As we’ve done for most of the games the Minnesota Vikings have played over the past couple of seasons Minnesota Vikings Hats , we will prepare for this week’s game by taking a look back at the history between the purple and their upcoming opponent.This week, the opponent to start the 2018 season is the San Francisco 49ers, a team that the Vikings have been pretty evenly matched with in the regular season over the years. As always, we will just be looking at regular season contests in these posts, as well as take a look at a couple of games from the more recent past. With that, let’s have at it!As always, the numbers used in this story, and all the ones like it throughout the season, come to you courtesy of Pro Football Reference.Total regular season games between the 49ers and the Vikings: 41All-time record: 21-19-1Total Vikings points scored, head-to-head: 905 (22.1 points/game)Total 49ers points scored, head-to-head: 925 (22.6 points/game)Longest Vikings’ winning streak vs 49ers: 5 games, 15 September 1963 - 24 October 1965Longest 49ers’ winning streak vs Vikings: 4 games, 15 October 1961 - 2 December 1962Most recent Vikings’ home win in series: 23 September 2012 (final score 24-13)Most recent 49ers’ road win in series: 13 December 1992 (final score 20-17)Biggest Vikings’ home win in series: 31 points, 29 September 1963 (final score 45-14)Biggest 49ers’ road win in series: 31 points, 8 September 1983 (final score 48-17)Current streak: 49ers, 1 winThe Vikings have actually had pretty good luck at home against the 49ers in recent history, as they’ve won the last five contests against San Francisco in Minneapolis. In fact, it’s been over a quarter of a century since the last time the 49ers won in Minnesota. The last Niners victory over the Vikings in Minnesota happened at the Metrodome back in 1992, as future Vikings running back Amp Lee scored two touchdowns, one through the air and one on the ground. The Vikings got an return of a Steve Young interception for a touchdown by Audray McMillan and a touchdown from Terry Allen, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Niners from heading back home with a 20-17 win.The most recent game in Minnesota between these two teams was. . .interesting. However, it was largely made that way by the officiating crew. If you’ll recall, that was the game where Jim Harbaugh, for whatever reason, was awarded about a dozen timeouts in the second half. (Actually, it was only two extra, but still. . .it wasn’t a good look for the officiating that afternoon.) The 49ers were considered one of the favorites in the NFC that season, and in fact did end up representing the NFC in the Super Bowl that year. However, in this game Minnesota Vikings Hoodie , the Vikings got the job done, courtesy of two Christian Ponder to Kyle Rudolph touchdown passes and a 23-yard touchdown run by Ponder to push the Vikings to a 24-13 victory.The most recent game between these two teams overall was also a season-opening contest, as the Vikings headed out west to San Francisco to start the 2015 NFL regular season as the late game on Monday Night Football. The Vikings were pretty terrible on both sides of the ball that night, quite frankly. Defensively, they had no answer for Carlos Hyde, who rushed for 168 yards and two scores. On offense, the team managed just one scoring drive on the evening, and that didn’t come until early in the fourth quarter. All in all, it wound up being a fairly miserable opening night for Vikings fans, as they stayed up all night to watch their team lose 20-3.Oh. . .and since I know you’re thinking about it. . .if you want an indicator of just how much time flies, this happened in Minneapolis nine years ago.That’s a brief look back at the history between the Minnesota Vikings and the San Francisco 49ers, folks. Hopefully the Vikings can ensure that the 49ers losing streak in the Twin Cities for a little longer. We are less than 24 hours away from kickoff between the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. This game is going to have the spotlight all to itself on Sunday Night Football, so it shouldn’t be too difficult for anyone to find, but just in case you need some help, we’re here for you.Television InfoAs we said, this one is going to be featured on Sunday Night Football on NBC. In the Twin Cities area, your NBC affiliate is KARE-11. For everyone else. . .well, there’s no map. You have NBC, whatever channel that is in your area. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:20 PM Central, and your announcers will be Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth.For everyone in Canada, it would appear that this game is going to be on TSN.If you’re watching from the United Kingdom, it’s going to be a late one for you. The game will be on Sky Sports, specifically on Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports Main Event. Kickoff is set for 12:20 AM Monday morning United Kingdom time.For our men and women in uniform overseas, the American Forces Network will be showing this one live, likely because it’s Sunday Night Football and they really haven’t got a good excuse not to show it. Whatever the reason, this game will be airing on AFN Sports, and coverage will start at exactly 0000Z on Monday. That means a kickoff time of 0100L for fans in Central Europe, 0430L for everyone tuning in from Afghanistan, and 0900L for viewers in Japan and Korea.Radio InfoIf you’re not going to be anywhere near a television for this one Cheap Customized Minnesota Vikings Jerseys , you’ll be able to hear the call from Paul Allen and Pete Bercich on the Vikings Radio Network. That link goes to a list of Vikings Radio Network affiliates across the Upper Midwest. See if yours will be carrying the game. There are a couple of other places you can find it online as well, including the TuneIn radio service as well as the KFAN site (if you’re on a desktop or laptop computer only. . .it won’t work on phones or tablets).For those that have satellite radio, you can find the Vikings Radio Network feed on Sirius Channel 83. If you have XM Radio, you can hear the game on XM Channel 225. If you should prefer it, there will also be a “neutral” broadcast from Westwood One on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Channel 88. If you’re using the SiriusXM Online App, the Vikings’ permanent home there is Channel 819.Referee InfoAccording to the folks from Football Zebras, the officiating crew for Sunday night’s contest will be led by Craig Wrolstad. The last time the Vikings was Wrolstad’s crew was in the regular season finale in 2017, as his crew handled the Vikings’ 23-10 victory over the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium.Weather InfoObviously, the weather won’t be affecting the game itself, but according to the folks from WeatherNation, you might want to bring a jacket or something if you’re planning on tailgating. The high in the Twin Cities will get into the lower 50s with some light winds out of the northwest, and by the time you’re ready to head home, the temperatures will be closer to 40 degrees.Streaming InfoWith this being a Sunday Night Football game, you’ll be able to stream things legally at NBC Sports.There are several other legal subscription services that are available in order to stream the game legally. Among them are Fubo.tv, USTVNow, and Sling TV. If you’re overseas, your best bet is going to be NFL GamePass.Since it has recently been brought up, I want to make it perfectly clear that streams from Reddit or other places are not. . .I repeat, not. . .legal. If you’d like to argue about that, you can argue it somewhere else, because the moderators won’t listen to that garbage. Until Reddit, or anywhere else, has a deal with the National Football League, those streams are illegal and not welcome to be put up on this site. If you want to use them, go find them on your own and don’t be plastering them in the comments section here unless you’d rather not be in the comments of the Game Thread. . .or any other thread. . .here at DN.That should be all of the information you need in order to keep track of all the action from U.S. Bank Stadium between the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon. We’ll have our Open Thread for the first quarter up about an hour before kickoff or so, and we hope that you’ll join us here for all of the fun!