Niner Noise
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49ers vs. Vikings: Week 1 preview for San Francisco

By Chris Wilson

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - AUGUST 27: Latavius Murray #25 of the Minnesota Vikings carries the ball against D.J. Jones #96 and Tank Carradine #95 of the San Francisco 49ers during the second quarter in the preseason game on August 27, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - AUGUST 27: Latavius Murray #25 of the Minnesota Vikings carries the ball against D.J. Jones #96 and Tank Carradine #95 of the San Francisco 49ers during the second quarter in the preseason game on August 27, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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San Francisco 49ers Minnesota Vikings 2018 Week 1 preview
Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images /

The San Francisco 49ers kick off the 2018 NFL regular season with a difficult road game against the Minnesota Vikings. Niner Noise previews the 49ers’ Week 1 matchup, including key stats, players to watch, X-factors, injury news and how to watch the game live.

The San Francisco 49ers begin the 2018 NFL regular season with perhaps their most difficult matchup of the year on paper — a visit to Minnesota to take on the Vikings, who won the NFC North last season with a league-leading 13 regular-season victories.

Given that today’s matchup is the first game of the year, we can’t call it a true “GPS game,” but a victory for the visiting 49ers would make a strong opening statement for San Francisco to begin the 2018 season.

Adding to the intrigue of today’s game will be the regular-season debut of Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, who signed an unprecedented three-year, $84 million guaranteed contract this offseason when the six-year veteran finally hit free agency.

It was widely expected that Cousins would don the red and gold for San Francisco in 2018, given 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan’s affinity for the former Washington Redskins QB. But the Niners now have their own franchise quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo, who Shanahan and 49ers general manager John Lynch obtained from the New England Patriots via trade last season.

Shanahan was slow to warm to his new QB, but after Garoppolo won all five of his starts for the 49ers to end the 2017 regular season, it became obvious that Garoppolo was San Francisco’s quarterback of the future. In February, the Niners’ brass signed Garoppolo to a sizable five-year deal that made him the face of the franchise, and ended the possibility of a reunion between Shanahan and his former protegé, Cousins.

With the 49ers no longer in the market for a franchise quarterback, the Vikings jumped at the opportunity to sign Cousins. While he was erratic during his time in Washington, Cousins was certainly the best quarterback available in free agency this offseason, and Minnesota paid handsomely for his services.

Is Cousins the missing piece the Vikings need for a Super Bowl run in 2018? Or did Minnesota make a mistake by giving a quarterback with a career losing record one of the richest contracts in the history of the NFL?

After opening as 5-point favorites, the Minnesota Vikings are currently favored over the visiting San Francisco 49ers by just under a touchdown, at 6.5 points.

Let’s break down some important statistics for the San Francisco 49ers’ first game of the 2018 NFL regular season: