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49ers vs. Vikings: 5 bold Week 1 predictions for San Francisco

By Peter Panacy

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 23: The defense for the San Francisco 49ers lines up against the offense of the Minnesota Vikings during the third quarter on September 23, 2012 at Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings defeated the 49ers 24-13. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 23: The defense for the San Francisco 49ers lines up against the offense of the Minnesota Vikings during the third quarter on September 23, 2012 at Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings defeated the 49ers 24-13. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – AUGUST 18: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings warms up before the preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on August 18, 2018 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – AUGUST 18: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings warms up before the preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on August 18, 2018 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

No. 1: 49ers Help Continue Kirk Cousins’ Woes in Week 1

Kirk Cousins has never performed well in season-opening games.

He has three of them under his belt, all with the Washington Redskins, and none of them have been particularly great:

Kirk Cousins Week 1 Career Passing Table
Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass
Rk Year Date G# Age Tm Opp Result GS Cmp Att Cmp% Yds TD Int Rate Sk
15 2015 2015-09-13 1 27.025 WAS MIA L 10-17 * 21 31 67.74 196 1 2 68.7 1
31 2016 2016-09-12 1 28.024 WAS PIT L 16-38 * 30 43 69.77 329 0 2 72.7 0
47 2017 2017-09-10 1 29.022 WAS PHI L 17-30 * 23 40 57.50 240 1 1 72.9 4

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/6/2018.

Cousins is 0-3 in Week 1 starts. And he owns a 2-to-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio during that stretch.

Granted, the context is entirely different. Minnesota’s big free-agent pickup from the offseason has a slew of talented weapons, namely Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen and Kyle Rudolph. But Cousins is also operating under a new offensive coordinator and head coach. It’s anyone’s guess whether or not that winds up being a factor. But Cousins’ issues to kick off the season sure play into San Francisco’s favor.

This isn’t to say the Niners find a way to pull off a victory in Week 1. If they do, however, ensuring Cousins has yet another bad opening performance should be a major part of the equation.

The 49ers and Vikings kick off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 9 from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

49ers vs. Vikings: 3 reasons San Francisco wins Week 1. dark. Next

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