The Minnesota Vikings began the 2018 season on the right foot with an impressive 24-16 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday afternoon.

It was a game that saw them take some of the steam off 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo by intercepting him three times while getting three sacks. Following the game, Viking star defensive end Danielle Hunter stated that it was evident to him as the game wore on that Garoppolo was becoming fearful of their defensive front under pressure, according to Daniel Brown of The Mercury News.

“As the game goes on, you have to bring the pressure on him. You see that he’s starting to get scared,” defensive end Danielle Hunter said.

In what was a game largely built on the quarterback battle between Kirk Cousins in his first official start with the Viking against Garoppolo, it was Minnesota's defense that made all the difference in the contest. They were able to continue to put pressure on the 26-year-old that forced some errant throws with the first being an off-target pass to went directly into Vikings rookie cornerback Mike Hughes that he was able to run back for a touchdown.

Meanwhile, the second interception was thrown ahead of rookie wideout Dante Pettis that led to Pro Bowler Xavier Rhodes making a tremendous play on the ball to haul it in. This was all capped off by Pro Bowl safety Harrison Smith taking advantage of a wobbly thrown pass in traffic that he picked off to seal the game. The Vikings clearly had Garoppolo off his game that led to him struggling to find any consistency. Even his 22-yard touchdown pass to Pettis, he had to maneuver his way around defenders to get the pass off.

It may just be one game, but it was a performance from Minnesota's defense that clearly changed the course of the game helping them dig out a season opener win before heading to Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers, who are coming off an impressive 20-point comeback orchestrated by star quarterback Aaron Rodgers.