Three Things We Learned From the 49ers' 27-10 Win Over the Vikings

In it's first ever time hosting a divisional playoff game, Levi's Stadium bared witness to a dominating victory from the San Francisco 49ers. From the bullying runs, to the smother defense. The Red and Gold played a complete game to defeat the Minnesota Vikings 27-10.

Now Levi's Stadium will get the chance to host it's first ever NFC championship game. This will be the first time that the 49ers will be in the conference title game since 2014 against the Seattle Seahawks. Dominating the Vikings the way the 49ers did was nothing less than impressive.

Not that it was something new to see from the 49ers, but to be able to bully a team in a playoff game gives credence to the preparation of the team. There was a lot to learn from their win, but there were a few that stood out the most. Here are the three things we learned from the 49ers' victory over the Vikings

Dee Ford was the missing piece for the pass rush

From averaging less than a sack a game in the month of December, to taking down Kirk Cousins six times. The difference? Dee Ford.

Ford was finally healthy for a game since aggravating his hamstring in the win over the New Orleans Saints in week 14. Since week 13, the 49ers have struggled to get to the quarterback. It's not that they haven't been able to generate pressure. The 49ers were still putting up a ton of pressures, but they were not finishing. They just could not get the quarterback to the ground for a sack.

That is why Ford was the missing piece for the pass rush. With him back in the lineup, it makes pass protecting against them impossible. It is one thing to account for a couple of elite pass rushers, but four? The burden is just too much, thus Cousins was taken down six times. Going forward, the 49ers will be a nearly unstoppable force in the playoffs with Ford finally healthy.

Emmanuel Moseley is the better cornerback

Saturday's win against the Vikings was most likely the last time that Ahkello Witherspoon will ever be the starting cornerback opposite Richard Sherman. For the second consecutive game, Witherspoon was benched in favor of Emmanuel Moseley. He allowed the Vikings' lone touchdown to Stefon Diggs on a simple go-route. Witherspoon played the ball well, but he unfortunately got tangled up and fell.

While it isn't so much a mechanics issue, Witherspoon still should have been able to keep his footing and make a play on the ball. Now it will almost assuredly be Moseley going forward. Benching a player for two straight games typically means his starting days are over. Moseley is the much better option anyways. He's just playing with stronger confidence.

That is something that appears to be lacking in Witherspoon. Quite the unfortunate circumstance for him after starting the season off extremely hot. Now he has cooled down to cool temperatures, unless a receiver burns him to heat him up. With Moseley most likely set to start, the 49ers' defense will become an impenetrable wall. Once he was inserted as the starter, the Vikings had no where to go with the football. It is safe to say that Moseley is the overall better corner and fit for the 49ers.

Jimmy Garoppolo will need to play better

Starting his first ever playoff game in his career, Jimmy Garoppolo had questions surrounding whether the moment would be too big for him. Of course, he was apart of a few Super Bowl victories when he was with the New England Patriots. Still, all eyes were on him to see how he would fare. When the 49ers' offense stepped onto the field for the first offensive drive of the game, Garoppolo was on the money.

Outside of a George Kittle drop, which is out of character for him, Garoppolo completed every pass on the drive. His strong deliverance from the pocket lead the 49ers to score on their first possession. It was a great tone setter that, unfortunately, would not be maintained by Garoppolo. He would finish the game 11-of-19 for 131-yards with one touchdown and an interception.

A very average stat line, which actually paints the picture accurately regarding his performance. Garoppolo will need to play better going forward if the 49ers want to become Super Bowl Champions. Some of his throws were just outright horrendous due to poor decision making. This is the first very average game that Garoppolo has played in weeks, so he will want to keep it that way going into the NFC championship game. Average play from a quarterback is not sufficient, even if he is able to show up in certain moments.

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