San Francisco 49ers vs. Minnesota Vikings: 2009 Week 3 Recap

Game story

In Week 3 of the 2009 NFL season on 2009-09-27, the Minnesota Vikings took care of business against the San Francisco 49ers, pulling away with a 27–24 final that came down to the wire.

The highest-scoring period was Q2 with 20 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

B. Favre (Minnesota Vikings) paced the passing game, with +4.51 total EPA, and -10.2% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, V. Davis (San Francisco 49ers) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +6.97 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (+62.7% win probability) landed in the fourth quarter when Minnesota Vikings changed the game: (:12) (Shotgun) 4-B.Favre pass deep right to 17-G.Lewis for 32 yards, TOUCHDOWN [99-M.Lawson]. The Replay Assistant challenged the runner was in bounds ruling, and the play was Upheld.

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 V. Davis · San Francisco 49ers · Receiving · +6.97 total EPA · 10 snaps · +0.70 EPA/play
2. 2 S. Rice · Minnesota Vikings · Receiving · +5.26 total EPA · 7 snaps · +0.75 EPA/play
3. 3 G. Lewis · Minnesota Vikings · Receiving · +4.76 total EPA · 1 snaps · +4.76 EPA/play
4. 4 B. Favre · Minnesota Vikings · Passing · +4.51 total EPA · 49 snaps · +0.09 EPA/play
5. 5 J. Morgan · San Francisco 49ers · Receiving · +4.33 total EPA · 4 snaps · +1.08 EPA/play
6. 6 S. Hill · San Francisco 49ers · Passing · +2.20 total EPA · 26 snaps · +0.08 EPA/play
7. 7 C. Taylor · Minnesota Vikings · Receiving · +1.90 total EPA · 8 snaps · +0.24 EPA/play
8. 8 M. Norris · San Francisco 49ers · Receiving · +0.44 total EPA · 1 snaps · +0.44 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• Minnesota Vikings — S. Rice (B. Favre pass) (Q1 53:43)
• San Francisco 49ers — V. Davis (S. Hill pass) (Q2 39:31)
• San Francisco 49ers — N. Clements (Q2 30:06)
• Minnesota Vikings — P. Harvin (Q3 19:47)
• San Francisco 49ers — V. Davis (S. Hill pass) (Q4 8:17)
• Minnesota Vikings — G. Lewis (B. Favre pass) (Q4 0:12)

Field goals

• Minnesota Vikings — R. Longwell (Q2 43:13)
• Minnesota Vikings — R. Longwell (Q2 33:27)
• San Francisco 49ers — J. Nedney (Q3 19:51)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: Minnesota Vikings won the period 7–0. Minnesota Vikings found the end zone from the SF 30 (Q1 53:43) — (8:43) 4-B.Favre pass deep middle to 18-S.Rice for 30 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Minnesota Vikings added 1 points from the SF 2 (Q1 53:38) — 8-R.Longwell extra point is GOOD, Center-46-C.Loeffler, Holder-5-C.Kluwe..

The second quarter: San Francisco 49ers won the period 14–6. Minnesota Vikings connected on a field goal from the SF 22 (Q2 43:13) — (13:13) 8-R.Longwell 40 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-C.Loeffler, Holder-5-C.Kluwe.; San Francisco 49ers found the end zone from the MIN 5 (Q2 39:31) — (9:31) 13-S.Hill pass short right to 85-V.Davis for 5 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; San Francisco 49ers added 1 points from the MIN 2 (Q2 39:26) — 6-J.Nedney extra point is GOOD, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-A.Lee.; Minnesota Vikings connected on a field goal from the SF 34 (Q2 33:27) — (3:27) 8-R.Longwell 52 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-C.Loeffler, Holder-5-C.Kluwe.; San Francisco 49ers found the end zone from the SF 26 (Q2 30:06); San Francisco 49ers added 1 points from the MIN 2 (Q2 30:00) — 6-J.Nedney extra point is GOOD, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-A.Lee..

