Behind Enemy Lines: What 49ers Writers Are Saying About The Vikings Game
K. Joudry
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Every so often, I like to see what writers from the other side are saying about the upcoming game. I spent a few moments looking for predictions and analysis from the 49ers perspective to get a better sense of where people are leaning when it comes to the Vikings game.
Take a peak at what The Mercury News had to say. They think SF will stick with the run, and it’s hard to disagree:
Rushing over 40 times in each of the past two wins obviously exemplified the 49ers’ ball-hog mentality. Now it’s time now just for quantity but quality. “We’ve been able to move the chains on third down, which allows you to keep smashing the ball as you say and playing smash-mouth football,” [Kyle] Shanahan said. “But it’s not like we’re just gashing people in the run game.” Indeed, the 49ers’ longest run in Jacksonville (42 carries, 171 yards, 4.1-yard average) was Deebo Samuel’s 25-yard score. In routing the Rams, the 49ers (44 carries, 156 yards, 3.5-yard average) saw Elijah Mitchell get loose for 17-yard and 13-yard gains, their only ones over 10 yards.
With the thin defensive line, it certainly makes sense that the 49ers would try to run the ball during the Vikings game.
The writers over at The Athletic are feeling reasonably confident in SF’s ability to win the game. David Lombardi and Matt Barrows – who are both 4-6 in their season predictions – are rolling with the 49ers this game. Here is what Barrows had to say:
The Vikings defensive line is in tatters, which suggests yet another 40-plus-carry game for the 49ers offense. Of course, any time everyone thinks a game will play out one way it ends up going in the opposite. So perhaps Garoppolo throws three touchdowns and finishes with 350 yards. Either way, it seems as if the 49ers are as confident and consistent as they’ve been since 2019. A win over the Vikings, a team they beat in the 2019 playoffs, would confirm that.
I’m also picking the 49ers to win, though it doesn’t inspire confidence when Lombardi says in the very next line that Cousins threw three picks last week (he had zero).
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Akash Anavarathan of Niners Nation is expecting a big day on the ground for the 49ers:
Mike Zimmer’s defense has been thoroughly dominated on the ground all season long — a trend I don’t expect to stop come Sunday magically. The Vikings are 30th in rushing defensive expected points added (EPA) per play, 25th in rushing defense success rate, 27th in rushing defense DVOA, 22nd in explosive rushing plays allowed this season, and 31st in rushing yards allowed per attempt. What does that tell you? They are consistently getting gashed on the ground while also giving up explosive runs.
This perspective, for the most part, is correct. The Vikings’ run defense has been lousy in 2021. Nevertheless, these past two weeks have been good. Austin Ekeler had 11 carries for 44 yards; AJ Dillon had 11 for 53. Neither ran poorly, though neither dominated. Plus, Shanahan has a bit of a reputation for switching things up as soon as people think they start to understand what he’s going to do.
Peter Panacy of Niner Noise thinks Nick Bosa will get the best out of Christian Darrisaw:
Darrisaw has already surrendered two sacks and 13 pressures this year en route to a sub-par 53.7 pass-blocking grade. And while there have been moments where the first-round Vikings NFL Draft pick has looked impressive, he still has a long way to go with his growth. Recently, the Niners have been moving Bosa around the formation, which isn’t a bad idea in itself. Now with 10 sacks notched on his belt, along with a league-high 15 tackles for a loss, San Francisco’s simpler approach should merely be to overwhelm Darrisaw to the point of embarrassment.
It’s kind of funny seeing the difference between the game predictions for the 49ers sites and Vikings sites. Minnesota sites tend to provide skepticism towards their squad; SF sites seem to be feeling quite confident heading into the game. Both squads are sitting at a humble 5-5, so it’s not like either are elite teams right now.
Be that as it may, I’ll readily admit that there are some matchups that SF will obviously look to exploit. My one counterpoint is that SF doesn’t have anyone in their secondary who can hang with Thielen and Jefferson. Provided with enough time, Kirk Cousins should be able to find these two.
The 49ers vs. Vikings game begins tomorrow at 3:25 CT in San Francisco.