There has been a narrative in the NFL for years that quarterback Kirk Cousins can't win a game on Monday Night Football. He'll try to do exactly that as his Minnesota Vikings (2-4) host the San Francisco 49ers (5-1) on Monday night to conclude Week 7. Minnestoa's Justin Jefferson and San Francisco's Deebo Samuel, two of the NFL's best receivers, will miss the game due to injuries.

Both these clubs were division winners last season, but the Vikings were arguably the most fortunate team in league history with 11 one-score victories, a record. Regression has hit this year with all four defeats coming in one-score games. The Vikings could be sellers ahead of the Oct. 31 trade deadline, especially if they get blown out in this game. Jefferson may not want to exactly rush back from his injury without a long-term contract extension, so it could make sense to trade Cousins if he would waive his no-trade clause. Cousins' 2-10 all-time record on Monday night is the worst for any QB with a minimum of 10 MNF starts.

The Niners are-all in for the Super Bowl, so if they do anything before the deadline, it would be to acquire a difference-maker like they did this time last year when they traded for Christian McCaffrey. Insurance for Samuel would make sense, and Denver's Jerry Jeudy is available.

The Vikings and 49ers both come off season lows in points, yards and yards per play in Week 6. Minnesota won its game in Chicago, but San Francisco was upset in Cleveland, snapping a 15-game regular season winning streak. It was the first loss as a starting QB for Brock Purdy. McCaffrey and Samuel exiting early with injuries played a big role in Purdy's struggles.

We'll take you through every aspect of the 49ers-Vikings Monday night game that you need to know before you lock in your bets, including SportsLine expert picks, props, trends, injury information and everything else that will help you know which plays are worth making for the primetime matchup.

Who wins 49ers vs. Vikings in the Week 7 Monday Night Football game, and what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread hit HARD? Join SportsLine right now to see everything you need to know about the game in the seventh Monday night matchup of the 2023 season!