The first win in Minnesota Vikings history was their home opener in 1961, a 37-13 rout against the Chicago Bears at Metropolitan Stadium.
Since then, the Vikings have recorded 38 victories in their 63 home openers, winning just north of 60 percent (38-24-1). Minnesota's longest win streak during that stretch is 10, spanning from 1987 to 1996, while its longest losing skid in home-opening games is three between 1965 and 1967.
Lately, the Vikings have started their home schedule in strong fashion, as Minnesota has won seven of its past nine openers within its friendly confines, including five consecutive from 2015 to 2019.
Minnesota (1-0) will look to continue that success on Sunday when it hosts San Francisco (1-0) at noon (CT) at U.S. Bank Stadium. It is one of six games in Week 2 that features 1-0 teams.
Despite their historical success, the 49ers have struggled when opening their road schedule. San Francisco is 31-42-1 in road openers since joining the NFL after the AAFC-NFL merger in 1950. The 49ers longest win streak during that span is three, which they have achieved three times (1988-90, 2007-09, 2019-21). San Francisco's longest losing streak in road-opening games is six from 1968 to 1973.
The Vikings are 6-2 against the 49ers in home openers all-time and have won the past four meetings playing San Francisco when opening their home schedule. San Francisco is 2-5 all-time when opening its road schedule in Minnesota.
Let's see who the experts are picking to win the game:
Vikings 22, 49ers 21 – Pete Prisco, CBS Sports
Both of these teams impressed in their Week 1 victories. The 49ers pushed around a good Jets defense without Christian McCaffrey. This Minnesota defense impressed against New York, and I think they will play well here. This is close. Real close but give it to the Vikings in an upset.
49ers 28, Vikings 20 – Staff, Bleacher Report
In 2023, the San Francisco 49ers won 11 of their 12 regular-season games by double-digit margins. They carried that trend into the 2024 campaign with a 32-19 victory over the New York Jets on Monday.
Even more impressive, the 49ers ran through the Jets defense without Christian McCaffrey, who's dealing with calf and Achilles injuries. After an offseason of extensive negotiations with the team, wideout Brandon Aiyuk only played 60 percent of the snaps on offense and had a couple of uncharacteristic drops.
On a short week, the 49ers will go on the road to face the Minnesota Vikings, whose offense looked mostly sharp with Sam Darnold at the helm in a 28-6 win over the New York Giants.
While most of our panel believes the 49ers will continue to steamroll their competition, [Bleacher Report NFL analyst Brad] Gagnon stands alone with the Vikings.
"The 49ers are a little banged up coming off a short week, and they're on the road for an early kickoff against a team with relatively little to lose that looked strong in Week 1," Gagnon said. "With that in mind, this is too many points. The upset is on the table, but I expect a field-goal game either way."
49ers 28, Vikings 17 – Bill Bender, Sporting News
The Niners hit the road on a short week, and Sam Darnold avoided mistakes in the opener. He hit Justin Jefferson for a TD, and Aaron Jones was a success on the ground. It's a functional offense, but will it be enough against a Super Bowl contender? Brock Purdy is 11-2 S/U with 22 TDs, five interceptions, and a 110.0 passer rating on the road for his career.
49ers 24, Vikings 20 – Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News
The 49ers lost in Minnesota 22-17 last October in one of their few blemishes on their way to the top NFC playoff seed and Super Bowl run. [Vikings Defensive Coordinator] Brian Flores' pass rush will present some pressure problems for Brock Purdy, who must protect the ball and lean a lot on Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel instead of aggressively testing the Vikings corners downfield. On the other side, Purdy's former backup Sam Darnold will keep trusting his new brand of dynamic playmakers to keep his team in the game.
0 of 6 experts pick the Vikings, The MMQB
0 of 10 experts (1 had not submitted) pick the Vikings, ESPN
1 of 8 experts pick the Vikings, Bleacher Report
3 of 10 experts pick the Vikings, The Athletic
