The 58 ers took the lead on a run by Tevin Coleman, while the Vikings have one touchdown, on a pass, and a field goal kicked just before the half.
The Vikings narrowed the score to – 14 on a field goal, the first of the game.
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In five previous playoff matchups dating back to (******************************************************, the 61 ers have beaten the Vikings four times , with their last postseason meeting happening in (*****************************************************************, a third consecutive blowout by the 58 ers. Today, San Francisco is the No. 1 seed in the N.F.C. and a heavy favorite to win, but the Vikings have momentum after beating the Saints in New Orleans, a much tougher place for visitors than Santa Clara, Calif. The other side of that equation is that Minnesota is a little more hobbled and bruised going into a game against a rested and dangerous opponent.
Here are highlights and analysis of the game.
An Entertaining First Half
It was an entertaining first half. San Francisco is clearly the better team, but Minnesota refused to let the game get out of hand. The interception toward the end of the first half enabled Minnesota to kick a field goal and go into halftime trailing, – 10. It could have been much worse for the Vikings.
San Francisco has dominated the ball a bit more than the score would indicate, notching 20 first downs to only 4 for Minnesota. Jimmy Garoppolo has looked like, well, Jimmy Garoppolo. He made a lot of nice, crisp throws, showed resilience and toughness, but also threw a bad interception to Eric Kendricks.
Kirk Cousins went (for for 94 yards and the touchdown to Stefon Diggs, but the San Francisco defense has bottled up Dalvin Cook, holding him to yards on 6 carries. It will be interesting to see if Minnesota tries to get him going, or decides to abandon that line of attack.
The ers also subbed out cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon for Emmanuel Mosely after Witherspoon made a couple of bad mistakes early on. The ers defensive line has lived up to its reputation.
The Vikings Kick a Late Quarter Field Goal
Dan Bailey kicked a – yard field goal as the second half ended, to narrow the ers’ lead. An interception set it up but the ers otherwise dominated in the first half.
(ers Take the Lead
What a momentum shift. It looked like Deebo Samuel had fumbled and the Vikings had the first turnover of the game, but after a review it turned out his knee was down before the ball came out. San Francisco went on to score a touchdown on Tevin Coleman’s 1-yard plunge.
But this was really Samuel’s drive. He fought his way to a first down after initial contact, and also caught the pass that got the ball to the one yard line. From there it was only a question of when. The (ers had 23 rushing touchdowns this season, the most in the NFL
What We Learned in the First Quarter
That was a good first quarter for the Vikings, who withstood an opening drive by the ers, went down and scored for themselves and then forced a punt. Mike Zimmer’s defense started applying pressure on Garoppolo, who was sacked and also came up hobbling after he twisted his ankle. One thing to keep in mind about Garoppolo: he may be fragile. He suffered a serious shoulder injury when he was with the Patriots and blew out his A.C.L. last year. He is not necessarily a runner, but he has good mobility that helps him avoid pressure. When healthy, he can throw very well on the run.
How the Vikings Made Their First Score
Terrific response from the Vikings, who marched yards in 7 plays to even the score, 7-7. The touchdown came on a -yard pass from Cousins to Stefon Diggs as San Francisco defensive back Ahkello Witherspoon fell down and Diggs went back to get the pass and waltzed in untouched. It was a smart play by Diggs to turn back for the ball as Witherspoon hit the turf.
A key play was actually the third play of the drive when Cousins took the heat of a er rush and completed the pass for a first down. A punt there would have been disastrous. Cousins also took a crunching hit from Arik Armstead on a naked bootleg and completed that pass, too. That drive sent a message.
How the ers Made Their First Score
San Francisco took the lead on a Jimmy Garoppolo touchdown pass after a near-perfect first drive . They went yards in 8 plays and Garoppolo was 5 for 6, with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Kendrick Bourne on a simple slant.
One of the key matchups will be the San Francisco offense, designed by head coach Kyle Shanahan, against Minnesota’s defense, heavily influenced by Coach Mike Zimmer. San Francisco has the second-ranked offense in the league in terms of points scored (39. 9 per game) and the Vikings defense was ranked fifth in the NFL (18 .9 points per game). The er defense is also well regarded , with one of the best players in the league, Nick Bosa But it is trending in the wrong direction after a stout performance for much of the season. In the last four games, San Francisco has allowed an average of 31 .8 points per game.
Kirk Cousins Has a Lot to Prove
After going seven seasons without a playoff win, and with a reputation for choking in big games, Kirk Cousins enters the game with a chance at two huge wins in a row.
But against one of the best defenses is the league, is it too much to ask Cousins to pull off another stunning upset on the road?
Cousins went into the playoffs with an 0-1 record in the postseason (small sample size, indeed) and a 6 – 39 career record against winning teams as a starting quarterback. But he resembled Tom Brady when he led the Vikings to an unlikely win over the Saints in New Orleans, sealing the victory with a precision drive and a deft touchdown pass to Kyle Rudolph in overtime.
Critics will still point to Cousins’ overall record in big games, and some have even equated his 0-9 record on Monday nights as further indication of how he shrinks under pressure. We’ll see over the next three hours, but according to Vikings teammates, the choker label is unfair.
“All we’ve heard is Kirk Cousins this, Kirk Cousins that,” Rudolph told reporters after the electrifying win over the Saints. “Playoff games, big games on the road, so much nonsense. It takes 11 other guys on offense, and I said that all year long. ”
(****************************************************************************************** ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo’s Big Test
This is a long-awaited day for San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He was Tom Brady’s backup on two Super Bowl championship teams, but this is his first playoff start, so who knows how he will respond to that pressure. Garoppolo, 29, has a – 5 record as a starter in the regular season and is an excellent game manager who gets the ball out quickly as he whistles short slants over the middle for big yardage . Red Flags? He threw 14 interceptions this year but only three in his last six games. Perhaps the biggest knock on Jimmy G. is that he has small hands; he dropped the ball times this year, half of which went to the other team.
The Vikings’ Potent Weapon: Dalvin Cook********************
For Minnesota, the key to the game is to run the ball with Dalvin Cook – mostly up the gut against the ers fast, sideline-to-sideline defense. Cook had 181 yards and two touchdowns against the saints but san francisco held him to (yards on) carries when they played last year. If Cook gets rolling, it will open up the passing game, particularly for throws off fake runs (known in football parlance as play-action passes), one of Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins’s best grooves. Cousins is also adept at rolling out to either side, which keeps defenses from overcommitting. But all of this predicated on pounding with Cook, because when the 58 ers defensive line, led by Bosa and Arik Armstead, knows a pass is coming, it hunts quarterbacks. The Niners averaged three sacks per game, fifth most in the NFL
Injuries Could Stymie the Vikings
The Vikings go into the game with a few health issues, most notably receiver Adam Thielen, whose ankle was strafed in practice by the cleat of a teammate during the week leading up to the game. The injury required stitches and Thielen will no doubt play. But his mobility could be hampered, especially if a cagey defensive back looks to get his feet tangled up with Thielen’s at some point. Thielen is good, but he only caught 30 passes this year and the 49 ers will be more focused on wideout Stefon Diggs, who missed practices Tuesday and Wednesday with an illness. He is also expected to play and be fine. More worrying for the Vikings, their secondary is depleted with cornerback Mackensie Alexander out with a knee injury and safety Jayron Kearse out with toe and knee injuries.
************************** (The) ers Last Home Playoff Game? 2019
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