The San Francisco 49ers head east to U.S. Bank Stadium to take on the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, August 27 in the third game of the 2017 NFL preseason. Here is the preview with the latest news, X-factors, injuries and much more.
Following the San Francisco 49ers’ victory in the first week of the preseason against the Kansas City Chiefs, the team’s stock was trending upwards. Last week’s performance against the Denver Broncos had the reverse effect.
After an overall productive outing versus the Chiefs, the 49ers tumbled out of the gates against the Broncos. Discipline unraveled, resulting in five turnovers and 11 penalties. The first-team San Francisco offense failed to do anything meaningful for its stretch on the field.
While the defense performed rather well considering the circumstances, it wasn’t enough as the 49ers gave up 33 points. In totality, it was a rough display of football put on by San Francisco. And it was certainly on the minds of players following the 33-14 loss to the Broncos:
Brian Hoyer said this team is facing adversity for the first time and now the question is how they deal with it in the coming days.
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) August 20, 2017
There is a point to what’s being said. Indeed, the team is playing games that count toward nothing. But the preseason still has meaning and value, especially for this new-look 49ers team.
So, like Hoyer said, how does the team respond now? The stakes for this next game — maybe the most pivotal of preseason play — have been raised.
Let’s begin the preview.