The San Francisco 49ers open their NFL season by traveling to Minneapolis to play the Minnesota Vikings Vikings at U.S Bank Stadium.
This is a tough challenge for the Niners as they are facing a team that early in the season is being considered a legitimate contender in the NFC and is even picked to go deep in the playoffs this year.
The Vikings have a very talented defense supporting a very explosive offense that has plenty of firepower to throw at their opponents. It’s a very balanced roster all over that will give opposing coaches plenty of headaches.
So how can the 49ers win this game?
1.- They need to contain RB Dalvin Cook: He’s a legit threat that showed a lot of promise before getting hurt last season. He’s looking to stay healthy and rebound from his season-ending injury in week 4. The 49ers need to keep him in check all game long because he’s the catalyst of the Vikings offense. If he gets rolling he opens the play action down the field to the likes of wide receivers Kyle Rudolph, Stephon Diggs, and Adam Thielen.
2.- Rough Up Stephon Diggs and Adam Thielen: Once the Niners control Cook they should try to play some press coverage against Diggs and Thielen to rough them up and get them off their routes and prevent them from connecting with quarterback Kirk Cousins.
3.- Running back Alfred Morris has to get going: If the 49ers want to silence the crowd and keep the Vikes offense off the field they need to control the time of possession and what better way to do it than with a solid ground game. If Morris can get in a rhythm early he will open things up for Marquise Goodwin and Pierre Garcon and that will help Jimmy Garopollo lead the offense to deep drives into Minnesota territory.
