The San Francisco 49ers were seen as the NFC's best team by many experts after going 2-0 against the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions, both playoff teams from last year.
But after falling to the Minnesota Vikings 24-13 on Sunday, perhaps the best team in the NFC is from the great north and not the far west.
"It's big, more for people outside this organization than us. We're already confident in what we can do," said quarterback Christian Ponder.
The second-year starter from Florida State was solid on Sunday for the Vikings, throwing for 198 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Ponder was also quick on his feet, gaining 33 yards rushing and avoided being sacked for the game.
Kyle Rudolph caught both touchdown passes and the Minnesota defense was excellent, keeping the 49ers out of the end zone until the fourth quarter. They also forced three San Francisco turnovers.
"It's huge for the rest of our season. It's a springboard," Rudolph said.
There were some controversial calls and mistakes by the replacement referees in the game, including in the fourth quarter when the 49ers were allowed two different times to withdraw a called timeout to challenge a play instead.
The Vikings set the tone early in the game by scoring on a fourth-and-goal with seven minutes left in the first quarter.
"You can't think that the game's just going to be given to you, especially when you guys are hyping us up and saying we're that good," 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman said. "Everyone is trying to knock us off. You just have to be prepared for it every single game."
The 49ers responded with a David Akers field goal in the second, but the Vikings added to their lead with a 23-yard run by Ponder and a Blair Walsh field goal as the half ended. Ponder scrambles for the score on a broken play, cutting through three collapsing players at the 10-yard line and diving across the goal line to score.
"There was a big running lane, and I figured that if my ... legs were fast enough, maybe I'd get there," Ponder said. "And I got there, so it was good."
San Francisco added a field goal and touchdown to Vernon Davis in the third quarter to cut the lead to 17-13, but that was all they could muster.
Ponder hit Rudolph again for a touchdown with 14 minutes left and the defense was able to hold for the rest of the game to give the Vikings a victory.
"Knock on wood, but (Ponder's) playing some of the cleanest football I've ever seen somebody play at any age in the NFL," said Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway, who had two sacks. He added: "He just has that poise about him."
Running back Adrian Peterson added 86 yards rushing, while Percy Harvin had nine catches for 89 yards. Toby Gerhart had three fumbles in the game, losing two of them, but the Vikings were able to hold the 49ers from scoring points off the turnovers.
San Francisco's Randy Moss, who was returning to Minnesota for the first time since playing there for seven years, only caught three balls for 27 yards.
"I know the Vikings have always played teams tough, especially when they're an underdog. That's Minnesota football," Moss said.
49ers quarterback Alex Smith had 204 yards passing, but threw an interception to end his streak of 249 consecutive regular-season passes without an interception.
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