Anyone else think the Vikings beat the 49ers?

[Cyrus12]

Yes I do...vikings are healthy and are well balanced. Can Cousins do it twice in a row is the question?

 

[chris98251]

Vikings have been having issues having the moment be bigger then they can handle ( Cousins) as well as dumb decisions.

49ers have had them all last half of the season, now with the 49ers do they play like a team that is happy to be where they are and not focused enough going forward or do they seize the moment?

Sherman I know will be grilling this team on this is just the beginning and we have done nothing yet.

Even maybe show the replay of the tip to make it sink in on how you can lose it all on one play.

 

[SantaClaraHawk]

Um. My guess is that Jed would ban any replay of Just the Tip in their film room.

 

[chris98251]

Um. My guess is that Jed would ban any replay of Just the Tip in their film room.

Obviously you never played the game, he was in the play and can convey what it meant to the Seahawks as well as use it to motivate and piss off his team to not be happy just being at the dance, you want to take the Prom Queen out to the Bleachers.

 

[knownone]

If you look at the Niners close games, the blueprint for beating them is pretty straight forward.

You either need a strong running game capable of controlling the clock with a disciplined defense that won't give up big plays (Baltimore, Steelers). Or you need an elite QB who can consistently make plays out of nothing with a defense that can either force turnovers or stop the run (NO, Atlanta, Seattle).

The Vikings are one of the rare teams that have most of those qualities. So yeah, they can absolutely beat the 49ers. In fact, they look like a pretty scary match up for them. Why? Because, depending on how you feel about Cousins vs Garoppolo, position by position, the Vikings probably have the more talented offense top to bottom. W/ Cook on the field the Vikings have a top 5 offense in almost every category. Even if you only look at games with Kittle, the Niners never rank higher than 8th in any major offensive category.

And defensively? The gap is not that large.

Niners Rankings:
Pass Rush: 2nd
Pass D: 2nd
Run D: 11th

Vikings Rankings:
Pass Rush: 4th
Pass D: 7th
Run D: 9th

I'm not sure I would pick them to win. Cousins is a wildcard. Diggs looks like he might be Antonio Brown 2.0. And the 49ers defense have won games at home seemingly by themselves. I just hope the game is close and as physical as can be.

 

[NINEster]

The Vikings now versus 2018 are not quite as strong as they used to be, particularly at CB.

Cousins finally wins a big game. Finally.

Vikings recent history tends to show them not showing up in the big moments. The 2017 NFC Championship game was an absolute let down for football fans.

The Rams of late have done more.

And with regards to SF vs. MINN in particular, there's something about playing in Minnesota that has been tough AF for the 49ers (2012, 2018). I think the Vikings have covered against the spread against the 49ers in Minneapolis going all the way back to 1991 or something.

Having said that, the Vikings in SF isn't anything remarkable to discuss. 2015 the NFC North champs lost their opener to Tomsula, Kap, and 'em.

Obviously very different situations.

I thought the 49ers and Jimmy were underrated in that first game against the Vikings. They did move the ball on Zimmer a lot better than the final score indicated. Given the noise of that stadium it was a decent outing.

Now with a more complete team, more experienced Kyle and Jimmy G, the bye week, 3 important guys coming back, I just don't see the Niners dropping to the Vikings. If so, it would mean that the Vikings really picked up on some kind of weakness that other teams couldn't. Or maybe the 49ers pass rush has truly failed.

And if the Vikings do win this game, they better go to the Super Bowl or I'll add them to my hated list!!

 

[knownone]

I thought the 49ers and Jimmy were underrated in that first game against the Vikings. They did move the ball on Zimmer a lot better than the final score indicated. Given the noise of that stadium it was a decent outing.

Now with a more complete team, more experienced Kyle and Jimmy G, the bye week, 3 important guys coming back, I just don't see the Niners dropping to the Vikings. If so, it would mean that the Vikings really picked up on some kind of weakness that other teams couldn't. Or maybe the 49ers pass rush has truly failed.

And if the Vikings do win this game, they better go to the Super Bowl or I'll add them to my hated list!!

How bad were people rating Jimmy after that game for his performance to be underrated? He threw 1 TD and 3 picks, completed 48% of his passes, and had a QB rating of 45.1 in his first game against the Vikings.

I don't think the Vikings would need to exploit any major weakness to beat you guys. They just need to keep the game close going into crunch time, and if they can do that, anything can happen. I mean shoot, that's exactly what the Ravens, Seahawks, and Falcons did.

