Behind Enemy Lines: Five Questions With Vikings Maven
Win or go home. That is the name of the game Saturday when the NFL divisional playoff round commences.
Kicking off the round will be the No. 1 San Francisco 49ers hosting the No. 6 Minnesota Vikings. The 49ers spent the wild card round on a bye after clinching homefield advantage throughout the entire playoffs. As for the Vikings, they shocked the nation once again in a playoff game against the New Orleans Saints.
All the momentum in the world is riding with the Vikings heading into Levi's Stadium. If the 49ers are not careful, they could find themselves on the upset end like the Saints. After all, the Vikings are playing with house money so the pressure they are feeling isn't as immense as San Francisco's.
To gain better insight on the Vikings, I stepped behind enemy lines to ask five questions with Will Ragatz of Vikings Maven to preview Sunday nights matchup.
Five Questions with Will Ragatz
1.) Minnesota shocked the nation when they pulled an upset victory over the Saints in the Superdome. Now they have to check their emotions and get ready to travel again against another high powered team. What has the mentality been like with the Vikings? Do they seem tight? Or is it more free flow?
WR: From being around the locker room this week, the Vikings seem pretty loose and excited about this opportunity. They've already made it further than anyone outside of the building expected them to, but they're not satisfied with just winning one game. Remember, this isn't just some young, upstart No. 6 seed.
This is a team that is in the playoffs for the third time in five years, made the NFC Championship game two years ago, and has veterans all over the roster (17 of 22 starters are in at least their fifth season in the league). This core isn't going to be around forever, especially on defense, so they're hungry. The move to go get Kirk Cousins two years ago was made with a Super Bowl victory in mind.
There are two interesting, somewhat contradictory things going on with the Vikings from a mentality standpoint this week. For one, this team is confident after beating the Saints, and rightly so. They know that when they play at the level they did last Sunday, they can beat anybody. But at the same time, they're continuing to embrace the underdog mindset. They're touchdown underdogs again this week and going into another hostile environment where few think they can win. I think a lot of the players like it that way.
2.) Dalvin Cook is the main vein of the Vikings offense. He’s a stud when he’s handed the ball and when he has to run a route out of the backfield. Getting him the ball seems to be the top priority. The 49ers will do everything they can to take him out of the equation. This season they have done an exceptional job at taking away an opponents best player. What can the Vikings do to ensure Cook does not get bottled up? And are the Vikings capable of winning behind the arm of Kirk Cousins if he is not making an impact?
WR: Cook is a difficult guy to shut down, precisely because of the versatility you mentioned and the nature of the Vikings' offense. If a defense keys in too much on stopping Cook, the Vikings will utilize plenty of play-action and take shots down the field in the passing game. Both offenses in this game are fairly similar, since Gary Kubiak and Kyle Shanahan come from the same coaching tree.
There will be a lot of misdirection, pre-snap motion, and other methods of disguising plays. And two of the game's best fullbacks! Cook will be fed in a creative variety of ways, both as a runner and a receiver. Don't forget about rookie Alexander Mattison, either. If the Vikings' running game isn't doing much, it will very tough for them to win this game.
3.) Speaking of Kirk Cousins, he proved a lot of people wrong when he sealed the game on his deep pass to Adam Thielen and game-winning touchdown to Kyle Rudolph. It was by far the best moment of his career, so he’s riding some momentum into Saturday. However, the defense of San Francisco is much different than New Orleans. Plus, they are coming off of a bye well-rested and prepared. Cousins proved that he can come through with the odds against him last week. Can he do it again against the 49ers? And will he be able to continually stand in the pocket against an elite pass rush?
WR: Cousins was the hero of last week's game for his performance in overtime, but he wasn't the main reason the Vikings won that game. They won because of an incredible defensive gameplan and performance, and because Cook and the offensive line were excellent early on. Of course, Cousins still had to come through in overtime, and he did. He made a couple spectacular throws and won the biggest game of his career.
Still, the Vikings will try to win this game the same way, by not making Cousins do too much. Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, and the rest of the 49ers pass rushers will have a field day if the Vikings offense becomes too pass-heavy. OC Kevin Stefanski will get Cousins out of the pocket on rollouts and bootlegs to mitigate the pass rush, but Cousins will have to make some big-time throws under duress. Can he come through again in a huge moment? We might get a chance to find out.
4.) Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs are one of the top duos at the wide receiver position. They are both interchangeable players whose route running is top-tier. They will be put against the test when they face off with Richard Sherman. However, the Vikings could easily line up both receivers on the opposite side of Sherman to face the lesser corners. Do you see that as something the Vikings will utilize much of? Or will they stick mainly to what their strengths are?
WR: First of all, hopefully Thielen will be able to play. He's questionable after suffering a nasty cut on his ankle (stitches were needed) during Wednesday's practice. I think, considering the stakes, that he'll almost certainly try to play through it. But I'm definitely concerned that it could be something that limits him from being the Adam Thielen we saw last week and for the past three years. If he's healthy, he and Diggs are a lethal duo.
Like you said, both are outstanding route-runners. They can both stretch the field, though Diggs is used more frequently on deep vertical routes. I'd imagine Sherman will be covering one of them the vast majority of the time, which is why Thielen's health status is so important. Both players will move around the formation, but I don't think Sherman's presence will cause the Vikings to get too cute.
5.) The Vikings defense has a stout front seven. Running against them will not be easy for the 49ers. Not to mention that they are the best in the league passer rating wise at defending tight ends. The best plan of attack for the 49ers is the passing game against Minnesota’s corners. How do you think the Vikings corners matchup with the 49ers receivers? And circling back to the defensive success against tight ends. They have not faced someone like George Kittle. What can the Vikings do to contain Kittle?
WR: You're definitely correct that the weakest position group within the Vikings' defense is the corners. They're without both Mike Hughes and Mackensie Alexander, which hurts their depth at that position greatly. Plus, both Trae Waynes and Xavier Rhodes have had their struggles this season, particular the former All-Pro Rhodes.
I'd expect Shanahan to try to pick on Rhodes on Saturday, and it'll be up to him and Mike Zimmer to respond. Rhodes could see plenty of Emmanuel Sanders in this game, which honestly isn't a horrible matchup for him. The thing that worries me most about the 49ers offense is Shanahan's brain and the trio of Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Kyle Juszczyk. Particularly Kittle, of course.
The Vikings have been outstanding against tight ends because their safeties and linebackers – especially Eric Kendricks – are so good, but Kittle is a different animal. I'll be very curious to see how Zimmer approaches defending Kittle. He was able to limit the Saints' best player, Michael Thomas, last week. Can he do it again?
