The 49ers trailed nearly all of Monday Night Football against the Vikings, but Brock Purdy and Co. somehow managed to deliver late when it was needed most.
The San Francisco 49ers can circle their two-game stretch between Weeks 6 and 7 as examples of what it means to overcome adversity.
The Niners were unable to do that in Week 6 on the road against the Cleveland Browns, losing a tough 19-17 bout that provided plenty of chances for head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. to win the game. Then, on Monday Night Football in Week 7, San Francisco looked wholly outplayed on both sides of the ball by the sub-.500 Minnesota Vikings.
Minnesota, despite being a hefty underdog, managed to outclass the 49ers on both sides of the ball and pulled off a 22-17 victory, sending the Niners to 5-2 amid a two-game losing streak.
Why?
San Francisco had plenty of issues on both sides of the ball, but let's highlight the four biggest reasons why Shanahan and the 49ers found themselves on the wrong side of a game they ultimately could have won.
Reason No. 1: Brock Purdy's 2 brutal INTs in the final clutch moments
Quarterback Brock Purdy has been sensational since taking over duties for the Niners late last season, but rare are those signature fourth-quarter comebacks featuring game-winning drives.
Purdy had one of those his rookie season, but in back-to-back weeks, he and the offense have failed to generate that final go-ahead score with regulation running out.
Week 7 provided not one but two opportunities to take the lead, but Purdy ended up tossing back-to-back interceptions on consecutive drives, both of which were snagged by Vikings safety Camryn Bynum, the first at the 5:30 mark of the fourth quarter and then the other with 34 seconds remaining.
Brutal.
Purdy had played well up to that point, and his 21-of-30 line for 272 yards is masked by the two picks.
Still, those are the moments when the great quarterbacks separate themselves from the good, and Purdy looked far closer to the latter category on Monday night.
Reason No. 2 Vikings contained Christian McCaffrey on the ground
Despite all those receiving weapons at Brock Purdy's disposal, San Francisco is still a run-first team and had done so quite successfully in Weeks 1 through 5.
In Weeks 5 and 6, however, both the Browns and Vikings ensured that All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey wouldn't be the game's true X-factor.
McCaffrey did damage, yes, including two touchdowns (one receiving and one rushing) despite playing with a slight oblique tear. But, for the most part, Minnesota prevented McCaffrey and the 49ers rush attack from getting set up and going.
In total, the Niners mustered a mere 45 rush yards from the All-Pro on 15 attempts, an average of 3.0 yards per carry.
Perhaps it was the absence of All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams (ankle), and perhaps also missing All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel (shoulder) meant the Vikings could hone in on McCaffrey without as solid a supporting cast.
Apparently so.
Reason No. 3: 49ers pass rush was wholly absent
It's going to be hard to call him out, but All-Pro edge Nick Bosa, the reining Defensive Player of the Year and highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, hasn't been tallying the sacks that one would expect from him this point in the season.
Entering Week 7 with just 2.5 sacks, Bosa failed to notch another on Kirk Cousins and despite Minnesota missing starting left guard Ezra Cleveland because of a foot injury.
But, Bosa wasn't alone in the zero-sack department. Every other San Francisco defender joined him in failing to record a sack.
Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks tried bringing extra pressure, at times with dreadful results, but that didn't prevent Cousins from delivering within the pocket and without being taken down.
"We were kind of lulled to sleep," Bosa told reporters after the game when asked about the lack of a pass rush.
It certainly seemed that way, and the 49ers defense was entirely lackluster as a result.
Reason No. 4: 49ers gave up 450-plus yards of offense
The once-vaunted Niners defense doesn't seem so vaunted any longer, right?
The pass rush is lackluster as of late, linebackers and defensive linemen are struggling to tackle, and the secondary has appeared either out of position or on the wrong side of pass-interference calls a bit too frequently.
Whatever the causes, including Steve Wilks not correctly dialing up the right play or making the correct adjustments, San Francisco's defense is currently on the ropes.
And the Vikings logging 452 net yards of offense? That's a true slap to the 49ers' collective face. Especially considering they were without their No. 1 offensive weapon, All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who is on injured reserve.
Minnesota was money on third down, going 8-of-13 on the night, and it also handly out-possessed the Niners by nearly 10 minutes.
Only the Vikings' red-zone woes (0-of-2) arguably kept Monday night from being an absolute blowout.
Perhaps that'll be part of the lesson that convinces San Francisco to turn things around in a hurry.