Niner Noise
FanSided

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) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
Garrett Celek, Mike McGlinchey, 49ers
Garrett Celek #88 and Mike McGlinchey #69 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

No. 4: Mike McGlinchey vs. Danielle Hunter

In order for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to get the ball to Deebo Samuel, the 49ers offensive line will have to keep its signal-caller upright against a Vikings defense, which finished tied for fifth with San Francisco with 48 sacks in the regular season.

Minnesota has two prolific pass-rushers, Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter, who had eight and 14.5 sacks during the regular season, respectively.

Griffen will primarily line up opposite left tackle Joe Staley, which seems to play enough into the 49ers’ favor, as Staley has reverted back to one of the team’s best pass blockers. Hunter, a 2019 Pro Bowler, will be facing off against right tackle Mike McGlinchey for the majority of the contest.

According to Pro Football Focus, McGlinchey was tagged with five of the 36 sacks the Niners gave up over the course of the season, and his 22 pressures allowed on the year was second only to the 23 allowed by fill-in tackle Justin Skule.

If there is a positive, McGlinchey has shown some serious growth in pass protection, compared to what he offered during his rookie 2018 season.

That said, McGlinchey staving off a very potent pass rush from Hunter will be one of the keys for San Francisco in the divisional round.