O'Connell details challenge 49ers, Purdy Vikings present

Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell proved he can beat the 49ers by pulling off a 22-17 primetime upset last season in Minneapolis.

Neither team was fully healthy in that contest, though — Trent Williams, DeBo Samuel and Justin Jefferson were all out with injuries — and O'Connell is well aware of the challenges San Francisco presents for any team.

“It's a great test,” O'Connell told reporters during Friday's media availability. “They're a really good football team – no surprise knowing Kyle [Shanahan] And knowing the coaching staff.”

Although he has not worked directly with the 49ers coach, O'Connell has ties to the Shanahan coaching tree through his time as Sean McVay's offensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Rams in 2020 and 2021.

“How they fit together from an offense and defense standpoint, their personnel to play their schemes and the way Kyle and his coordinators work, that's definitely a challenge,” continued O'Connell. “There's no bigger test than the defending conference champions coming into our conference.”

O'Connell, a former third-round pick at quarterback in the 2008 NFL Draft, highlighted the skills of 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy before Sunday's matchup.

Although Purdy struggled last season — he threw a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions that stymied a 49ers comeback attempt — the Vikings coach had plenty of good things to say about San Francisco's young signal-caller.

“I think he's got really, really good field vision that you pick out guys that don't [6-foot-5] And standing there like an oak tree,” O'Connell explained. “He has some great athleticism and pocket movement.”

O'Connell was a dangerous threat with his feet while at San Diego State in the mid-2000s. He ran for 19 touchdowns across 39 collegiate games, matching Purdy's total at Iowa State.

“[Purdy] He's a willing thrower no matter what happens around him,” O'Connell said before offering perhaps his highest praise of Purdy.

“I think he's got a kind of unique accuracy where it's specific to the play, where he always seems to put the ball where he needs to be. A lot of guys can be accurate and then they get into that game situation and that consistency when I turn on the tape and Watching him play, I see a guy playing the quarterback position at a really high level.”

With running back Christian McCaffrey returning Sunday at Minnesota, the 49ers will need Purdy to continue playing at that caliber to exact revenge on O'Connell's Vikings squad.

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