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Vikings vs. 49ers: 5 matchups to watch in NFC divisional round

By Peter Panacy

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 25: Cordarrelle Patterson #84 of the Minnesota Vikings gets knocked out of bounds at the three yard line by Tramaine Brock #26 of the San Francisco 49ers after Patterson gained six yards on a pass play in the third quarter at Candlestick Park on August 25, 2013 in San Francisco, California. The 49ers won the game 34-14. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 25: Cordarrelle Patterson #84 of the Minnesota Vikings gets knocked out of bounds at the three yard line by Tramaine Brock #26 of the San Francisco 49ers after Patterson gained six yards on a pass play in the third quarter at Candlestick Park on August 25, 2013 in San Francisco, California. The 49ers won the game 34-14. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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San Francisco 49ers and the Minnesota Vikings (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images) /

The San Francisco 49ers will host the Minnesota Vikings for the NFC divisional round, and these five matchups could go a long way in determining this NFL playoffs outcome.

It’s no longer a guess who the San Francisco 49ers will play in Round 2 of the 2020 NFL playoffs.

After pulling off a stunning 26-20 overtime victory on the road over the No. 3 seed, the New Orleans Saints, the Minnesota Vikings are advancing to the NFC divisional round and will travel to Levi’s Stadium to face off against the top-seeded Niners.

San Francisco, of course, enjoyed the benefits of a first-round playoff bye, thanks to its Week 17 road win over the Seattle Seahawks to close out the regular season.

This has afforded head coach Kyle Shanahan a bit of added time to prepare for whoever the 49ers would eventually face. But more importantly, it allowed a banged-up Niners squad to heal up and potentially get some players back from injury.

Of those, safety Jaquiski Tartt (ribs) and EDGE Dee Ford (quad, hamstring) appear poised to make a return after missing significant time to end the regular season. But the bigger news, as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Sunday, linebacker Kwon Alexander could be returning from what was initially thought to be a season-ending pectoral injury.

That’s a huge boost for San Francisco, and all three of these defenders help alleviate a unit which appeared to be leaking some oil down the stretch.

Minnesota, meanwhile, finished the regular season 10-6 and lost three of their last five contests. But the win in New Orleans suggests the Vikings are more than capable of pulling off yet another upset.

To prevent that from happening, here are five matchups the 49ers must win on Saturday.