 

[5_Golden_Rings]

The Vikings are capable of winning the Super Bowl. They are one of the most balanced teams left. As long as Cousins doesn’t give the game away they can beat anyone, anywhere.

 

[getnasty]

They will get screwed by the refs if the game is close....

Right now its 50 50 for me who the hawks should play against if we beat greenbay.

They didn't last week and i promise you the NFL would rather have had the Saints moving on.

 

[12AngryHawks]

The Vikings had 2 chances to beat GB this season, and they couldn't. GB being the team that the 49ers easily manhandled. If the 49ers D can do what it did to Rodgers, what do you think they'll do to Cousins? His cinderella story ends next weekend.

 

[RolandDeschain]

The Vikings had 2 chances to beat GB this season, and they couldn't. GB being the team that the 49ers easily manhandled. If the 49ers D can do what it did to Rodgers, what do you think they'll do to Cousins? His cinderella story ends next weekend.

It's been proven a million times over that the transitive property does not work in the NFL. It's all about match-ups in each game.

 

[Washington49er]

NOPE!

 

[IndyHawk]

I think if the Vikings can keep Kittle in check they will win
but that's a big if.

 

[Maulbert]

Well...they've done it before.

[youtube]T7zxeDQ1pWg[/youtube]

 

[SoulfishHawk]

At least Golden Rings gets it. That's a lot better than "Nope" or "No Chance"
Come on, ANY team in the NFC could get to the Superb Owl. All 4 teams are very capable.
To act like the Vikings have zero change is plain dumb. I think the Niners WILL win, but it certainly wouldn't be some huge shocker if the Vikings win. Shoot, they just knocked off the Saints. Saints are every bit as good as the almighty 49ers.

 

[Washington49er]

At least Golden Rings gets it. That's a lot better than "Nope" or "No Chance"
Come on, ANY team in the NFC could get to the Superb Owl. All 4 teams are very capable.
To act like the Vikings have zero change is plain dumb. I think the Niners WILL win, but it certainly wouldn't be some huge shocker if the Vikings win. Shoot, they just knocked off the Saints. Saints are every bit as good as the almighty 49ers.

I said "NOPE" because that my opinion and you are entitled to yours. Lets not make a mountain out of a mole hill.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Says the guy who spends all his time on a Seahawks site. But hey, why even play the game? I mean, the 49ers are the greatest team in the history of the NFL. Nobody could POSSIBLY beat these guys.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

At least Golden Rings gets it. That's a lot better than "Nope" or "No Chance"
Come on, ANY team in the NFC could get to the Superb Owl. All 4 teams are very capable.
To act like the Vikings have zero change is plain dumb. I think the Niners WILL win, but it certainly wouldn't be some huge shocker if the Vikings win. Shoot, they just knocked off the Saints. Saints are every bit as good as the almighty 49ers.

Let's be fair Soulfish, these are the same declarations you make about the Hawks on the main forum. Lot's of eternal optimism and confidence.

Which is great, but don't criticize other team's fans for doing the same thing you do.

This is the divisional round, you're right anything can happen......and if the Vikings play like they did against the Saints? Watch out Niners.

 

[94Smith]

I watched a few Vikings games last night. Their offensive line seems fairly porous and they rely on a consistent running game and screen game to keep the chains moving. They do have the occasional explosive deep pass. I am really excited to have Dee Ford back on the field as I thought our D line looked unstoppable with him on the field. The key on defense is going to be stopping the run.

Defensively they do not give up a lot of yardage in the run game, but the YPC can be higher. I think we should be able to keep our run game productive in order to set up play action. The Seahawks down right ran it down their throats. The defensive line can generate pressure, but there is no "splash" player there. I think if we can eliminate turnovers we will have an advantage. When we played them last year in Minnesota, the offense had some key turnovers including a fumble on the 1 yard line. Their defense seems to generate turnovers

Levis should be lifting our defense, but Cousins showed he is immune to noise and obviously it will not be as load as Clink or the Superdome. 49ers have played better on the road this year than at home, much like the Seahawks, but I think the advantage in the number one seed is the week off to rest bodies and to get guys like Kwon alexander back.

I don't know, I say 49ers win this game 65% of the time. I could see us blowing them out if the defense plays like it used to and we stop the run. If Cousins is forced to 3rd and long and the pressure is like it was in the early season, it could be like the first Rams game.

I could see the 49ers losing if we have some big turnovers, they can run the ball consistently and they have a few big down field splash plays

 

[Ramfan128]

In terms of talent, I think the Vikings and Niners are pretty even - could definitely see the Vikings pulling it off and think it will be a close game.