With a Minnesota Vikings Week 6 game against the San Francisco 49ers Monday night, all eyes will be on U.S. Bank Stadium to see if the home team can rescue its season or the visitors can get back on track after suffering their only loss of the year to the Cleveland Browns in Week 6.

The likelihood is the favored 49ers will have no trouble going on the road and coming out with the victory. While they have some injury concerns with running back Christian McCaffrey (oblique) and wideout Deebo Samuel (shoulder), the Niners still have a boatload of talent that can step up if either McCaffrey or Samuel is limited or unable to play.

The Vikings have their own injury issue as wide receiver Justin Jefferson (hamstring) is on Injured Reserve and is unable to play. The Vikings have some talent at wide receiver position when they are without Jefferson, but quarterback Kirk Cousins is clearly going to miss him.

The Vikings have only won 2 games this season and they came against the Carolina Panthers and the Chicago Bears. They are 2 of the worst teams in the NFL, so there is really no reason to believe the Vikings are suddenly going to step up and beat the Niners.

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However, the Vikings are desperate for the win. If they can somehow manage to outlast the Niners, they have a road game coming up against the Green Bay Packers. Wins in both games would allow the Vikings to get to the .500 mark before they begin the easiest part of their schedule.

Jordan Addison will step up with 125 receiving yards, 1 TD

With so many needs on defense, it seemed like the Vikings would use their first round draft pick last spring on a key defensive player. However, Minnesota pulled off a major surprise when general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah drafted speedy wideout Jordan Addison out of USC.

At best it was a curious move because the Vikings already had Jefferson, the best receiver on the planet.

However, nobody is questioning the move any longer. In addition to using Addison as a go-to receiver in Jefferson's absence, he also serves a role as a solid No. 2 receiver since Adam Thielen left the team in free agency.

The big stage has not proved to be too much for Addison. He had been Kenny Pickett's top receiver at Pittsburgh before transferring to USC and serving in the same role for Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams of the Trojans, so he knows what it's like to perform when the bright lights are on.

Addison has caught 22 passes for 277 yards and 4 touchdowns thus far this season. Those are not superstar numbers, but they are fairly adequate at this point in the season.

Addison will need to assert himself against the Niners. He will have to get away from the jam at the line of scrimmage and must show off his speed to get open quickly. If he does not, it will make life much harder for Cousins and the rest of the Minnesota.

Danielle Hunter and Harrison Smith must assert themselves

The Vikings hired defensive coordinator Brian Flores to make their struggling defense significantly better.

The Vikings had the 31st-ranked defense a year ago, and they struggled to keep opponents from making big plays on a consistent basis. In addition to their troubles in 2022, they Vikings had also performed poorly on defense the two season before that.

The Vikings defense had been easy to read for the last 3 years, and that's one of the reasons Flores was brought in. He has given the defense a more complex sheen and it is much more difficult for opposing quarterbacks and coordinator to diagnose.

Two of the biggest beneficiaries have been veteran leaders Danielle Hunter and safety Harrison Smith. Hunter has been getting to the quarterback on a regular basis, as is tied for the league lead in sacks with 8.0.

Smith has been one of the Vikings leaders on defense for years, and he is having an excellent year. He is third on the team in tackles with 43, and he also has 3.0 sacks, 2 tackles for loss and 2 forced fumbles.

The Vikings are going to need both Hunter and Smith to have impactful games if they are going to keep things close and potentially beat the 49ers.