The San Francisco 49ers and the Minnesota Vikings meet Monday in NFL action from US Bank Stadium. San Francisco is currently 5-1 this year, taking their first loss to the Browns back on Sunday. As for Minnesota, they’re sitting at 2-4 after getting a win over the Bears in their last appearance. Check back all season long for free NFL picks at Sports Chat Place.

San Francisco 49ers 

The 49ers got off to a great start this year, rolling through their first five games on an undefeated run. San Francisco took out the Steelers 30-7, the Rams 30-23, the Giants 30-12, the Cardinals 35-16 and the Cowboys 42-10 during that stretch. Week 6 versus the Browns was an upset loss 19-17 however, giving the 49ers their first blemish. 

In Sunday’s matchup versus Cleveland, San Francisco held a slim 10-7 lead in the first half but got outscored 12-7 from there. QB Brock Purdy put up a tepid 125 yards with a score and an interception, and Christian McCaffrey led the rush with just 43 yards. Brandon Aiyuk had a nice game on four catches for 76 yards, though. 

San Francisco 49ers Team Facts

• The road team has won each of the 49ers’ last eight Week 7 games.
• The 49ers have covered the spread in 11 of their last 12 games as favorites against NFC opponents.
• The 49ers have won the first half in each of their last six road games following a road loss.
• The 49ers have lost the first quarter in each of their last three Monday games against teams that held a losing record.
• The 49ers have scored the first touchdown in each of their last six games.

Minnesota Vikings 

Over on the Vikings’ side, it’s been a struggle through six games thus far. Minnesota came out of the gate with losses to the Buccaneers 20-17, the Eagles 34-28 and the Chargers 28-24. A victory came 21-13 over the Panthers the next week, but the Vikings couldn’t sustain any momentum with a 27-20 loss to the Chiefs in Week 5. 

In their last outing on Sunday versus the rival Bears, Minnesota was able to find the win column but it wasn’t easy. After a 12-6 advantage in the first half, the Vikings held on for a 19-13 result. Kirk Cousins bagged 181 yards with a score to lead the way. TJ Hockerson caught six of his passes for 50 yards, and Alexander Mattison added 44 yards on 18 carries. 

Minnesota Vikings Team Facts

• The Vikings have lost each of their last eight games as underdogs against NFC opponents.
• The Vikings have failed to cover the spread in each of their last eight games as underdogs against NFC opponents.
• The Vikings have lost the first half in each of their last seven games as underdogs against NFC opponents.
• The Vikings have scored the first touchdown in each of their last four Monday home games.
• The Vikings have won the first quarter in three of their last four October games as underdogs.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Vikings rank 32nd in the NFL in time of possession per game this season (26:14).
• The Vikings rank T1st in the NFL in Q2 win percentage this season (83.3).
• The 49ers rank 1st in the NFL in points allowed per game this season (14.5).
• The 49ers rank 1st in the NFL in interceptions this season (10).

ANDREW’S FREE PICK 

I’m going to stay with San Francisco, even after the difficult loss on Sunday. The 49ers didn’t really look like themselves on offense in a chippy game (25 total penalties) against Cleveland. San Francisco managed just 215 yards of offense with 15 first downs and a 3-of-12 result on third-down tries. The defense did its job pretty well though, posting two takeaways and holding the Browns to 3-of-13 on third-down conversions. San Francisco has held opponents below 20 points in each of the last four games. 

As for the Vikings, they won Sunday against a bad Bears team despite their best efforts on offense (12 first downs; 2-of-13 on third downs). Minnesota is going to have their hands full in a much tougher matchup here, and I don’t think they’ll stay close for long.