49ers beat Vikings 34-26 for 3rd straight win

Published Nov. 28, 2021 7:45 p.m. ET

Associated Press

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Deebo Samuel

The matchup between two .500 teams fighting for wild-card spots was a highly entertaining one with six scores in the third quarter alone, including a

But the 49ers (6-5) made just enough plays, including a fourth-down stop near the goal line midway through the fourth quarter to win their third straight following a stretch of five losses in six games.

Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 230 yards and a TD, but the Niners once again did more of their work on the ground with Samuel's two scores making him the first receiver since the merger to run for five TDs in a season. Samuel had six carries for 66 yards and also caught one pass for 15 yards before leaving with a groin injury.

San Francisco finished with 208 yards rushing on 39 carries.

Kirk Cousins threw for 238 yards and

The Niners drove down into field-goal range, but Robbie Gould missed from 42 yards with 1:56 left and a chance to put the game away.

Minnesota drove to the San Francisco 38 before turning it over on downs when Cousins missed Jefferson on fourth-and-8.

QUICK STRIKE

The 49ers scored twice in a 22-second span of the third quarter starting when Samuel capped the first drive of the half with a 3-yard run.

Azeez Al-Shaair

Mitchell ran it in from

SCORING LATE

The Niners used an 87-yard drive to tie the game late in the second quarter on Garoppolo’s

The Vikings have allowed 66 points in the final two minutes of the first half, the most for any team through 11 games since at least 2000.

PLAYING FROM AHEAD

The Vikings scored on their second drive of the game when

The first 16 teams to do it combined for an .852 winning percentage. The Vikings are the only team to do it and have a losing record.

KEY INJURIES

Vikings: RB Dalvin Cook (shoulder) left the game after getting hurt in the third quarter when he lost a fumble. ... LB Anthony Barr (hamstring) also left in the third quarter.

49ers: LB Dre Greenlaw (groin) and RB Trey Sermon (ankle) left the game with injuries in the first half and didn't return. Greenlaw was back for his first game since injuring his groin in the season opener. ... LB Fred Warner (hamstring) left in the second half.

UP NEXT

Vikings: Visit Detroit on Sunday.

49ers: Visit Seattle on Sunday.

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