49ers Get Special Help to Win : NFC: With Young knocked woozy, special teams and defense come through at opportune times in 38-19 victory over Vikings.

With Steve Young woozy from four sacks and three roughness penalties against Minnesota, San Francisco’s offense had its share of problems Sunday.

So when the 49ers needed a spark, they got it from the special teams and defense and beat the Vikings, 38-19.

Dexter Carter had some big punt returns, including one for 72 yards and a touchdown, and Eric Davis had a 41-yard interception return for another score for the 49ers (3-2).

Ahead only 24-19 with 11:34 left, Carter had a 22-yard punt return to put the ball on the 49er 44. And Young, who stayed in the game despite suffering a second-half concussion, regrouped to put together a 56-yard, seven-play scoring drive.

“It seemed like every play it was another shot to the head,” Young said. “This is football. I’m going to have to play like this periodically. I was fuzzy but you’ve got to understand it’s part of the business.”

Rickey Watters finished the drive with a 28-yard reception and a three-yard run around left end for the score with 5:54 to play.

Carter’s 72-yard return with 4:46 left wrapped it up.

Carter, a 1990 first-round pick relegated to punt and kick return duties since the emergence of Watters, bobbled the final punt momentarily. He regained his hold on the ball and broke free up the middle, veering left to beat punter Harry Newsome at midfield. He raced the rest of the way untouched for the score.

“Offensively, we were struggling a little and a special teams TD like that helps the situation so I feel real good about it,” said Carter, who returned five punts for 131 yards.

“That’s my spotlight and I don’t have too many of them right now. I’m going to try my best on every one of them,” he said. “I think it was a combination of 10 guys doing a great job blocking up front and me bobbling the ball. It made the other guys hesitate maybe for a split second. Whatever it was, hey I hope it happens again because it worked out great.”

Minnesota (2-2) closed to within 24-19 when Jim McMahon passed nine yards to Cris Carter. The touchdown came three plays after Eric Guliford, whose 45-yard reception set up Minnesota’s game-winning field goal against Green Bay last week, returned a punt 50 yards to the San Francisco 15.

“We needed one or two big plays at the end and we didn’t come up with them,” Minnesota’s Cris Carter said. “We did some things more effectively than we have for the past two weeks.”

Young completed 17 of 24 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown. McMahon completed 25 of 45 for 223 yards and two touchdowns. It was Minnesota’s first two-touchdown game of the season.