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The San Francisco 49ers had a Bye Week in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. So they had to wait to see who they would be facing off with.
As it turns out, they will get the Minnesota Vikings in the Divisional Round.
This should be a pretty solid matchup. The 49ers started off the season unstoppable but hit a little bit of a speed bump near the end of the season. They bounced back nicely to win the division though.
Meanwhile, the Vikings started cold but got hot. A somewhat bumpy finish has already been rectified with a playoff victory.
This really is anyone's game. So why exactly will San Francisco win? Here are four reasons the 49ers could beat the Vikings in the Divisional Round.
Defense
The defense of the 49ers was fantastic for most of the year. They stumbled pretty hard at the end of the season, but overall was still one of the best.
San Francisco was still second-best in total yards allowed per game (281.8) and the 19.4 points per game still put them in eighth place in that category. The 49ers also ranked fifth in the NFL (tied with the Vikings) with 48 sacks. Finally, they were ranked sixth in the league with 27 takeaways.
This is a defense that can shut down any and every facet of your offense. They will lock down receivers, attack the quarterback and stifle running backs.
It's a team effort, but they also have absolute stars. Nick Bosa, for example, racked up 16.5 sacks all by himself. He demands extra attention, and that just makes the rest of the defense more dangerous.
There is no one single way to stop this defense. That makes them an asset and a reason the 49ers could win in the Divisional round.
Running Game
Something that can't be understated is the value of the running game for the 49ers. San Francisco has a lot of good things going for them. It's the running backs that carried the heavy load though.
At different times, Matt Breida, Tevin Coleman and Raheem Mostert all had massive games. They keep each other fresh, and if one is dominating they can take the brunt of the work. At the same time, if one is struggling, the 49ers have two other running backs to go to.
Coleman had the worst yards per carry of the three, with a 4.0 YPC. He also had six rushing touchdowns and had 21 receptions for another 180 yards and another touchdown.
Breida was next with a 5.1 YPC. He added one rushing touchdown to go along with 19 receptions for 120 yards and another score.
Finally, there's Mostert, who was the star of the group despite being the more unknown heading into the year. He had a ridiculous 5.6 YPC and eight rushing touchdowns. Mostert added 14 receptions for 180 yards and two more touchdowns.
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Any way you slice it, this running attack will eat you up. Have fun trying to stop all three, let alone one.
Kirk Cousins
I don't want to be that guy, but I'm going to be. Kirk Cousins was solid last week. However, was he really all that spectacular? Everyone is lauding it as Cousins' breakout game. The reason for that is his struggles are well-noted in “big” games.
His numbers in prime time games aren't great. He's also had a few stinkers in big must-win spots and that was his first playoff victory. It could very well be a stepping stone for Cousins. Maybe that's what he needed. He's now over the hump and ready to turn the page.
In that game, Cousins went 19-for-31 for 242 yards and one touchdown. The no turnovers part was really nice but other than that, that's a very average game. Especially considering it went into overtime.
Perhaps that's all Cousins needed and he can start producing big games in clutch situations. Maybe not though.
George Kittle
The 49ers running game is ridiculous. Their passing game still needs some work though. That being said, they do have one of the more dangerous weapons in the entire NFL in George Kittle.
Kittle creates such a matchup problem for any defense. Good luck having a cornerback cover him, he's going to bully them. If you put a linebacker on him, they won't be able to keep up. He has helped make things so much easier for Jimmy Garoppolo this season, and that will continue in the playoffs.
No, the 49ers aren't guaranteed a win here. However, if Kittle gets going, it's hard to stop him (and the offense). Once Kittle is going, the entire passing game gets opened up. That helps make things even easier for that deadly running back trio.
If Kittle gets hot, you don't really have much hope to beat the 49ers. So he's an obvious X-Factor this week.
