Divisional Round: Vikings/49ers Pre-Game Thread

[Bowhunting Viking]

Initial thoughts before watching much film on 49ers:

Their pass defense and pass rush is outstanding. Armstead, Bosa, Buckner, and Ford had 10, 9, 7.5, and 6.5 sacks respectively. That's impressive. They ranked number 1 in pass defense and give up an average of 169 pass yards per game.

While they don't have any rusher over a thousand they had two with about 700 each and both averaged over 5 yards a carry.

The key will be making them one dimensional and getting after Jimmy with 4 guys. I would use Kearse and Kendricks on Kittle. Deebo is great at route running and getting YAC yards. Emanuel Sanders is still a long ball threat as well.

On offense I think we are going to be looking at a lot of stacked boxes. 8 men near the line and a lot of zone looks daring Kirk to beat them deep before their pass rush can get to him. I think our offense is going to need help with field position and they're going to need the defense to get turnovers.

I plan on watching a lot of film on them this week but they are obviously a very good team. However, they did lose to Atlanta just like New Orleans so they are mortal.

I was gonna post a strategy I felt would work well with Kittle but you already did it. Excellent call.
My buddy and I were talking about the game and we were talking about Kittle being such a beast. He said Kittle is gonna give u guys fits and prob tear you up.
I have him the same scenario you did about using Kearse and Kendricks. I said that Kearse has that big body and strength, and has the speed to match up well. And also Kendricks. He has really been a stud in coverage this year.
Kittle is a beast. Even though he is an opponent I love the guy. Love his toughness, his passion for the game and the dude is just plain freakin hilarious. I love ppl with a great sense of humor and love to use it. BUT.. this week I hope he isn't laughing and has a real lousy day Saturday.
I'm real excited about Saturday. I feel we match up well.
Biggest key to key to me is to put that pressure on Hollywood Heart Throb Jimmy G. I have seen him get rattled under alot of pressure at times. Start pressuring and hitting him early and hope he starts hearing those footsteps.
Gonna be fun.

[Bowhunting Viking]

My biggest worry is secondary injuries and the short rest. I'm gonna assume Rhodes will be out there, but that unit is banged up.

That's a big worry for me too. We are dangerously thin back there. It's really important that our pass rush is there again Saturday, because that made a huge difference vs the Saints. If not, it could be a long day for the defense.

By the way, It doesn't look like Mac will be back for a while. He's meeting with doctors to determine if he needs surgery

Just reported Mac is having surgery on his meniscus. Surgery on thursday, could possibly be back if the advance after this week. Per Pellisero

[J. Kapp 11]

Are the niners a defense vulnerable to screen plays? Obviously they are stingy and have a top-notch pass rush...but can we use their aggressiveness to our advantage? Does anyone have any stats on this?

I don't have the stats, but on the highlights they appear to be most vulnerable to screens and play action, and outside runs. If that's true, that is right in our wheel-house. Most vulnerable is relative though, because they are really good against everything. I'm certainly not predicting that we'll easily score, but I think we can move the ball.

I agree. Everything I've seen and read about the Niners suggests they're somewhat vulnerable to the things we're good at.

It makes sense. They're like Dallas in that they coach their big, fast, athletic D-line to get upfield, fast and hard. We burned Dallas over and over again. However,the Niners know we know this, so they may alter things to account for it, much like New Orleans did against screens and sweeps. If that's the case, we may be able to do some damage in the air, especially early ... the same way we were able to do damage in overtime against the Saints. I felt like New Orleans expected screens and misdirection, and we gave them downfield passing instead.

One player I like in this game is Alexander Mattison. He's a bit more of a north-south runner, and those type of guys can have success against a hard-charging D-line. The old Alan Page "run right at him" tactic. Of course, Cook is no slouch inside the tackles, but 2/3 of his runs (or more) end up being on the edge.

It's going to be an interesting chess match. Playcalling and adjusting are going to be key. Kubiak and Shanahan are very, very similar in the way they run offense. Which team can get the upper hand in the battle of wits is going to be at an advantage. I know Shanahan is a sharp playcaller, but Zimmer is a better defensive coach than Selah, in my opinion, and he's excellent at adjusting. And with Kubiak in his ear, Stefanski can hold his own.

