The Minnesota Vikings will host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday at US Bank Stadium. The crowd will be amped up for the home opener. It will be Sam Darnold’s first opportunity to show the home crowd what he can do. The team will clearly have a home crowd advantage, but will the team be able to matchup on the field?
Quick Note: I am not a scout. I am not an Xs and Os expert. I can’t give you that kind of breakdown. I’ll keep it from the Goodyear Blimp perspective.
When the Vikings are on Offense
Leonard Floyd and Nick Bosa are one of the best DE combos in the league. Luckily for the Vikings, their OT are also one of the best combos in the league. This matchup of strength against strength is going to be fun. The IOL and IDL for both are mediocre, but I would give the advantage to the 49ers slightly on the defensive front.
The secondary for the 49ers isn’t nearly as good as it seems. When their pass rush doesn’t hit, they just have an average defense. They were 8th in yards and 3rd in points scored last year, so their pass rush hits very often. The Vikings will be without Jordan Addison and that will be a big blow. He does an excellent job of taking advantage of the focus on Justin Jefferson. If they were 100% healthy, I would easily take the Vikings pass catchers against the 49ers secondary. However, without TJ Hockenson and Jordan Addison, I have doubts they will be able to take advantage. Addison had 123 yards and 2 TDs in the 22-17 win last year against the 49ers. Hockenson added 11 catches for 86 yards as they played without Justin Jefferson.
I am going to give the 49ers the advantage overall here. The 49er defense overall might be a little over rated. The Vikings will be able to block the DEs, but don’t have the firepower to take advantage.
When the Vikings are on Defense
It sounds like Christian McCaffrey plans to play on Sunday. That being said, the 49ers played coy in Week 1 without any repercussions from the NFL. They had McCaffrey as a Limited Participant all week and questionable. Jordan Mason, their RB2, was told on Friday he would get the nod. So, I think he plays, but who knows? He is listed as limited again with a calf/Achilles injury.
The 49ers are a different team without McCaffrey, but they still have Debo Samuel Sr., Brandon Aiyuk and Georgia Kittle to throw to. It’s an embarrassment of riches for Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy. They also have one of the best LTs in the game in Trent Williams. The rest of the offensive line is the weakness of their offense. PFF ranked them as the 24th best OL prior to the season (Vikings were 13th). Look for Greenard, Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner to take advantage.
Brian Flores was able the scheme up the defense to hold the 49ers to 17 points last year. Purdy had two interceptions and McCaffrey was held to 3.0 YPC. There is a chance this is actually advantage Minnesota, but the media will tell you it is a blowout here.
It’s closer than it appears. Minnesota will have to play well, but it’s not as uneven as the pundits will tell you.
