Cousins connected with Stefon Diggs in the second quarter and Kyle Rudolph in the third quarter for scores, and the defense finished the job with three sacks and three second-half interceptions of Garoppolo. Mike Hughes turned one pick into a 28-yard touchdown return, the first by a rookie in a Vikings season opener.

”I’m so grateful for this opportunity that I’ve been given, and I just want to make good on it with every chance I get,” said Cousins, who had no turnovers.

Harrison Smith sealed the game with an interception with 1:35 left. He also recovered a fumble by Alfred Morris at the 2-yard line after Linval Joseph stripped the ball just in front of the goal line in the late in the first half and sacked Garoppolo on a third-down safety blitz.

”We knew it was going to be a tough challenge with the environment, going against a tough team,” Garoppolo said. ”They stood up to everything we thought they would, but with all the things that went bad we still had a shot at the end there. Just a tough way to end it.”

Garoppolo finished 15 for 33 for 261 yards and a touchdown pass to rookie Dante Pettis. With an injury depleted offensive line in front of him and the absence of top wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, Garoppolo was unable to capitalize on the opportunity for a comeback after the 49ers defense forced three straight three-and-out possessions by the Vikings to start the fourth quarter. DeForest Buckner had 2+ sacks for San Francisco.

Cousins went 20 for 36 for 244 yards, targeting Adam Thielen 12 times. He caught six passes for 102 yards.

”He played the way he always does,” said cornerback Richard Sherman, who made his 49ers debut. ”Efficient. Doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. He’s poised and doesn’t get rattled.”

Garoppolo won twice for New England in 2016 during Tom Brady’s suspension and guided the 49ers to five straight wins to finish last season after he arrived in a trade with the Patriots and they fell to 1-10, but his opening assignment for 2018 was bound to be his toughest test yet.

The Vikings used their star-stacked defense to finish 13-3 last year and reach the NFC championship game, leading the NFL in fewest yards and points allowed and third down conversions against. Minnesota’s U.S. Bank Stadium is one of the loudest places in the league for opponents to play.

Tight end George Kittle had five catches for 90 yards, but the one he didn’t make was the one that stood out. Wide open after beating Anthony Barr up the seam, Kittle had what would’ve been a 30-yard completion fall off his fingers at midfield. The third-down interception by Hughes came next to give the Vikings a 17-3 lead.

”Misjudged it,” Kittle said. ”Thought it was a little closer to me. Probably ran a bit too far with my arms out. Just a bad play.”

MINNESOTA MEMORIES

Fred Zamberletti, the team’s original athletic trainer who died last week at age 86, was honored with a pregame moment of silence. The Vikings also staged a 20th anniversary tribute to the 1998 squad that went 15-1 and reached the NFC championship game. Robert Smith, one of 28 former players who were introduced at halftime, received the loudest ovation. He focused on the current team at the end of his speech.

”We want to see them accomplish something that we weren’t able to do,” Smith told the crowd, ”and we want them to do it for you.”

INJURY REPORT

49ers: Goodwin hurt his right quadriceps in the first quarter and didn’t return. … RG Mike Person went down in the second quarter. His replacement Joshua Garnett was hurt in the third quarter, both with left foot injuries. With three backups on the OL already inactive, rookie Mike McGlinchey moved from RT to RG for the first time in his life while Garry Gilliam took over at RT … With two starters at LB already out, Malcolm Smith (hamstring) and Reuben Foster (suspension), Smith’s sub, Brock Coyle, suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter and needed several minutes to get up.

Vikings: CB Trae Waynes hurt his right knee while ripping a deep pass away from Pettis in the end zone in the second quarter and didn’t return. With Mackensie Alexander (ankle) inactive and Terence Newman retired, the Vikings had SS Jayron Kearse in slot coverage in the nickel defense with Hughes on the outside for Waynes.

UP NEXT

49ers: Host Detroit next Sunday. They haven’t lost to the Lions at home since 1975, a streak of 12 straight wins.

Vikings: Play at Green Bay next Sunday. They haven’t faced the Packers on the road in September since the 2008 season opener.

The post Cousins, Vikings hold on for 24-16 victory vs. 49ers appeared first on IdealCapper.

They did it last year and have to do it again.

The Redskins (6-5-1) captured the NFC East title in 2015 by winning their last four games. After losing two in a row to drop to seventh place in the conference, they don’t have margin for error. If Washington wins the final four again, starting Sunday at Philadelphia (5-7), a wild-card berth is almost certain.

”We were able to finish the season strong last year,” Cousins said. ”It can be done again, but by no means do I feel any type of calm or comfort drawing on last year’s finish. I think we have to do it all over again, and last year really has no bearing on whether or not we deliver this year.”

Losses to the Redskins eliminated the Eagles from playoff contention each of the past two seasons. They’re mathematically still in the race, but they’ll be playing the spoiler role the rest of the way.

That 3-0 start for Carson Wentz and Philadelphia is a distant memory at this point. The Eagles have lost three straight games by a double-digit margin, and seven of nine.

”I’m wired to be a winner. I hate losing,” said Wentz, who was 20-3 as a starter and was part of five consecutive FCS national championship teams at North Dakota State. ”I think it comes down to: Do you love it enough? I think if you love the game and you’re around it, you enjoy the grind. You attack it and it’s part of the process.”

Here are some things to watch for when the Redskins seek their fifth straight win over the Eagles:

BRINGING THE HEAT: The Eagles have no sacks in the past two games and only six in the last six after getting 20 in the first five. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz may have to blitz more to get to Cousins. The Cardinals had success against the Redskins last week when they used the blitz and came up with a key interception. Schwartz is hesitant to send his safeties after the quarterback because it would expose his cornerbacks to man coverage.

”Our corners aren’t playing very well right now,” Schwartz said. ”It doesn’t mean I’ve lost confidence in them because that’s the same bunch of corners that shut down some of the best offenses in the NFL. But we’re in a slump.”

WILLIAMS RETURNS: The Redskins get left tackle Trent Williams back from a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. He helps a banged-up offensive line and will be responsible for blocking Brandon Graham, who has been Philadelphia’s best pass rusher and leads the team with five sacks. Williams is motivated to make an immediate impact.

”Any time I step on the field, I feel responsible for playing some of the best football that I can,” he said. ”I felt like I was playing some of the best football of my career before this suspension, so hopefully I can get back to that.”

THIRD AND UGH: Washington’s third-down defense is the worst in the league, causing cornerback Josh Norman to say: ”Yeah we are. We got to get off the field.” Worst, perhaps, is third-and-long. The Redskins are allowing first downs on 34.8 percent of third-and-10 or longer with no forced turnovers.

”I think it’s a combination of things we’ve said all along: the pass rush has to marry with the pass coverage. Sometimes it’s a coverage, sometimes it’s a rush,” coach Jay Gruden said.

M & M BOYS RETURN: The Eagles were missing leading rusher Ryan Mathews and leading receiver Jordan Matthews in last week’s 32-14 loss at Cincinnati. Both are expected to return from injuries this week to help a struggling offense.

”With the addition of Ryan coming back, it definitely gives us depth and a bigger back back there, and hopefully we can get back to running the ball like we did a few weeks ago,” coach Doug Pederson said.

HOME-FIELD DOMINANCE: The Eagles are 4-1 at home and have outscored opponents 121-65. But the Redskins have scored 72 points combined in the last two games in Philadelphia.

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AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno in Ashburn, Virginia, contributed to this report.

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For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL

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Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP-RobMaaddi

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