49ers vs. Vikings: 3 ways San Francisco bullies Minnesota
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: 49ers must line Nick Bosa up opposite Vikings Christian Darrisaw
When these two teams met last in the playoffs two seasons ago, San Francisco sacked Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins six times. Interestingly enough, Minnesota has done a good job protecting its quarterback in 2021, as Cousins has taken only 14 sacks this season, towards the bottom of all NFL starters through 11 weeks.
That said, the right side of the Vikings offensive line remains a bit of a liability, and rookie left tackle Christian Darrisaw is a player the 49ers would be wise to exploit in pass protection.
Namely by lining should-be All-Pro EDGE Nick Bosa opposite him.
According to Pro Football Focus, Darrisaw has already surrendered two sacks and 13 pressures this year en route to a sub-par 53.7 pass-blocking grade. And while there have been moments where the first-round Vikings NFL Draft pick has looked impressive, he still has a long way to go with his growth.
Recently, the Niners have been moving Bosa around the formation, which isn’t a bad idea in itself. Now with 10 sacks notched on his belt, along with a league-high 15 tackles for a loss, San Francisco’s simpler approach should merely be to overwhelm Darrisaw to the point of embarrassment.
Cousins’ passer rating when pressured is only 79.0 anyway, so this should be a matchup Bosa and the 49ers look to exploit.