Once again, the world thinks we're going to lose big. I have a feeling they're wrong. Very wrong.

[StumpHunter]

I don't have the stats, but on the highlights they appear to be most vulnerable to screens and play action, and outside runs. If that's true, that is right in our wheel-house. Most vulnerable is relative though, because they are really good against everything. I'm certainly not predicting that we'll easily score, but I think we can move the ball.

I agree. Everything I've seen and read about the Niners suggests they're somewhat vulnerable to the things we're good at.

It makes sense. They're like Dallas in that they coach their big, fast, athletic D-line to get upfield, fast and hard. We burned Dallas over and over again. However,the Niners know we know this, so they may alter things to account for it, much like New Orleans did against screens and sweeps. If that's the case, we may be able to do some damage in the air, especially early ... the same way we were able to do damage in overtime against the Saints. I felt like New Orleans expected screens and misdirection, and we gave them downfield passing instead.

One player I like in this game is Alexander Mattison. He's a bit more of a north-south runner, and those type of guys can have success against a hard-charging D-line. The old Alan Page "run right at him" tactic. Of course, Cook is no slouch inside the tackles, but 2/3 of his runs (or more) end up being on the edge.

It's going to be an interesting chess match. Playcalling and adjusting are going to be key. Kubiak and Shanahan are very, very similar in the way they run offense. Which team can get the upper hand in the battle of wits is going to be at an advantage. I know Shanahan is a sharp playcaller, but Zimmer is a better defensive coach than Selah, in my opinion, and he's excellent at adjusting. And with Kubiak in his ear, Stefanski can hold his own.

Once again, the world thinks we're going to lose big. I have a feeling they're wrong. Very wrong.

I want to see them use Mattison more in the passing game. The guy has some under utilized receiving skills that could catch the 9ers off guard on a wheel route.

[VikingLord]

Once again, the world thinks we're going to lose big. I have a feeling they're wrong. Very wrong.

Yeah, I don't see the Vikings losing big in this game.

BTW, I love the idea of putting Kearse on Kittle. I also like the idea of having a DE check him at the LOS and break off with him if he releases (in addition to him being covered by a secondary player). The goal there is not to cover him for long, but just long enough to force Garappolo to either make a risky throw or to look off to his second read. The 49ers like to get the ball out fast to Kittle and he's good at getting YAC, so anything the Vikings can do to force the QB to either make a riskier throw or look to his second or third read is going to be important, even if they have to sacrifice some rush pressure to do it.

Speaking of that, I think it is important to note that this is Jimmy G's first ever playoff game as a starting QB. He's played well all year, but if Zimmer was able to throw Brees off with some unique looks, I hope he can do some of the same to Garappolo. The 49ers are going to try to run it, and if they're successful then I think Garappolo won't have to step up, so it's essential the Vikings stop the run and force the issue. If the Vikings can put the 49ers into obvious passing situations regularly, then this is a game where I think the Vikings defense should be able to create some turnover opportunities in the passing game.

The more I think about this game, the more it comes down to the offensive line-defensive line battles on both sides and which of the two teams can run or defend the run better, because both teams have passing games that are predicated off effective play action and QB's who can thrive when given time. It's going to come down to Football 101.

Could be a real grinder of a game.

[Dames]

Just reported Mac is having surgery on his meniscus. Surgery on thursday, could possibly be back when they advance after this week. Per Pellisero

Fixed that for you

[J. Kapp 11]

I agree. Everything I've seen and read about the Niners suggests they're somewhat vulnerable to the things we're good at.

It makes sense. They're like Dallas in that they coach their big, fast, athletic D-line to get upfield, fast and hard. We burned Dallas over and over again. However,the Niners know we know this, so they may alter things to account for it, much like New Orleans did against screens and sweeps. If that's the case, we may be able to do some damage in the air, especially early ... the same way we were able to do damage in overtime against the Saints. I felt like New Orleans expected screens and misdirection, and we gave them downfield passing instead.

One player I like in this game is Alexander Mattison. He's a bit more of a north-south runner, and those type of guys can have success against a hard-charging D-line. The old Alan Page "run right at him" tactic. Of course, Cook is no slouch inside the tackles, but 2/3 of his runs (or more) end up being on the edge.

