Early Lines Are Out...

[Guest]

I believe that:
Brees > Jimmy G (who will be making his first playoff start);
Michael Thomas > Deebo / Sanders;
Kamara / Murray / Taysom > Mostert / Breida / Coleman; but
Kittle > Cook
And N.O. has a better punt/K.O. returner than S.F.
That said, I think SF is a better team than N.O. especially along the D-line.  Their defense is probably the fastest in the league.  With their D-line, they do not need to blitz to create pressure on the QB.  This allows "extra" defenders in pass coverage. 
If our O-line can (1) open some holes for Dalvin and (2) provide Cousins some time to throw, we can keep it competitive . . . so long as we do not turn it over.  But that will be a mighty be task for the O-line. SF has the best D-line in the league. And I am assuming our D will show up and play outstanding like they did in N.O.

[Guest]

Gotta disagree. New Orleans had Thomas, who almost exclusively catches passes within ten yards of the LOS, Kamara, a RB, and Cook, a TE as their primary Receivers. Brees was next to last in pass attempts over 20 yards. 

Zimmer knew going in that it would have to be Old Man Ginn and one of the youngsters if someone was going to burn him deep. He didn't fear that and kept Smith up near the LOS a lot.

Kittles is a lot like Thomas in that a large percentage of his catches come within 10 yards. But Sanders and Samuel are the 9ers most productive options after George. And their WRs, not a TE or RB. They can and do go deep. 

Zimmer will likely use the same combo coverages on Kittles that he did on Thomas. Maybe use someone with some size since he's a YAC machine.  But he can't bring his Safeties up because there's simply no way he can trust Rhodes against either Sanders or Samuel. And I'd only trust Waynes on Sanders.

New Orleans simply wasn't constructed in a way that could take advantage of Rhodes/Waynes play and Mac/Hughes being out. SF is and Shanahan will not hesitate to scheme up looks to single his WRs on Mike's iffy CBs. And if he can get the rushing attack working it could get ugly fast.

On the flip side, San Fran has speedy guys like Bosa and Ford and angular guys like Armstead and Buckner. Not seeing the tree trunk DTs that have given this light O-Line problems in the run game. And for the season the 9ers have barely outgained their opponents on the ground. Rudy will have to stay in to help Reiff a lot in Pass Pro and I worry about Elf but I think the Lone can open some holes and pass protect.

They'll need to. I will guarantee you that 20 points in regulation won't cut it on Saturday unless Garappolo has a spectacular meltdown. Which is certainly possible given the best thing he's ever done is hit on Erin Andrews. There were several drives against New Orleans where Stefanski or the Players killed the drive, not the opposing Defense. They'll need to clean that up cuz I expect they will need to put a lot of points on the board to win.

[Guest]

I noticed watching some 49ers film that they love running routes behind the line of scrimmage that go against the flow of the play. They do it with both Kittle and Samuel. They'll line up tight to the line and run a traffic free route to the opposing flat . Essentially, they motion post snap against the grain. They'll beat man coverage because of congestion and they'll easily identify zone coverage if a defender is waiting on that action.

[Guest]

They're a handful, Magic. 2nd in scoring. Run the ball even more than Minnesota does. Frightening matchup. 

[Guest]

@FSUVike said:
They're a handful, Magic. 2nd in scoring. Run the ball even more than Minnesota does. Frightening matchup. 

...and yet beatable. Danielle Hunter was talking about how Zimmer last week had the Vikings watching the Falcons tape to see how they beat the Saints. Falcons also beat the 49ers...in San Francisco. 

I think we can pressure Jimmy G. Two things scare me about them: their running game (both Mostert and Brieda impress me every time I see them) and their interior pass rush against our interior o-line. But if we can lessen the impact of those two things, I see a pretty good game. 

[Guest]

https://twitter.com/MINVikingslife/statu...12192?s=20

[Guest]

@MaroonBells said:
https://twitter.com/MINVikingslife/statu...12192?s=20

That's an interesting stat...  I dug into this more and San Francisco has the 13th ranked red zone offense at home (60.6%).  The Vikings red zone defense AWAY still ranks 6th (50%).

On the flip side, the Vikings have the 7th best red zone offense AWAY (64.7%)...  the 49ers red zone defense at home ranks 27th in the NFL (64.7%).

This stat certainly favors the Vikings, we just have to hope we can move the ball on their defense to get inside the red zone at least 4 times like we did against New Orleans.

[Guest]

Stop the run on the way to the QB and pound Cook and Mattison. Mix in a healthy dose of PA shots and shotgun. With Theilen getting his legs under him last week was HUGE as he opens up single coverage shots to perfectly complement PA shots to Diggsie.  Bring on the Niners ! 

[Guest]

@Wetlander said:

@MaroonBells said:
https://twitter.com/MINVikingslife/statu...12192?s=20

That's an interesting stat...  I dug into this more and San Francisco has the 13th ranked red zone offense at home (60.6%).  The Vikings red zone defense AWAY still ranks 6th (50%).

On the flip side, the Vikings have the 7th best red zone offense AWAY (64.7%)...  the 49ers red zone defense at home ranks 27th in the NFL (64.7%).

This stat certainly favors the Vikings, we just have to hope we can move the ball on their defense to get inside the red zone at least 4 times like we did against New Orleans.

That is key and it won't be easy. That front seven is the best in the NFL, and now they're completely healthy. All 53 of its players practiced yesterday. That's unheard of this time of year. 

[Guest]

49ers D from week 10-17 have up 24th most ppg...getting Ford and Alexander will help, but they aren't the 85 Bears...