Preseason football means little, but the San Francisco 49ers’ 32-31 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football sure had the feel of a real game.
The Niners led 14-0 going into halftime, only to see their second-half efforts fall short, eventually leading to a last-second Vikings touchdown and successful two-point conversion to win the game as time expired.
Fortunately, the meltdown occurred mostly with both second- and third-string units, and many of those players won’t be on the 49ers roster come September.
Still, it’s possible to look at this third preseason game as a real evaluation for what to expect during the regular season.