It's going to be an interesting chess match. Playcalling and adjusting are going to be key. Kubiak and Shanahan are very, very similar in the way they run offense. Which team can get the upper hand in the battle of wits is going to be at an advantage. I know Shanahan is a sharp playcaller, but Zimmer is a better defensive coach than Selah, in my opinion, and he's excellent at adjusting. And with Kubiak in his ear, Stefanski can hold his own.

Once again, the world thinks we're going to lose big. I have a feeling they're wrong. Very wrong.

I want to see them use Mattison more in the passing game. The guy has some under utilized receiving skills that could catch the 9ers off guard on a wheel route.

Yeah, I'd always heard he was a good receiver coming out of college. I guess he's not in there all that much, so maybe he just hasn't had the opportunity. Might be a protection thing, too -- they don't quite trust him yet on passing downs in case he has to protect against the blitz. Hard to know why they haven't used him much in the passing game. But I know this ... I LOVE the guy in space. He's a lot like Cook, with maybe a little more physicality and not quite as much speed.

Really looking forward to seeing how this young guy develops.

[Bowhunting Viking]

Just reported Mac is having surgery on his meniscus. Surgery on thursday, could possibly be back when they advance after this week. Per Pellisero

Fixed that for you

YOU LIKE THAT!!!
I LIKE THAT!!!
Excellent correction my friend!

[CharVike]

The more I think about the 49ers and their strength at tight end, the more I think we'll see another Zimmer wrinkle.

I give you: Jayron Kearse at big slot corner.

Kearse has the size and speed to stay with George Kittle. Like most teams, our linebackers don't have the speed to stay with him deep, and our regular safeties are too light. But Kearse ... that might be where Zimmer goes. Kinda like the Griffen/Hunter playing DT on passing downs against the Saints. The Wrinkle.

I love this idea. I really thought he’d be playing that spot against NO and I didn’t even see him on the field. I think he could handle kittle

I thought that was strange also. I don't remember seeing him play. I can't argue with what Zim does because he and his staff did a great job against the Saints. IMO it all comes down to what happens at the LOS. When a team controls that they are hard to beat. We proved that when Zim moved our DEs inside. They owned the LOS. Even Cook had some huge holes. Again that's controlling the LOS.

[Texas Vike]

Kearse has been on the injury report for a while now. He did not practice today. Diggs didn't either, due to illness.

[YikesVikes]

So here is what I have learned two days of speaking to 49ers fans.

1. They are highly convinced that we can't win.
2. They think Zimmer is overrated
3. They Think Jimmy G is elite
4. Their WRs and Kyle scheming will be trouble for us
5. Their defense is finally healthy and they will unleash the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse.
6. We have no chance.

Some were reasonable but most are like We just won a game and we arent anything. Miami is in the bag

[Bowhunting Viking]

So here is what I have learned two days of speaking to 49ers fans.

1. They are highly convinced that we can't win.
2. They think Zimmer is overrated
3. They Think Jimmy G is elite
4. Their WRs and Kyle scheming will be trouble for us
5. Their defense is finally healthy and they will unleash the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse.
6. We have no chance.

Some were reasonable but most are like We just won a game and we arent anything. Miami is in the bag

