Why Javon Hargrave will be the 49ers' Hero this Week

Fortunately for the 49ers, Minnesota's starting left guard, Ezra Cleveland, is out with a foot injury. Which means Hargrave will face Vikings backup left guard Dalton Risner.

From now on, I will pick a potential hero for the 49ers every week the day before they play. This week, I'm picking defensive tackle Javon Hargrave as the 49ers' potential hero.

The way I see it, the hero will come from the defensive side of the ball this week -- the offense simply has too many injuries with the loss of Deebo Samuel and Trent Williams. Christian McCaffrey is expected to play, but he has a slightly torn oblique and might not have a full workload. He certainly should have one if the 49ers are smart.

Which means the 49ers could struggle to score points on the road this week. If that's the case, if they can't put up 30 points as they did in each of their first five wins, then they'll need their defense to win the game.

The Vikings offense is completely one-dimensional -- it runs less than any team in the league. It is a pass-first offense with a quarterback in Kirk Cousins who is a complete statue. If the 49ers hit him, they'll win.

Unfortunately for the 49ers, Minnesota has two excellent offensive tackles -- Christian Darrisaw on the left and Brian O'Neill on the right. So Nick Bosa and Randy Gregory could struggle to make big impacts.

Fortunately for the 49ers, Minnesota's starting left guard, Ezra Cleveland, is out with a foot injury. Which means Hargrave will face Vikings backup left guard Dalton Risner.

Advantage: 49ers.

Hargrave isn't the greatest run defender, but that shouldn't matter against the Vikings. His relentless interior pressure should be the difference in the game. Look for Hargrave to sack Cousins at least one, probably twice.