3 reasons why Vikings aren’t a good playoff matchup for 49ers
By Peter Panacy
The San Francisco 49ers will host the No. 6 seed, the Minnesota Vikings, in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. But this matchup might not be one favorable to the Niners, and here are three reasons why.
It’s the No. 1 seed, the San Francisco 49ers, at home against the No. 6 and final seed in the NFC, the Minnesota Vikings, in the divisional round. This, after the Vikings pulled off a massive upset on the road in the Wild Card round over the heavily favored New Orleans Saints.
In the NBA playoffs, the final seed almost never has a shot for a win against the top seed. And while the Niners sit as seven-point favorites for this divisional bout, according to the Action Network, the Vikings’ stunning upset in New Orleans shows they’re more than capable an opponent for head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co.
Interestingly enough, the two teams are similarly ranked, even though San Francisco finished 13-3, while Minnesota went 10-6 in the regular season. Shanahan’s offense finished No. 2 overall in scoring, but the Vikings were still respectable, coming in at No. 8. Flipping over to the other side of the ball, Minnesota actually had a better scoring defense than the Niners, finishing fifth best, while the 49ers ranked eighth.
And as our friend Akash Anavarathan over at Niners Nation pointed out, both teams’ DVOA ratings, according to Football Outsiders, are quite similar:
DVOA ranks:
— Akash Anavarathan (@akashanav) January 6, 2020
SF total off: 7
SF rush off: 13
SF pass off: 8
MIN total def: 7
MIN rush def: 9
MIN pass def: 7
SF total def: 2
SF rush def: 11
SF pass def: 2
MIN total off: 10
MIN rush off: 15
MIN pass off: 10
MIN, SF and BAL are the only teams in Top-10 total OFF/DEF DVOA.
Needless to say, the Vikings actually present quite the tough challenge to the 49ers in this matchup. And while the Niners can count on a number of bonuses and benefits, including reinforcements coming back from injury and the added bye week from Round 1, these three aspects from Minnesota are things Shanahan and Co. need to worry about.