Good for them. I think the fans down in the Big.. well after Sunday.. Little Easy felt the same way.
I hope alot of the Niners player are feeling like Cam Jordan was earlier last week.
Seriously though, it is gonna be a helluva match up. I'm worried because our O is gonna face arguably the toughest D front they have faced yet this year.
It almost like both teams are playing mirror images of each other.
The coaching familiarity between Kubiak and Shanahan makes for a very interesting match up.
It's funny also cuz I was thinking yesterday about Cousins being so familiar with the Niners/ Shanahan offense so well because he ran that Offense, and I know for a fact because of knowing and talking to Cousins center for most of his career in Washington that both Shanahans loved Cousins and extremely preferred him over RG3, but that little weasel Snyder had his man crush on RG3. I have heard several sickening stories that Kory witnessed concerning Snyder and RG3, and the way Snyder blatantly showed his favoritism of RG3 over the whole team, especially over Cousins.
But I was thinking about how Cousins could probably actually help our D by sharing his knowledge of the details and nuances of that system.
Then lo and behold last night on Total Access DeAngelo Hall brought that point up. Of course we know Shanahan knows it also, but it can really be a small strategic advantage for us.
I am nervous, but also very excited about our chances this Sat.
I am worried about the Niners having the bye week and being more rested and healthy, and us being on a short week , and hope we don't have the let down from the all the excitement of the Minny Miracle game. It sounds like Zim and alot of our vet players are very aware of that and are doing everything they can to help prevent that from happening again.
On the Niners having the bye, that is usually a great thing, but not always. As we have seen in the past, sometimes after a bye teams actually seem to come out flat. I just hate that so many of the Niners key F players have been able to get healthy for this game, such as Alexander and Ford. That makes a huge difference.
I sure wish Romo and Witten would have done us a favor and taken Jimmy G and Kittle down to Cabo for a few days
I doubt with Shanahan's coaching style and ability that they will come out flat, but ya never know.
Personally I am excited to see, if our D keeps it rolling and is able to bring the pressure like they did last week, just how Jimmy G will handle it. The guy is a good QB and has had a great season, but this is a big game for him. Hopefully at this point in his career I am hoping TOO big. I believe we can get him rattled a bit if we can do what we did against Brees and the Saints.
I like our chances alot. I am also nervous as hell already. That's just how it is for this life long Vikes fan. My wife just shakes her head and laughs listening to me talk to people. She always said she hates to think how many years that being a Vikes fan have taken off my life when it's all said and done. Lol.
Here's to hoping we started a nice run this past Sunday that will end with Ziggy, Zim standing on that podium being the first 2 Vikings owner and coach to hold that Lombardi trophy high in the sky!!!

I HAVE THAT DREAM!!!!

[Bowhunting Viking]

So here is what I have learned two days of speaking to 49ers fans.

1. They are highly convinced that we can't win.
2. They think Zimmer is overrated
3. They Think Jimmy G is elite
4. Their WRs and Kyle scheming will be trouble for us
5. Their defense is finally healthy and they will unleash the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse.
6. We have no chance.

Some were reasonable but most are like We just won a game and we arent anything. Miami is in the bag

Good for them. I think the fans down in the Big.. well after Sunday.. Little Easy felt the same way.
I hope alot of the Niners player are feeling like Cam Jordan was earlier last week.
Seriously though, it is gonna be a helluva match up. I'm worried because our O is gonna face arguably the toughest D front they have faced yet this year.
It almost like both teams are playing mirror images of each other.
The coaching familiarity between Kubiak and Shanahan makes for a very interesting match up.
It's funny also cuz I was thinking yesterday about Cousins being so familiar with the Niners/ Shanahan offense so well because he ran that Offense, and I know for a fact because of knowing and talking to Cousins center for most of his career in Washington that both Shanahans loved Cousins and extremely preferred him over RG3, but that little weasel Snyder had his man crush on RG3. I have heard several sickening stories that Kory witnessed concerning Snyder and RG3, and the way Snyder blatantly showed his favoritism of RG3 over the whole team, especially over Cousins.
But I was thinking about how Cousins could probably actually help our D by sharing his knowledge of the details and nuances of that system.
Then lo and behold last night on Total Access DeAngelo Hall brought that point up. Of course we know Shanahan knows it also, but it can really be a small strategic advantage for us.
I am nervous, but also very excited about our chances this Sat.
I am worried about the Niners having the bye week and being more rested and healthy, and us being on a short week , and hope we don't have the let down from the all the excitement of the Minny Miracle game. It sounds like Zim and alot of our vet players are very aware of that and are doing everything they can to help prevent that from happening again.
On the Niners having the bye, that is usually a great thing, but not always. As we have seen in the past, sometimes after a bye teams actually seem to come out flat. I just hate that so many of the Niners key F players have been able to get healthy for this game, such as Alexander and Ford. That makes a huge difference.
I sure wish Romo and Witten would have done us a favor and taken Jimmy G and Kittle down to Cabo for a few days
I doubt with Shanahan's coaching style and ability that they will come out flat, but ya never know.
Personally I am excited to see, if our D keeps it rolling and is able to bring the pressure like they did last week, just how Jimmy G will handle it. The guy is a good QB and has had a great season, but this is a big game for him. Hopefully at this point in his career I am hoping TOO big. I believe we can get him rattled a bit if we can do what we did against Brees and the Saints.
I like our chances alot. I am also nervous as hell already. That's just how it is for this life long Vikes fan. My wife just shakes her head and laughs listening to me talk to people. She always said she hates to think how many years that being a Vikes fan have taken off my life when it's all said and done. Lol.
Here's to hoping we started a nice run this past Sunday that will end with Ziggy, Zim standing on that podium being the first 2 Vikings owner and coach to hold that Lombardi trophy high in the sky!!!

