MINNEAPOLIS – C.J. Ham burst through the line and went airborne.

The 5-foot-11, 250-pounder stretched himself out and reached his hands as far as he could, then felt the satisfying smack! of leather against his white gloves.

115th career game, first blocked punt.

"It felt amazing," said Ham. "I'm glad we were able to execute – it was fun. I was just thinking, 'Don't miss the opportunity, right?'

"I was able to get skinny," he added with a laugh. "I'm not a skinny guy, but I was able to get skinny and somehow came free and was able to capitalize on it."

Ham was able to get past San Francisco's Robert Beal, Jr., to deny Mitch Wishnowsky's punt midway through the first quarter.

"When it goes from third down to fourth down, I always start walking down toward the [practice] net area, and I'll get a couple snaps in," long snapper Andrew DePaola explained. "So, I was behind our punt return team, and my angle was kind of through C.J. It was really weird how it all played out. I saw it open up and C.J. swipe the guy's hand, and I was like, 'Oh – he's comin' free.'

"He got through and laid out to block it, and I heard the dreaded 'double thump.' For us, it's good. But for the punt team, I know you don't want to hear that," DePaola continued. "I just think it added an extra bit of juice for the guys. A little bit of confidence, thinking, 'Hey, the stuff we rep in practice, the stuff we preach in practice, it's real. It's not just talk. And if you apply what these guys are teaching us in practice, you're gonna have success."

Safety Joshua Metellus, who has logged 1,155 special teams snaps, pointed to Ham as an example of attention to detail paying off.

"He's one of those guys who does every little thing the right way – and that's all that was on that play," Metellus said of Ham. "He did the little things right. Great, great B.G.O. (ball get-off). He was great off the line, then great job dipping the guy who tried to block him, then great job of going out and not up to block the punt. Just a testament to his work."

Running back Aaron Jones, Sr., shared his perspective of the block from Minnesota's sideline.

"In real time, I didn't realize it was C.J. until the replay's going and I'm like, 'Hold on, that was C.J.' " Jones laughed. "I just got super hyped. That's my backfield mate, you know, and to see him make a play on another phase is special. He was just really locked in, homed in, and it was a game-changer play. That's what C.J. is – he's a difference maker."

A truly successful blocked punt requires two parts, of course, which was when Vikings safety Theo Jackson flew in to grab – or "vacuum up," as play-by-play announcer Kevin Harlan said – the loose ball.

"I'm thinking, 'Pick up the ball, and somebody go score,' " Ham said.

Jackson wasn't able to get all the way to the end zone but sprinted for a 15-yard return before being stopped, setting up Minnesota's offense at the Niners 24.

And while the Vikings didn't secure a touchdown there, it did give Will Reichard the chance to make his first regular-season field goal.

The rookie kicker easily chipped the ball through the uprights on the 22-yard attempt, giving Minnesota an early lead over the defending NFC Champs.

"It felt great. Super excited about coming and playing at U.S. Bank Stadium, first [regular-season] game – obviously we only got one in the preseason," Reichard said postgame. "It was electric out there. I was super proud of our team, and it felt great to get my first real field goal out of the way, a lot of those jitters out of the way."

DePaola expressed pride in Reichard but no level of surprise in his ability to make that first field goal, a 39-yarder to close out the first half and a potentially higher-pressure 27-yard kick late in the game to help seal a Vikings win.

Reichard has impressed since being drafted by Minnesota this spring; he, DePaola and holder Ryan Wright have quickly become a well-oiled machine on field goals.

"It's always tough to emulate the game-day settings, so it's good we were able to get his first one, but it also honestly felt like any other kick to me," DePaola said.

"Will already is doing a great job of just being a pro," DePaola added. "He comes in, he handles his business, he does what he has to do, the little things, and he's also asking a lot of the right questions, which I think is huge for young guys. And he's listening. He's taking the advice, he's taking coaching, and he's applying it to practice, and it's showing in games. He's just got a great outlook, a great disposition and personality, and he's been a pleasure to work with."

It isn't only fellow specialists who have appreciated Reichard from the jump.

Outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard, who joined the Vikings this spring in free agency, emphasized the trust he and his teammates have in Reichard whenever he's called upon for a field goal or PAT.

Greenard acknowledged a certain level of belief simply by Minnesota using a draft pick on Reichard but also pointed to former Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner's relationship with the kicker.

"Dallas was with him at 'Bama and said, 'Hey, I would trust him with my life.' And I said, 'You've got it.' That's all it took for us at that point. We just bought into him," Greenard said. "Will's been doing his thing. He's a guy who wants to learn, continuously trying to grow relationships, and he's himself every day. You've gotta love Will."

Greenard said everyone in the locker room enjoys the 23-year-old who had never previously lived outside Alabama.

"You know he's gonna show up, and he's a great guy when you sit down and talk to him," he said. "Will is that quiet guy … everyone loves."

Reichard's impression on his peers is obvious, but it's all about doing his job to not let teammates down

"Just going into work every day trying to get better; I think that's the only way you can try to gain guys' confidence, by performing well," Reichard said "So hopefully we can keep that going.

"I think special teams played great," he added. "Obviously we had the C.J. blocked punt, Ryan kind of forced the muffed punt, as well. Unfortunately, we weren't able to recover it, but those are big-time plays. Offense and defense both played great, fought the fight, and we came out victorious."

The Vikings knew it likely would take all three phases playing well to upset the 49ers and start their season 2-0, and they did just that.

Sam Darnold showed leadership and efficiency on offense, and Blake Cashman shined in his home state debut, leading a defense that created multiple stops.

"When you have all three phases playing well, everybody feeds off that. Offense is feeding off the defense, defense is feeding off the offense, and both those sides are feeding off special teams," DePaola said. "You just play with so much more confidence knowing your teammates have you like that."

Special teams played a key role in Sunday's win, whether through Reichard's 11 points scored (including PATs), Wright's punts or Ham's block.

The Vikings under Head Coach Kevin O'Connell are 19-0 in games where they tie in or win the turnover margin, and special teams turnovers matter just as much as those created by defense.

"If you get a turnover on special teams, your chance of winning goes way, way up. So when C.J. got that, we knew we had a chance and said, 'Hey, look, we've gotta capitalize off of this – defense and offense,' " Greenard said. "Go score, get the ball back, do it again. We just stole the possession. So whenever they're doing that on special teams, it makes our job, offense and defense, much easier because now our opponent has another aspect to worry about."