49ers: 3 Vikings players Niners must stop in NFC divisional round

If Wild Card weekend has taught the San Francisco 49ers anything, it’s to not take the Minnesota Vikings lightly… at all. Niner Noise highlights three players the 49ers can’t overlook, if they want to move on in the playoffs.

Wild Card weekend certainly lived up to its name: Wild. 

Luckily, the San Francisco 49ers didn’t have to participate in the first round of the playoffs, as they earned themselves the bye. The break was much-needed for a banged up crew.

Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders finally got a week off after being traded to the 49ers after their bye week. Standout linebacker Kwon Alexander took advantage of the extra time to allow himself a chance to play in the 49ers’ first playoff game at Levi’s Stadium.

The Minnesota Vikings did the unthinkable, but not impossible, by upsetting the New Orleans Saints on the road. The odds were certainly against the Vikings, but they were able to push past their opponent to face the 49ers in the NFC divisional round.

The 49ers and Vikings are actually fairly similar. Both offenses rank near each other in many categories like points for, passing touchdowns, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and percentage of drives ending in an offensive score.

With such similarities between the two teams, the 49ers defense will have the slight advantage. With many healthy bodies coming back like Alexander, safety Jaquiski Tartt, and defensive end Dee Ford, the 49ers will finally have all their weapons available.

The 49ers will need everybody to pay attention to Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, running back Dalvin Cook, and receiver Adam Thielen. All three of these stars played a huge role in upsetting the Saints. These guys had a relatively so-so year but really lit it up in the Wild Card game.

Vikings fans were waiting for them to all jell, and if the 49ers aren’t careful, they could make it back-to-back road upsets.