The San Francisco 49ers have ruled the NFC in recent seasons. The Minnesota Vikings believe they’re building something special under head coach Kevin O’Connell. The two clubs will meet on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in what is a true litmus test for the Vikings.
Coming off impressive season-opening wins and featuring a plethora of star players, the 49ers and Vikings provide the NFL with one of its marquee Week 2 matchups.
Here’s a preview of the game, complete with predictions from Pro Football Network’s stable of analysts and writers.
San Francisco 49ers vs. Minnesota Vikings Game Preview
There is a lot of football left to be played in the 2024 season. Destiny does not hinge on the outcome of Sunday’s contest for either the Vikings or the 49ers. But the final result on Sunday, and in particular how exactly that result came to be, will be telling for Minnesota.
In the 49ers, the Vikings face an opponent who has played in four conference title games since 2019, winning twice. San Francisco has qualified for the postseason in four of Shanahan’s seven seasons, including in each of the past three.
The 49ers have been where the Vikings are trying to go. O’Connell knows this. It’s exactly why he altered his approach to training camp this year, choosing to create a more competitive and physical atmosphere than in his first two camps in Minnesota.
The Vikings responded to their head coach’s demand for physical play last week in New York, throttling the Giants consistently in short-yardage and condensed-field situations. San Francisco did the same, running the ball at will against the New York Jets and holding quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the lowest time-of-possession figure in his career.
When the Vikings and 49ers meet on Sunday, there will be a bevy of talented skill-position players who will likely make dozens of highlight-caliber plays that dazzle the crowd and perhaps even light up the scoreboard. But make no mistake, the tenor of the game will be one of physicality. Ball security, sure tackling, and control of the line of scrimmage will determine the outcome.
3 49ers vs. Vikings Matchups That Matter
49ers Edge Nick Bosa vs. Vikings Right Tackle Brian O’Neill
In terms of 1-on-1 matchups in this game, the premier battle will be between 49ers left defensive end Nick Bosa and Vikings right tackle Brian O’Neill.
Bosa was the No. 2 overall pick in 2019 and won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors that season. He’s also been named NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2022). The All Pro edge rusher has 53.5 career sacks, 10 forced fumbles, and eight pass breakups in his career.
O’Neill has been a stalwart on the Vikings’ offensive line since he was selected in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. At 6’7″, 310 pounds, O’Neill has the frame to handle powerful rushers and run defenders. But as a former tight end who transitioned to offensive tackle, O’Neill consistently demonstrates the foot quickness and athleticism to handle explosive pass rushers who scream off the edge, such as Bosa.
It’s a sure thing that O’Neill will be lined up at right tackle every snap on Sunday. Bosa, on the other hand, has moved around the formation in his career. But that’s where this matchup gets interesting.
In three career games against the Vikings, Bosa has 13 tackles and three sacks. It’s worth noting, however, that two of those three sacks and six of the 13 tackles came in the 2019 Divisional Round playoff game when Bosa lined up primarily as the right defensive end against then-Vikings left tackle Riley Reiff.
In two games against the Vikings as the 49ers left defensive end, Bosa has seven tackles and one sack. The sack came in the 2021 matchup between these two teams, but Bosa lined up on the right side of San Francisco’s formation and beat Vikings left tackle Christian Darrisaw for the sack.
How often will the 49ers move Bosa around the formation, perhaps in an effort to free him up from O’Neill? And, when they do line up against one another, can O’Neill maintain his edge? The answers to those two questions will play a large factor in the outcome of the game.
Kyle Shanahan + Wide Receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. vs. Brian Flores + Safety Josh Metellus
For those into the chess match of football, the 49ers vs. Vikings matchup offers a beauty as 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan schemes against Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. It’s not that the two players called out in this matchup will necessarily battle one another consistently; rather, it’s that these two players represent arguably their respective coach’s most versatile piece on the board.
For Shanahan and the 49ers, it’s Deebo Samuel Sr. He’s listed as a wide receiver but is trusted by Shanahan to play multiple positions. Aside from playing any of the various receiver positions, Samuel is also deployed as a running back and is trusted to handle the ball via direct snaps and with reverses.
The diverse skill set Samuel possesses along with the imaginative ways of Shanahan make Samuel a tough guard for any defense and a near-impossible player to neutralize, especially with a single defender à la a shutdown cornerback.
