49ers vs Vikings: 4 things that went right for the 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers crushed the Minnesota Vikings in their divisional playoff matchup, 27-10. In winning a game like this, a lot has to go right for the victorious team. Let’s focus on the four most important successes.

After earning a bye week and the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers systematically picked apart the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday, smashing the Wild Card round winners 27-10 in the franchise’s first playoff game at Levi’s Stadium.

It took a full team effort to keep the Vikings, which ranked among the top teams in Football Outsiders’ DVoA metric on both sides of the ball, at bay.

Thankfully, the defense held star running back Dalvin Cook, quarterback Kirk Cousins, and wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen quiet for most of the afternoon.

And while the offensive numbers were not staggering, the 49ers controlled the ball and did almost whatever they wanted throughout the game.

Given the thorough nature of the defeat, it stands to reason that there were a great deal of positives to highlight from both sides of the ball for the 49ers.

Here are the four most notable units that stepped up, and thus game plans that went well, for the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday.