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

By Robert Morrison

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 11: Dee Ford #55 of the San Francisco 49ers sacks Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings during the NFC Divisional Round Playoff game at Levi's Stadium on January 11, 2020 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 11: Dee Ford #55 of the San Francisco 49ers sacks Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings during the NFC Divisional Round Playoff game at Levi's Stadium on January 11, 2020 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 11: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 and the San Francisco 49ers line (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 11: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 and the San Francisco 49ers line (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

No. 2: Offensive Line Play

There’s been a healthy dose of turnover in the San Francisco 49ers’ offensive line situation throughout this season. Tackles Joe Staley and Mike McGlinchey both missed time with injuries early in the regular season.

Guard Mike Person missed a few games, and the unit lost center Weston Richburg to injury for the year a few weeks ago.

At times, the offensive line situation has felt like a war of attrition for the 49ers, as only guard Laken Tomlinson has started every game so far this season. All that said, the unit was great collectively in both run blocking and pass protection on Saturday against a formidable Vikings defensive line.

Minnesota’s defense forced just one tackle for loss, three quarterback hits, and just two sacks. It never really seemed like either quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo or any of the 49ers running backs were very troubled in attempting to do what they wanted to do.

Of the 49ers’ offensive grades, according to PFF, all five starting offensive lineman finished in the top ten on the team, with overall grades ranging from 66.0 (Laken Tomlinson) to 82.8 (center Ben Garland).

The grades aren’t as pretty for pass blocking, but the eye test and the Vikings’ pressure numbers (just eight for the game) suggest they did the job they needed to do.

The run blocking grades were solid, too, including a near-elite showing from McGlinchey (89.6), who had a rough go of it early on as a pass blocker.

And, of course, the 49ers’ rushing yards are the biggest indicator of how well the unit played against the Vikings.