Last Monday night against the Jets, with starting running back Christian McCaffrey inactive, it was Jordan Mason in the headlines. But Samuel’s impact was significant too. He received a 74% snap share, playing more snaps than any other receiver and only five fewer snaps than Mason. Samuel scored a touchdown on a run and also hauled in five catches for 54 yards on nine targets.
Josh Metellus is the defensive version of Samuel. In 2023, Metellus lined up at every level of the defense, including as a defensive linemen in some of Flores’ creative sub-packages.
There is quote after quote from Flores about Metellus’ intelligence, instincts, and versatility, which allow the Vikings’ defensive coaching staff to find creative ways to neutralize offensive threats.
Although listed as a safety, Metellus made one of his best plays last week in New York while lined up as a linebacker when he moved swiftly to his right to dive and break up an intermediate throw from Daniel Jones that initially looked like an easy pitch and catch for a first down.
While Samuel and especially Metellus aren’t always in the headlines, you can be sure their names were mentioned early and often this week in meeting rooms at both the 49ers and Vikings practice facilities.
49ers Defensive Tackles vs. Vikings Interior Offensive Line
The Vikings are no strangers to facing quality defensive lines. They did so last week in New York, where edge rushers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux team up with nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II to cause plenty of problems.
It’s a different challenge this week for Minnesota, though. The Giants feature an odd-man front. It’s a 3-4 scheme where Lawrence anchors as a two-gapping nose tackle. The 49ers pose double the problems for the Vikings’ interior, with an even-man front that features a pair of one-gap penetrating defensive tackles in Maliek Collins and Javon Hargrave.
The schematic change necessitates changes to techniques and rules for the Vikings’ offensive line, particularly for starting guards Blake Brandel and Ed Ingram and center Garrett Bradbury.
While the scheme is different, the result of effective play by the defensive tackle position is the same. When Collins and Hargrave do their job, one or both of two things happen. First, they knife into the backfield to disrupt runs and pressure the quarterback. Secondly, they occupy the attention of three interior linemen, which allows the linebackers behind them to run free and make plays.
The Jets were unable to mitigate this issue on Monday night, and the result was 49ers linebackers De’Vondre Campbell and Fred Warner impacting the game significantly. They were the team’s two leading tacklers, and Warner added a forced fumble to his stat line.
If the Vikings struggle similarly, it’ll be a long day for quarterback Sam Darnold and running back Aaron Jones.
3 49ers-Vikings Stats From TruMedia
Stat: The Vikings played a league-high 88.2% of their defensive snaps in zone coverage in Week 1.
Analysis: Since the beginning of the 2023 season, Brock Purdy has fared better versus man coverage than versus zone. He has a 13-1 touchdown-interception ratio and a 127.9 passer rating versus man coverage in that time, compared to a 12-10 ratio and 101.7 rating against zone.
Stat: In seven career games against Shanahan and the 49ers, Jones has two touchdowns and one 100-yard rushing game.
Analysis: Jones was a clear standout in the Vikings’ season-opening win last week in New York, rushing for 94 yards and a touchdown. O’Connell will have to do something different with Jones than the running back’s previous coaches have done against Shanahan to create a similar impact for the Vikings this week.
Stat: The 49ers have lost the turnover battle in just three of their past 28 regular season games.
Analysis: In that same span, the Vikings have lost the turnover battle 20 times. As a six-point underdog at home and against one of the NFL’s elite teams since 2017, the Vikings must clean up this aspect of their performance or else face the consequence of another long day and potential home-opening loss (they lost the 2023 home opener to Tampa Bay).
49ers vs. Vikings Predictions
David Bearman (12-5 in Week 1): 49ers
Adam Beasley (12-5): 49ers
Brian Blewis (10-7): 49ers
Tony Catalina (13-4): 49ers
Anthony DiBona (10-7): 49ers
Mike Gambardella (13-4): 49ers
Jay Morrison (13-4): Vikings
Dakota Randall (12-5): 49ers
Dallas Robinson (12-5): 49ers
Ben Rolfe (10-7): 49ers
Kyle Soppe (11-6): 49ers
Dan Tomaro (13-4): 49ers
Mike Wobschall (12-5): 49ers
Dakota Zientek (13-4): 49ers