One Area of Weakness the 49ers can Exploit Against the Vikings

Saturday's divisional playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings is just around the corner for the San Francisco 49ers. The amount of time to prepare for them is draining with each passing moment. San Francisco has a tough challenge ahead them when they finally lineup across from the Vikings. This is a team that went into a playoff atmosphere at the SuperDome to knock off the New Orleans Saints.

A place that is insanely difficult to win at, which the 49ers know all too well. The Vikings are riding a roaring wave of momentum heading into Saturday. Their running game is red hot with an efficient passing game and strong defense. It's almost like there isn't a weakness on their football team... almost. Every team has it's weaknesses no matter how mighty they may seem.

One area of weakness the 49ers can exploit against the Vikings is the cornerback position

It is by far their achilles heel on defense and perhaps even the entire team. Xavier Rhodes, their top cornerback, has had a poor season to say the least. He went from elite company to becoming almost unplayable. So many times this year, Rhodes has been caught having mental lapses. Those lapses create broken coverages that allows for big plays to be executed.

And on those plays he allowed, he has constantly been seen pointing the finger at others. The fact that he is doing that shows the lack of confidence he has in his performance. No confident cornerback would be constantly blaming others nor allowing a breakdown in coverage.

If he does actually play disciplined coverage, then he can still be taken advantage of going deep. Just look at how Saints receiver Deonte Harris spins him like a top. Quite an embarrassing site for a player being paid top five at his position.

Xavier Rhodes got toasted so badly Harris had time to pitch a tent and set up camp to wait for the ball to arrive pic.twitter.com/DJVFmgl7gF
— Sam Monson (@SamMonsonNFL) January 5, 2020

Rhodes is sure to be a player that the 49ers will look to pick on with both Deebo Samuel and Emmanuel Sanders. These two are polished route runners who are sharp with freezing their defender at the top of their route. As much of a decline Rhodes is on, he is not the lone reason for the 49ers to attack via passing game.

The Vikings are lacking at cornerback, not solely due to talent, but because of injuries. Slot corner Mike Hughes was placed on injured reserve last week due to a neck injury. Meanwhile, rising player Mackenzie Alexander has been ruled out for Saturday after undergoing arthroscopic surgery for a small tear in his lateral meniscus. Both of these corners have had impressive seasons and have drained the depth at the position.

Throughout the entire 2019 season, Kyle Shanahan has been masterful with his gameplan. That is because he does not let even the tiniest detail slip away during film. He will assuredly see that the Vikings are susceptible against the pass with their corners. Saturday should be no different with how he can create the ideal plan of attack.

At that point, it will be on Jimmy Garoppolo and the receivers to execute his plan to the fullest. Running the football will still be a factor for the 49ers, but it should not be relied upon. While the Vikings' weakness is with their corners, one of their strengths is against the run. They can be hit with some runs, but it will not be a sustainable throughout the game. Unless of course the Vikings completely look out of sorts.

Garoppolo will need to be on the money in his first career playoff start. If he is able to and the receivers execute, then the Vikings will be pushed into a corner that they will struggle to get out of.