49ers Plug In Amp, Don’t Miss a Beat : NFC: Lee replaces Watters and gains 134 yards in 20-17 victory over Vikings, who have lost three of last five.

The San Francisco 49ers seemingly have an endless supply of replacement parts, all just about as good as the original. Joe Montana goes out? Just plug in Steve Young. Charles Haley traded? Bring on Tim Harris.

Sunday, the 49ers played without running back Ricky Watters. No problem.

Coach George Seifert turned to Amp Lee, who rushed for 134 yards and a touchdown and also caught a scoring pass as San Francisco beat the Minnesota Vikings, 20-17.

“It’s not like I didn’t think I could do it,” Lee said. “I just didn’t have a chance to play because Ricky’s been so good all season. I had to wait.

“They were giving me lanes. Maybe they thought I couldn’t beat them. I was able to run inside because they were trying to put so much outside pressure on Steve Young. When they tried to contain me, we were able to run outside.”

Lee became the first running back to gain 100 yards against Minnesota this season.

Young completed 20 of 26 passes for 183 yards, helping the 49ers (12-2) move to within one victory of clinching the NFC West title. At one point, Young completed 12 consecutive passes.

The Vikings (9-5) moved into field-goal range late in the game, but Harris twice sacked Rich Gannon, forcing Minnesota to punt with 2:13 left.

San Francisco ran out the clock, with Lee gaining 27 yards.

“The biggest disappointment was when we had a chance to tie, but the offense took us out,” Minnesota Coach Dennis Green said.

Minnesota, which lost two in a row for the first time this season, has dropped three of its last five games. The Vikings still need one victory or a loss by Green Bay to clinch the NFC Central championship.

Lee caught Young’s three-yard touchdown pass 2:37 into the second quarter, putting the 49ers ahead for good, 10-7. After Minnesota’s Fuad Reveiz missed a 51-yard field-goal attempt, Lee capped a 66-yard, nearly 6 1/2-minute drive with a two-yard scoring run, making it 17-7 at halftime.

Reveiz and Mike Cofer traded third-quarter field goals before Minnesota got possession at San Francisco’s four-yard line after 49er punter Klaus Wilmsmeyer couldn’t get a kick away on a high snap from Jesse Sapolu. Three plays later, Terry Allen closed out the scoring on a one-yard run with 9:29 remaining.

The Vikings were held to 10 first downs, the fourth time in five games they’ve had 15 or fewer. Gannon was nine of 21 for 102 yards and an interception.

Green said he was very displeased with the passing offense but didn’t know if he would switch back to Sean Salisbury for next week’s game at Pittsburgh.

Minnesota’s defense scored for a club-record eighth time this season.

The Vikings went ahead, 7-3, when Audray McMillian intercepted Young’s pass and returned it 51 yards for a touchdown. McMillian leads the NFC with eight interceptions and tied a club record with his second interception return for a touchdown.