I HAVE THAT DREAM!!!!

[Bowhunting Viking]

I dont know if it's just on my phone, but the board is kinda weird and loading slow this morning. Then it posted my post twice. Sorry about that.

[Pondering Her Percy]

I agree. Everything I've seen and read about the Niners suggests they're somewhat vulnerable to the things we're good at.

It makes sense. They're like Dallas in that they coach their big, fast, athletic D-line to get upfield, fast and hard. We burned Dallas over and over again. However,the Niners know we know this, so they may alter things to account for it, much like New Orleans did against screens and sweeps. If that's the case, we may be able to do some damage in the air, especially early ... the same way we were able to do damage in overtime against the Saints. I felt like New Orleans expected screens and misdirection, and we gave them downfield passing instead.

One player I like in this game is Alexander Mattison. He's a bit more of a north-south runner, and those type of guys can have success against a hard-charging D-line. The old Alan Page "run right at him" tactic. Of course, Cook is no slouch inside the tackles, but 2/3 of his runs (or more) end up being on the edge.

It's going to be an interesting chess match. Playcalling and adjusting are going to be key. Kubiak and Shanahan are very, very similar in the way they run offense. Which team can get the upper hand in the battle of wits is going to be at an advantage. I know Shanahan is a sharp playcaller, but Zimmer is a better defensive coach than Selah, in my opinion, and he's excellent at adjusting. And with Kubiak in his ear, Stefanski can hold his own.

Once again, the world thinks we're going to lose big. I have a feeling they're wrong. Very wrong.

I want to see them use Mattison more in the passing game. The guy has some under utilized receiving skills that could catch the 9ers off guard on a wheel route.

The main thing I want to see is simply some different run plays, different looks, whatever. I feel like we ran a sweep with Cook about 10 times in that Saints game and hardly gained anything. And they continued to run it, especially on the goal line. Like how many times are we going to run a sweep and lose yardage before we change it up? The drive where we only got a FG we did it once maybe twice, we did it when we were trying to kill clock and lost 7 yards and we did it after Thielens big catch on the goal line and lost some yards. The only that ticked me off the most was the 7 yard loss. We did the same damn thing vs. Dallas at the end and Cook nearly lost the ball and we lost about 7 yards. Like, you cant lose 7 yards on a dive or if you're hitting the 3 or 4 hole. It's nearly impossible to lose that much. You can lose 7 yards easily on a sweep, especially since you've ran it all game and they have stopped it. Or, like Dallas, Cook could lose the pitch or it could even be a bad pitch. It's more of a risky play than some would think. Especially when you're trying to kill clock.

I still dont get why they dont ever run out of the gun. I feel like this would really throw teams off because I would say a good 95% of the time when we're in the gun, we're passing. Unless it's 3rd and 20 and bad field position and we run a draw. I guess you could say, if it's not broke dont fix it but these sweeps put us in some bad positions if they arent executed.

I was pushing for some reverses and stuff leading up to that Saints game. However the ones we ran were brutal and didnt seem like they were set up very well. One of my favorites all year was when we pitched to Dalvin like it was a sweep and he pitched it to Diggs on a reverse. That was a great play call because the entire defense flocks to that sweep with Dalvin. This double reverse stuff with Thielen and Diggs and then Diggs throws isnt doing it for me. That's a little too much overthinking IMO.

One call I did like in that Saints game (that everyone liked) is the play action on first down to Thielen in OT. Only thing was I wish they do that with Cook in there instead of Mattison. Not that coaches dont key on Mattison but Cook still draws THAT much more attention. Either way it worked so you cant complain. And it was a great time to throw a play action in on first down and take a shot. We didnt really try to do that all game until that point.