What to Watch in the Vikings vs. 49ers N.F.C. Divisional Game - The New York Times

4:35 p.m. Eastern, NBC

In five previous playoff matchups dating back to 1970, the 49ers have beaten the Vikings four times, with their last postseason meeting happening in 1998, a third consecutive blowout by the 49ers. Today, San Francisco is the No. 1 seed in the N.F.C. and a heavy favorite to win, but the Vikings have momentum after beating the Saints in New Orleans, a much tougher place for visitors than Santa Clara, Calif. The other side of that equation is that Minnesota is a little more hobbled and bruised going into a game against a rested and dangerous opponent.

Here are some things to consider going into the game.

The 49ers Offense vs. the Vikings Defense

One of the key matchups will be the San Francisco offense, designed by head coach Kyle Shanahan, against Minnesota’s defense, heavily influenced by Coach Mike Zimmer. San Francisco has the second-ranked offense in the league in terms of points scored (29.9 per game) and the Vikings defense was ranked fifth in the N.F.L. (18.9 points per game). The 49er defense is also well regarded, with one of the best players in the league, Nick Bosa. But it is trending in the wrong direction after a stout performance for much of the season. In the last four games, San Francisco has allowed an average of 31.8 points per game.

49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo’s Big Test

This is a long-awaited day for San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He was Tom Brady’s backup on two Super Bowl championship teams, but this is his first playoff action, so who knows how he will respond to that pressure. Garoppolo, 28, has a 19-5 record as a starter in the regular season and is an excellent game manager who gets the ball out quickly as he whistles short slants over the middle for big yardage. Red Flags? He threw 13 interceptions this year but only three in his last six games. Perhaps the biggest knock on Jimmy G. is that he has small hands; he dropped the ball 10 times this year, half of which went to the other team.

The Vikings’ Potent Weapon: Dalvin Cook

For Minnesota, the key to the game is to run the ball with Dalvin Cook — mostly up the gut against the 49ers fast, sideline-to-sideline defense. Cook had 94 yards and two touchdowns against the Saints but San Francisco held him to 40 yards on 16 carries when they played last year. If Cook gets rolling, it will open up the passing game, particularly for throws off fake runs (known in football parlance as play-action passes), one of Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins’s best grooves. Cousins is also adept at rolling out to either side, which keeps defenses from overcommitting. But all of this predicated on pounding with Cook, because when the 49ers defensive line, led by Bosa and Arik Armstead, knows a pass is coming, it hunts quarterbacks. The Niners averaged three sacks per game, fifth most in the N.F.L.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/11/sports/football/49ers-vs-vikings.html

2020-01-11 16:31:00Z
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