MINNEAPOLIS – It was a baker's dozen for Blake Cashman.

And then some.

The Eden Prairie native played his first regular-season home game as a Viking Sunday, and he seemingly showed up all over the U.S. Bank Stadium field. Cashman led all players with 13 tackles en route to a 23-17 defeat of the 49ers that featured several dazzling plays by the defense.

"It was really exciting to have my first home game in a Vikings uniform," Cashman said following the game. "To play such a spectacular team like the 49ers and get a big win like this, it's why I love this game and love this team and just sharing all this energy and excitement. I put a lot of work in – we all do – and when you get rewarded like this, it's a really special feeling."

Cashman was involved in all three stops on the game's opening series, tackling Kyle Juszczyk and Brandon Aiyuk after short gains and then interrupting a pass intended for Deebo Samuel, Sr., to force a San Francisco three-and-punt.

Cashman logged a tackle for loss, three passes defensed and one of Minnesota's five sacks of Brock Purdy.

"He's a baller. You should see the way the guy prepares. He's a true professional. He loves this game," Van Ginkel said. "Obviously coming back to Minnesota, you can see his desire, his heart and love for the city and the state and all these fans. I'm so proud of that guy. He's not done yet. He's a heck of a player."

Wearing the "green dot" helmet with the communications device, Cashman remained composed while communicating calls to the defense through the roar of 66,741 fans packing U.S. Bank Stadium.

His dynamic outing was no surprise to Vikings outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard, who played with Cashman in Houston before the two signed with Minnesota as free agents this spring.

"I've always been saying, even back when I first met Cashman, I said, 'Listen – when he's healthy, he's one of the best in the league.' He's a field general. He keeps everybody calm," Greenard said. "He knows the defense really well, gets us in the right position. 'Keeps us calm,' I keep saying that because at the end of the day, you all seen how loud it was out there, and we're still trying to get the call.

"He's the one who's able to manage, weather the storm in that aspect, and get everybody on the same page," Greenard added. "I love playing with him."

Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell tipped his cap to Cashman during his postgame press conference, noting his athleticism, "burst speed," instinct, coverage skills and tackling.

"And what we expected coming in – and he has confirmed – is he's a great communicator. That is not an easy job. In fact, both of our green dots on offense with Sam [Darnold] and Cash' on defense, Flo' (Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores) and I, we're doing a lot of things.

"The communication today I thought was elite, to go along with the elite effort by our crowd to make it extra difficult on those guys," O'Connell continued. "We want to play well at home, and we've got a tough home schedule, but to have our defense humming and playing like that and piece it together with how we want to play offensively – a really, really good start here at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Cashman wasn't the only Vikings defender making his presence known in the home opener.

Greenard and Van Ginkel also sacked Purdy, and Pat Jones II took the QB down twice. He now has 4.0 sacks through Minnesota's first two games of 2024, matching his previous season total from 2022.

He told media members postgame the defense is "having fun" getting to the quarterback, finding the football and creating turnovers, and he credited his own success to an extra dedicated spring and summer.

"Every day, I was just trying to grind this offseason. I took it personal," Jones said. "I did the most I could ever do, just locked in for my diet, my nutrition, my training, my mental – everything. I give all the glory to God. I locked in, got my relationship right with God, and I've just been trying to live right there."

Jones contributed to a defensive line that kept Purdy on his toes all afternoon.

The Niners QB finished his day 28-of-36 passing for 319 yards with one touchdown to George Kittle and an interception. His passer rating was 101.3.

His stats certainly were not terrible, but the Vikings all game didn't allow Purdy to get comfortable.

"We just kept collapsing the pocket. He's a shorter guy, so whenever you can collapse a pocket so the taller – 6-foot-5, 6-6 o-linemen will be in his face and he has to kind of see over it, kind of maneuver and gets him off the spot," Greenard explained. "That's another thing to attribute this [win] to – it might not show up on the stat sheet when it comes to pass rush and stuff like that, but when you continuously pressure him, get him off the spot, that's a win for us in our role. That's the hidden stat. That's the one that nobody will see out there in the world … but we take pride in that."