The third quarter: Minnesota Vikings won the period 7–3. San Francisco 49ers connected on a field goal from the MIN 19 (Q3 19:51) — (4:51) 6-J.Nedney 37 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-A.Lee.; Minnesota Vikings found the end zone from the SF 30 (Q3 19:47) — 6-J.Nedney kicks 71 yards from SF 30 to MIN -1. 12-P.Harvin for 101 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Minnesota Vikings added 1 points from the SF 2 (Q3 19:34) — 8-R.Longwell extra point is GOOD, Center-46-C.Loeffler, Holder-5-C.Kluwe..

The fourth quarter: The quarter finished even at 7–7. San Francisco 49ers found the end zone from the MIN 20 (Q4 8:17) — (8:17) (Shotgun) 13-S.Hill pass deep middle to 85-V.Davis for 20 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; San Francisco 49ers added 1 points from the MIN 2 (Q4 8:12) — 6-J.Nedney extra point is GOOD, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-A.Lee.; Minnesota Vikings found the end zone from the SF 32 (Q4 0:12); Minnesota Vikings added 1 points from the SF 2 (Q4 0:02) — 8-R.Longwell extra point is GOOD, Center-46-C.Loeffler, Holder-5-C.Kluwe..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• Minnesota Vikings (Q4 0:12) — (:12) (Shotgun) 4-B.Favre pass deep right to 17-G.Lewis for 32 yards, TOUCHDOWN [99-M.Lawson]. The Replay Assistant challenged the runner was in bounds ruling, and the play was Upheld. [WPA +62.7% · EPA +4.76]
• Minnesota Vikings (Q3 19:47) — 6-J.Nedney kicks 71 yards from SF 30 to MIN -1. 12-P.Harvin for 101 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +27.8% · EPA +5.80]
• Minnesota Vikings (Q2 30:06) — (:06) 8-R.Longwell 44 yard field goal is BLOCKED (91-R.McDonald), Center-46-C.Loeffler, Holder-5-C.Kluwe, RECOVERED by SF-22-N.Clements at SF 41. 22-N.Clements for 59 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA -26.3% · EPA -9.43]
• San Francisco 49ers (Q4 1:36) — (1:36) 4-A.Lee punts 47 yards to end zone, Center-86-B.Jennings, Touchback. [WPA -18.9% · EPA -1.43]
• Minnesota Vikings (Q4 0:33) — (:33) (Shotgun) 4-B.Favre pass short right to 12-P.Harvin to SF 39 for 15 yards (52-P.Willis). [WPA +17.2% · EPA +1.45]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• Minnesota Vikings (Q2 30:06) — (:06) 8-R.Longwell 44 yard field goal is BLOCKED (91-R.McDonald), Center-46-C.Loeffler, Holder-5-C.Kluwe, RECOVERED by SF-22-N.Clements at SF 41. 22-N.Clements for 59 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA -26.3% · EPA -9.43]
• Minnesota Vikings (Q3 19:47) — 6-J.Nedney kicks 71 yards from SF 30 to MIN -1. 12-P.Harvin for 101 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +27.8% · EPA +5.80]
• Minnesota Vikings (Q4 0:12) — (:12) (Shotgun) 4-B.Favre pass deep right to 17-G.Lewis for 32 yards, TOUCHDOWN [99-M.Lawson]. The Replay Assistant challenged the runner was in bounds ruling, and the play was Upheld. [WPA +62.7% · EPA +4.76]
• San Francisco 49ers (Q2 39:50) — (9:50) (Shotgun) 13-S.Hill pass short right to 84-J.Morgan ran ob at MIN 11 for 25 yards (26-A.Winfield). PENALTY on MIN-56-E.Henderson, Roughing the Passer, 6 yards, enforced at MIN 11. Penalty on MI [WPA +9.5% · EPA +3.93]

Quarterback report card

B.Favre led all passers in efficiency for Minnesota Vikings, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• B.Favre (Minnesota Vikings) · 49 dropbacks · 49.0% completion · -10.2% CPOE · +0.09 EPA/play · +4.51 total EPA
• S.Hill (San Francisco 49ers) · 26 dropbacks · 57.7% completion · +5.3% CPOE · +0.08 EPA/play · +2.20 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Both offenses finished within striking distance on EPA per play (San Francisco 49ers -0.09, Minnesota Vikings -0.06) — a true toss-up on the analytics sheet.

