The The San Francisco 49ers (1-0) face their second straight NFC North opponent when the travel to face the Minnesota Vikings (0-1) at 7 p.m. ET Saturday at US Bank Stadium. The game will only be televised in the local markets. Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the 49ers vs. Vikings odds, and make our best NFL picks, predictions and bets.
The 49ers won their preseason opener against Green Bay despite being outgained 437 yards to 328. Three Jordan Love interceptions helped make up for that disparity. It will be a homecoming for Minnesota native Trey Lance, who played his high school ball in Minnesota and his college ball at North Dakota State.
The Vikings were the last team to play their 1st preseason game — a 26-20 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders last Sunday. If there was any intention of trotting out the starters in that game, that ended when QB Kirk Cousins was sidelined after testing positive for COVID-19 a 2nd time. While the starters will likely get a look Saturday, it may well be just a cameo appearance since all eyes in Minnesota are focused on a Week 1 home matchup with Green Bay that carries much more importance.
Whenever a new regime comes to an organization, many of them put a lot of stock in making an impression in the preseason. The Vikings and new coach Kevin O’Connell may be an exception to that rule. Minnesota is in salary cap hell, so O’Connell is inheriting a veteran roster that isn’t going anywhere, so the amount of playing time the veterans see will likely be limited — even in front of the home fans.