01-09-2020, 07:51 PM
Run the ball between the Tackles. Period. Their DTs are light and fast (their run-stuffing DT is done for the year). Their LBs are really good but Alexander is coming off a pectoral injury. If Minnesota can move the DTs and get to the 2nd level Dalvin will hit some big runs.
If the Vikings can't run between Tackles running outside left is not going to work any better than it did against New Orleans. Running off RT only can be countered. To keep San Francisco off balance Minnesota has got to be able to run up the gut AND off RT with a few off LT runs just to keep Saleh honest.
Once the run is working Play Action opens up and the 9ers are not very good against it. As long as Thielen plays there's 1 too many weapons for them to stop. Warner can handle Rudy and Sherman may be able to limit Diggs but they don't have the personnel to also cover Adam and Irv.
IF Minnesota can't run Rudy will have to stay in to help Reiff with Bosa. And their quick DTs will be able to pin their ears back. Elf struggles with speed so he'll need Bradbury to help against Armstead and Kline is hopefully ok against Buckner.
I still see a path to victory without a strong performance by Cook running but it would require Shotgun and an effective screen game. Prefer for it not to come to that.
On Defense it's going to be remarkably like the last game. Garappolo goes deep even less than Brees. However, he's capable of it, which Drew hasn't been since 2017. So I do expect some tendency breakers from Shanahan. It will need to rely on misdirection though. Sanders is not as fast as he used to be and Samuel isn't really speedy either.
I expect Kyke to try and single up Bourne on a Safety or Rhodes and take a deep shot or two. And the light is probably green every time he sees Xavier on Emmanuel. If Rhodes can hold up and Zimmer uses some combination to cover the Slot things get more promising.
After more research I'm not as impressed with their O-Line. Staley is really old. Mcglinchey is good but he's not Ramczyk. The Guards are meh and it's a journeyman backup Center. IF Griff still has something in the tank I think they can get pressure off the edges AND up the middle when they move inside. Jimmy hates interior pressure.
Part of me wants Zimmer to come out showing Double A Gap looks and bailing out from the get go. But with the depleted Secondary and a revived Pass Rush he might want to start out looking to stuff the run and play Zone nust to see how Garappolo reacts to the pressure of his first Playoff Start. If he's gets going early start throwing the wrinkles at him.
This game is very close talent-wise. Very close. Coaching, execution and not turning it over will be crucial. The biggest weakness either team has is Minnesota's CBs. That's my biggest concern about the game.
If the Vikings can't run between Tackles running outside left is not going to work any better than it did against New Orleans. Running off RT only can be countered. To keep San Francisco off balance Minnesota has got to be able to run up the gut AND off RT with a few off LT runs just to keep Saleh honest.
Once the run is working Play Action opens up and the 9ers are not very good against it. As long as Thielen plays there's 1 too many weapons for them to stop. Warner can handle Rudy and Sherman may be able to limit Diggs but they don't have the personnel to also cover Adam and Irv.
IF Minnesota can't run Rudy will have to stay in to help Reiff with Bosa. And their quick DTs will be able to pin their ears back. Elf struggles with speed so he'll need Bradbury to help against Armstead and Kline is hopefully ok against Buckner.
I still see a path to victory without a strong performance by Cook running but it would require Shotgun and an effective screen game. Prefer for it not to come to that.
On Defense it's going to be remarkably like the last game. Garappolo goes deep even less than Brees. However, he's capable of it, which Drew hasn't been since 2017. So I do expect some tendency breakers from Shanahan. It will need to rely on misdirection though. Sanders is not as fast as he used to be and Samuel isn't really speedy either.
I expect Kyke to try and single up Bourne on a Safety or Rhodes and take a deep shot or two. And the light is probably green every time he sees Xavier on Emmanuel. If Rhodes can hold up and Zimmer uses some combination to cover the Slot things get more promising.
After more research I'm not as impressed with their O-Line. Staley is really old. Mcglinchey is good but he's not Ramczyk. The Guards are meh and it's a journeyman backup Center. IF Griff still has something in the tank I think they can get pressure off the edges AND up the middle when they move inside. Jimmy hates interior pressure.
Part of me wants Zimmer to come out showing Double A Gap looks and bailing out from the get go. But with the depleted Secondary and a revived Pass Rush he might want to start out looking to stuff the run and play Zone nust to see how Garappolo reacts to the pressure of his first Playoff Start. If he's gets going early start throwing the wrinkles at him.
This game is very close talent-wise. Very close. Coaching, execution and not turning it over will be crucial. The biggest weakness either team has is Minnesota's CBs. That's my biggest concern about the game.
