bowl hopefuls.

Blame QB Brock Purdy for getting out played

There's an ongoing debate about Brock Purdy and whether he's an elite NFL quarterback. Games like he had against the Vikings don't help his case.

Purdy threw an interception and lost a fumble (which looked like an interception initially). He could have thrown more with several ill-advised throws put in dangerous spots. He looked completely unsettled by the offensive line struggles in front of him, taking six sacks on the day.

The 49ers needed Purdy to step up and lead them to victory. But he was at his worst after halftime. He took two sacks on the first drive after the break in a six-point game. He threw a pick on the next drive to set up an easy Vikings touchdown. The next time out he took two more sacks and lost the ball again. He can thank Fred Warner for forcing a fumble at the goal line to spare SF from going down three touchdowns at that point.

It's hard to play in front of a porous offensive line. I feel for Purdy on that front. Still, he's got to get the ball out faster and avoid negative plays to keep his team in the game.

Blame the 49ers offensive line for getting punked by the Vikings

Offensive line is supposed to be the strength of the 49ers offense, giving an elite group of skill position players room to thrive. It's no wonder Brock Purdy had a terrible day when the line in front of him was putrid.

There's nothing nice to say about anyone up front on Sunday. Trent Williams looked like a 36-year-old rusty from missing camp.

Harrison Phillips and the Vikings defensive line made minced meat of Aaron Banks, Jake Brendel and Dominick Puni on the inside. Jonathan Greenlaw was a menace for Colton McKivitz on the edge.

The line did give Jordan Mason room to run at times but that's about it. When you give up six sacks as a unit, you get a giant F in bright red ink scratched onto your report card.

Blame Brandon Aiyuk for being a non-factor

Brandon Aiyuk made a whole lot of noise this offseason about getting paid like one of the top wide receivers in the league. The 49ers gave him that money expecting him to play like a No. 1 this year...They're still waiting.

Aiyuk collected four passes for 43 yards. That's a decent stat line for a contributor at wide receiver. But Aiyuk is supposed to be a gamechanger. He's supposed to provide the plays that make the difference between wins and losses.

He was a non-factor against the Jets last week as well. It just mattered less because that was a comfortable win. Five catches for 28 yards isn't going to get anyone excited but it's not going to make anyone angry in a win.

In a loss though? That's when San Francisco needs Aiyuk to earn his money.

Blame the 49ers secondary for getting roasted by Sam Darnold

The Sam Darnold renaissance has been fun for everyone except the secondaries he's faced. For them it's mainly embarrassing.

For all the flash and skill of their offense, defense has been San Francisco's identity for years. The D carried them through the playoffs every time they've made a deep run.

What's going on this year?

The 49ers secondary looked confused or outmatched half the time. Safeties George Odum and Ji'Ayir Brown were burnt to a crisp by Justin Jefferson on an absurd 97-yard touchdown. Charvarius Ward and Brown both took the underneath man to hand Jalen Nailor a wide open touchdown in the endzone.

San Francisco is counting down the days until Talanoa Hufanga returns from injury because they need him badly back there. Even so, there's no excuse for missed assignments and confusion regardless of who is or isn't on the field.

Blame DC Nick Sorensen for being outcoached by Kevin O'Connell

We can point to personnel playing poorly on the 49ers defense all we want, but the fact is this: The 49ers look far more concerning under new defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen than they looked under fired DC Steve Wilks.

I'm not saying Kyle Shanahan was wrong to fire Wilks. But maybe promoting someone from within wasn't the brightest idea.

This defense doesn't look well-drilled. They're playing with hesitation and uncertainty. And if not for Fred Warner, this scoreline would have looked considerably worse.

As it is, the 49ers let the Vikings convert on 7-of-12 third downs. That comes a week after letting the Jets convert on 6-of-10.

Minnesota did what they wanted, posting 6.1 yards per rush and 8.6 yards per pass. Sorensen had no answers.

That much was clear on the most critical drive of the game when Darnold and company essentially won the game. They went 62 yards over 14 plays, chewing 6:46 off the clock and tacking on three points to make it a nine-point game. The Vikings didn't have Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison or T.J. Hockenson on the field for that drive by the way.