• Minnesota Vikings: 14 drives, -6.09 total EPA, 5 scoring drives
• San Francisco 49ers: 15 drives, -6.86 total EPA, 3 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• Minnesota Vikings leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• One-score margin — fantasy managers should double-check garbage-time stats before drawing conclusions.
• V. Davis (San Francisco 49ers) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• B. Favre (MIN) finished below expected efficiency — volume may have masked accuracy issues.
• S. Hill (SF) beat expectation through the air — positive CPOE game for stack builds.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. Minnesota Vikings TD (+6) — Q1 53:43 · SF 30 · Score 0-6
   (8:43) 4-B.Favre pass deep middle to 18-S.Rice for 30 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
2. Minnesota Vikings XP (+1) — Q1 53:38 · SF 2 · Score 0-7
   8-R.Longwell extra point is GOOD, Center-46-C.Loeffler, Holder-5-C.Kluwe.
3. Minnesota Vikings FG (+3) — Q2 43:13 · SF 22 · Score 0-10
   (13:13) 8-R.Longwell 40 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-C.Loeffler, Holder-5-C.Kluwe.
4. San Francisco 49ers TD (+6) — Q2 39:31 · MIN 5 · Score 6-10
   (9:31) 13-S.Hill pass short right to 85-V.Davis for 5 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
5. San Francisco 49ers XP (+1) — Q2 39:26 · MIN 2 · Score 7-10
   6-J.Nedney extra point is GOOD, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-A.Lee.
6. Minnesota Vikings FG (+3) — Q2 33:27 · SF 34 · Score 7-13
   (3:27) 8-R.Longwell 52 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-46-C.Loeffler, Holder-5-C.Kluwe.
7. San Francisco 49ers TD (+6) — Q2 30:06 · SF 26 · Score 13-13
   (:06) 8-R.Longwell 44 yard field goal is BLOCKED (91-R.McDonald), Center-46-C.Loeffler, Holder-5-C.Kluwe, RECOVERED by SF-22-N.Clements at SF 41. 22-N.Clements
8. San Francisco 49ers XP (+1) — Q2 30:00 · MIN 2 · Score 14-13
   6-J.Nedney extra point is GOOD, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-A.Lee.
9. San Francisco 49ers FG (+3) — Q3 19:51 · MIN 19 · Score 17-13
   (4:51) 6-J.Nedney 37 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-A.Lee.
10. Minnesota Vikings TD (+6) — Q3 19:47 · SF 30 · Score 17-19
    6-J.Nedney kicks 71 yards from SF 30 to MIN -1. 12-P.Harvin for 101 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
11. Minnesota Vikings XP (+1) — Q3 19:34 · SF 2 · Score 17-20
    8-R.Longwell extra point is GOOD, Center-46-C.Loeffler, Holder-5-C.Kluwe.
12. San Francisco 49ers TD (+6) — Q4 8:17 · MIN 20 · Score 23-20
    (8:17) (Shotgun) 13-S.Hill pass deep middle to 85-V.Davis for 20 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
13. San Francisco 49ers XP (+1) — Q4 8:12 · MIN 2 · Score 24-20
    6-J.Nedney extra point is GOOD, Center-86-B.Jennings, Holder-4-A.Lee.
14. Minnesota Vikings TD (+6) — Q4 0:12 · SF 32 · Score 24-26
    (:12) (Shotgun) 4-B.Favre pass deep right to 17-G.Lewis for 32 yards, TOUCHDOWN [99-M.Lawson]. The Replay Assistant challenged the runner was in bounds ruling,
15. Minnesota Vikings XP (+1) — Q4 0:02 · SF 2 · Score 24-27
    8-R.Longwell extra point is GOOD, Center-46-C.Loeffler, Holder-5-C.Kluwe.