MINNEAPOLIS — Jordan Mason cut up the field and waltzed into the end zone untouched.

And the pressure was on.

The Vikings had to have a response to San Francisco's 12-play, 99-yard touchdown drive. Sam Darnold had to quell his former team's comeback try and do it without phenomenal receiver Justin Jefferson.

What transpired next inspired the U.S. Bank Stadium sellout crowd. Or maybe it was vice-versa and the roaring SKOL chants of the 66,741 fans encouraged Minnesota to outshine and out-physical the favored 49ers.

"You just kind of felt them willing us further and further to go get this thing done, so I want to compliment our crowd," Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell remarked in his opening statement after the team's 23-17 win against the reigning conference champions. "Absolutely love, love, love our fans."

It wasn't perfect, but it was pretty enough because Minnesota was the aggressor.

Darnold assailed the Niners pass defense, sandwiching third-down completions to Brandon Powell with arguably his biggest throw of the day. No, not the 97-yard airstrike to Jefferson but the 26-yard back-shoulder pass to Jalen "Speedy" Nailor gliding up the seam to San Francisco's 28 with 7:41 left.

Nailor said he expected the ball on his upfield shoulder. Darnold had whole-field vision of the play, though, and adjusted to San Francisco's two-high coverage by twisting Nailor around, away from harm.

"Right where it needed to be," Nailor said.

"Most of those throws you throw over the top of the defender," added Darnold, explaining that he sensed space behind Nailor. "For Speedy and I to be on the same page with that and him expecting that – not necessarily expecting the back-shoulder but reacting the way that he did – was huge."

Eight plays later, with only 3:32 remaining, rookie kicker Will Reichard split the uprights for the third time Sunday to extend the Vikings lead 23-14. Darnold and Company, missing its best player, answered.

"That is big-time quarterback play for all those folks out there that want examples of it," asserted O'Connell, cognizant of the fact the Vikings offense has been shorthanded. "I think we got two weeks of some pretty tangible examples of some [great] quarterback play from Darnold. I'm really proud of him."

No Jefferson in that stretch. Oh and no Jordan Addison this week or tight end T.J. Hockenson at all, yet.

"He's playing quarterback and playing it at a really high level," O'Connell said. "I want to highlight [receivers coach] Keenan McCardell and that receivers group, because we're already down Jordan. We're already down T.J. Plays are built with No. 18 as a focal point. We got a lot of double coverage today on him, and he was able to have his impact. But then when he goes down there are so many moving [pieces] – it's musical chairs."

On the messaging Darnold gives the huddle when the offense is lacking superstar power, he stays true to his unflinching demeanor: "This might suck for you guys to hear this, but I don't say anything. Those guys know exactly what we need to do. … No one was surprised when that happened, when guys were stepping up and we're going to continue to have situations – unfortunately that's how this league is, some guys are going to step up or need to step up some weeks and they're going to continue to do that."

Jefferson's impact was enormous, of course, before exiting at the tail end of the third quarter with a quadriceps injury. He was helped off the field by members of the athletic training staff but is optimistic about his recovery timeline. Jefferson hit more career milestones and his top highlight occurred two plays after the Vikings defense stiffed San Francisco on fourth-and-goal at the 2-yard line.

"Oh, man, it seemed like it was in the air forever," O'Connell shared. "I'm not [big on throwing] my hands up in the air [to signify a touchdown] when the ball goes up if I think I have something, but I was pretty darn close on that one."

The Vikings quarterback weighed in on his vantage point of Jefferson cutting across the field. It's not often that players on the throwing and receiving end of touchdowns are so distanced from one another.

"I was just watching him run around," Darnold laughed. "That's one of those plays, too, that's really fun to be able to celebrate with the big guys while you're back there – just watching him run around."

It counted as the longest touchdown of Jefferson's career, eclipsing his 71-yarder against Tennessee in 2020, and the second-longest in franchise history behind Bernard Berrian's 99-yard reception in 2008.

"Those are the ones you dream of," commented Nailor, who hit blur miles per hour in order to shield Jefferson from pursuant 49ers safety George Odum and ensure Jets finished off the historic play in the end zone.

Darnold trusted Jefferson to get behind San Francisco's last level of defense and noted that Odum's location determined his read to uncork the ball from the bottom of the "n" in the purple end zone painted "Vikings" rather than targeting Nailor on an intermediate route over the middle of the field.

Snap, play-fake, one, two, three, hitch, hitch, hitch, see-ya!

"It was a great call," Darnold stated. "For [O'Connell] to be able to call that play and the guys whatever in the booth or the offensive staff to be able to see that and call it, it shows just the trust that they have in me."

"The 97-yarder was one of the prettiest throws I've seen," O'Connell added. "I think Speedy would have been a long hit as well, depending on who Sam chose, and he chose the right one, launching that thing as pretty of a throw as I've seen, especially in those circumstances. And then Speedy's play-style finish to go get the block to get Justin in the end zone. So many examples of awesome stuff by our guys."

A 60-minute group effort demonstrated in all three phases.

Nailor sprinting for a touchdown-clinching block and snatching his own for the second straight game; Fullback C.J. Ham getting skinny to block a punt for the first time in his career; Ty Chandler doing his "best of both worlds" impression, running like a scat back – and a power back – for a team-best 82 yards on 10 carries; the offensive line keeping Darnold mostly on his feet and with plenty of time to go 17-for-26 with 268 yards; Scramblin' Sam ran for 32 yards, the eighth instance in 68 career games rushing for more than 30; the Vikings defense outplaying the guys in scarlet in gold. And the fans.

"Nothing beats it," Nailor said of the atmosphere. "Nothing beats it."