MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The backups came to the rescue for the Minnesota Vikings.

	Randy Moss pulls in a 24-yard pass behind the leaping R.W. McQuarters. It was Moss' only catch on the day.

Jeff George threw for three touchdowns, and Leroy Hoard rushed for 105 yards and a score in the Vikings' 40-16 romp over the San Francisco 49ers, who lost their third consecutive game for the first time since 1980.

Both teams are 3-4, but while the 49ers look lost without their starting quarterback, best running back and go-to receiver, the Vikings appear rejuvenated under Hoard, who subbed for injured starter Robert Smith, and George, who replaced Randall Cunningham.

"Unless you want to be 2-5, you've got to step on the gas a little bit," said Hoard, carrying the load while Smith is sidelined for up to six weeks following a hernia operation.

The 49ers' preoccupation with the passing game backfired as Hoard averaged 6.2 yards on 17 carries.

"They put in six defensive backs, and we spread them out. There were no people in the middle to defend the run," Vikings receiver Cris Carter said.

It wasn't all rosy for Hoard, whose first-half fumble was returned 71 yards for a score. George wasn't infallible, either. But they both helped turn around Minnesota's slumping offense while reinvigorating their own careers.

"That was the offense we've been looking for the whole year," Vikings owner Red McCombs said.

GAME NOTES

The 49ers were left with just linebackers and cornerbacks at the end when safety Zack Bronson pulled a hamstring. 49ers starting tight end Shonn Bell dislocated a shoulder again and might need surgery, and tight end Greg Clark needs X-rays Monday on his sore ribs. Wade Richey had two field goals in the first half after Vikings defenders dropped interceptions near the goal line. Jerry Rice caught a pass in his 200th consecutive game. Mitch Berger sent his first punt -- with nine minutes left in the game -- a career-long 75 yards.

Randy Moss was limited to one catch, but he opened up the offense by drawing double- and triple-coverage. "I'd say we did have the fire today," he said.

George threw an interception that was caught in the end zone and didn't even try chasing down Darnell Walker on his TD return with Hoard's fumble. But he was 15-for-28 for 250 yards and three touchdowns, including an 80-yarder to Matthew Hatchette.

George also hit Carter for a 2-yard scoring strike and Andrew Jordan for a 7-yard score to go with Hoard's 1-yard TD and Moe Williams' 9-yard scoring run. Minnesota surpassed 24 points for the first time this season after not scoring fewer than 24 in any game last year.

The switch in quarterbacks had an immediate effect on the Vikings, who had a spirited week of practice.

"When you have a great week of practice, Sundays are fun," George said. "The hard work is over."

John Randle's first career interception -- at the 49ers' 15 with just three seconds left in the first half -- set up Gary Anderson's 33-yard field goal that gave the Vikings a 24-13 lead. Randle anticipated a screen by Jeff Garcia, who fell to 1-3 as the starter in place of the injured Steve Young.

"We're entering into a place we've never been before," San Francisco coach Steve Mariucci said. "We have so much work to do. It'll take us a couple weeks to straighten it out.

"We've got a lot of questions and not a lot of answers."

Walker, who was demoted to the team's nickel back two weeks ago, scored a touchdown for the second consecutive week, scooping up Hoard's fumble and rumbling 71 yards for a 10-7 San Francisco lead in the second quarter.

But Walker was burned one play later. George threw a pass over his head and into Hatchette's hands for the 80-yard touchdown, the second longest of George's 10-year career, to put the Vikings on top for good at 14-10.

George, whose reputation as a talented but troublesome player has gotten him run out of Indianapolis, Atlanta and Oakland, replaced Cunningham at halftime last week in Detroit.

Hoard, a member of the same draft class as George, had his troubles fitting in at Cleveland and Carolina before becoming a short-down specialist in Minnesota, where he often has had to play hurt.

"There's never a point where he's running soft," San Francisco defensive lineman Brentson Buckner said. "Sometimes it hurts him, like when he fumbles, but he's always trying to get extra yards."

San Francisco strong safety Tim McDonald, who bruised his right shoulder and got a concussion in the first half, was joined on the sideline by free safety Lance Schulters, who sprained his ankle when he was blocked by Moss on the Vikings' last scoring drive.

Schulters said he wanted to fight Moss.

"I'm going to get him," Schulters said. "We're going to see them again, mark my words. He thought it was funny, he thought it was a joke."