Notebook: Allen gets his first sack of 2012

Jared Allen is on the board, finally. The defending sacks champion from 2011 got his first one Sunday after missing another chance earlier in the game. Plus, get more than a dozen notes that help tell the tale of the game.

It took almost three full games, but Jared Allen finally got on the board in terms of sacks, getting his first of the season in the fourth quarter that caused a fumble that helped seal the deal at the end end of the game.

Allen had a golden opportunity earlier in the game, having QB Alex Smith wrapped up by the legs, but Smith twisted in place and released the ball for an incompletion.

After getting 22 sacks in 2011, Allen got his first of 2012 registered on Sunday.

NOTES

Blair Walsh became the first kicker in Vikings history to make a field goal of 50 yards or beyond.

“I had no idea about that,” Walsh said. “We were joking on the sidelines asking if we’re going to have to kick 50-yard field goals every week. But I’m just happy we could do our part to help out the offense and the defense this week and get the win.”

Through three games, Ponder has thrown 97 passes without an interception. He has completed more than 70 percent of his throws and has a passer rating of 104.9.

In the first 33 games of Toby Gerhart’s career, he had four fumbles on 248 career touches. In the span of four carries late in Sunday’s game, he fumbled three times.

Gerhart’s fumbles led to an embarrassing moment for the officiating crew. Already besieged for their numerous mistakes, the refs could have potentially cost the Vikings the game. Twice San Francisco head coach Jim Harbaugh called a timeout only to change his mind and ask for a play to be challenge. His request was granted twice, which shouldn’t have been allowed in either occasion.

Of all the good things that happened Sunday, one area of concern was that the special teams allowed a pair of huge kickoff returns by Kyle Williams. He returned just two kicks, both were huge – one of 94 yards and the other of 50 yards.

The Vikings didn’t have a penalty until 4:20 remained in the third quarter and, coming off a week in which the Vikings committed 11 penalties at Indianapolis, it was their only penalty of the game.

While it will be a difficult pace to keep up with, Percy Harvin has 27 receptions in three games after catching nine more passes Sunday and is on pace to catch 144 passes this season.

On the last play of first quarter, the Vikings likely lost safety Mistral Raymond for the rest of the season after suffering what was clearly a significant ankle injury. Raymond was chasing down Frank Gore and, when he changed direction, his right cleat caught in turf and he was in immediate agony. The training staff put an immobilizing cast on the injured leg and he left on a cart in obvious distress.

When Christian Ponder scrambled for a 23-yard touchdown in the second quarter, it was just the second run of more than 10 yards against the 49ers defense this season.

San Francisco kept Adrian Peterson out of the end zone, extending a streak in which the 49ers have allowed just two running back rushing touchdowns in the last 22 games

Sunday was the 45th time the Vikings have played the 49ers. With the Vikings win, Minnesota and San Francisco are tied in the all-time series with a record of 22-22-1.

There was no shortage of 49ers fans in attendance. A half hour before game time, a look around the stadium showed as many fans wearing San Francisco jerseys as Vikings colors. That would change as the Vikings crowd filed in shortly before the game started, but the support for the 49ers was impressive to say the least.

The paid attendance was 57,288, the second straight non-sellout at the Metrodome.

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John Holler has been writing about the Vikings for more than a decade for Viking Update. Follow Viking Update on Twitter and discuss this topic on our message boards. To become a subscriber to the Viking Update web site or magazine, click here.

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