Safety Joshua Metellus thanked Minnesota's front seven for less stress in the secondary.

"When you're a DB and the front is getting pressure like that, they're running Brock Purdy down like that, they make our jobs so much easier," Metellus said. "We've played two games, man, and it's felt too easy back there. The big dogs, they've been doing their jobs, man.

"We're gonna start capitalizing on our end, and we're just gonna keep playing off each other," he added.

Metellus certainly capitalized on one opportunity in the game, though, finally securing a football that popped into the air a few times.

The pass left Purdy's hand before being tipped by Cashman, bouncing off Metellus' fingertips, missing the reach of Camryn Bynum and then finding Metellus again.

Talk about a human pinball machine.

And the prize? After the turnover, Minnesota capitalized by finding Jalen Nailor for a 10-yard touchdown.

"It's really the hustle. Everybody running to the ball. It was a checkdown and somebody tried to tip it up, I tried to catch it, tipped it up again," Bynum noted. "But everybody running to the ball and being near it, one of us would have come down with it. Josh was able to come down with it, get the turnover and set us up for a touchdown the next play. So really, just the effort on the defense of everybody chasing the ball, finding the ball."

The defense showed hustle through all four quarters.

Minnesota played complementary football across the board, but the defending NFC Champions did manage to possess the ball for 34:48 – making for a long day for the Vikings defense. Their longest stretch on the field came on a San Francisco drive that ate up the final four-and-a-half minutes of the first quarter and first five minutes of the second quarter.

The Vikings came out of the series winded but triumphant after shutting down a fourth-down attempt by Purdy.

Whew, a break.

But Darnold and Justin Jefferson had other plans, as they connected just three plays later for an incredible 97-yard touchdown.

"If we're gonna put up points, then I don't need no breather," Metellus quipped.

Greenard laughed as he recounted jogging down the sideline in celebration of Jefferson's score before realizing, "Guys … we've gotta go back out there."

"But that's a good tired, you know? Because at the end of the day, I know they're going to give everything they've got on that side of the ball, and as long as you keep feeding those guys like that, big plays happen," Greenard said. "It's [a good] part of the game."

Tired or not, the Vikings were all smiles following the win that improved them to 2-0 on the season.

They know they can't let off the gas, and there's a lot of football left to play, starting with hosting the Texans at U.S. Bank Stadium in Week 3. But ask anyone a part of this defense, and he'll tell you the confidence is high under Flores.

"Flo's gonna bring the juice. He's gonna bring the game plan, everything. We talked about it from the jump during the week," Greenard said. "I mean, we knew it was gonna be a physical fight. We know that they're coming in trying to, you know, they're coming off with a win. They know the history coming here [to Minnesota]. They haven't won [a game here] since 1992 – you know what I'm sayin? So I'm pretty sure that was relayed around there the whole time, and I've been there. I've been in those games. So understanding what they're gonna bring in and what they're gonna try to do, we knew what was ahead of us."

Van Ginkel said the team can tighten up against the run (Jordan Mason racked up 100 yards on 20 carries) but overall has shown incredibly positive things.

"You know, they threw their punches, we threw some punches, and it was a back-and-forth battle, but we're resilient. We're a tough team, dependable, and we rely on each other and fly around and make plays," said Van Ginkel, who had four tackles, a sack, a quarterback hit and a pass defensed. "I think we're special. From front end to back end, we've got guys all over the place who can make plays.

"We've got guys, we've got depth, and the sky's the limit for us," he added.

Across the locker room from Van Ginkel, Metellus grinned at reporters beneath a pair of shades and echoed his teammate's thought.

"I don't know, man. When they brought this group of guys in during the offseason, we just gelled immediately," he said. "Man, it's like they knew exactly what this team was built on, and then they went and got those guys who fit the exact mold.

"All of them over there wearing purple for the first time, playing at U.S. Bank Stadium for the first time, they just fit right in with the team," Metellus added. "We're brothers instantly, and the connection is ever-growing. I'm excited to see what we can do."