Chris and Kyle discuss what the 49ers did well in their win over the Vikings, and how that translates to the NFC championship vs. Green Bay.
The 49ers looked like a team on a mission in a methodical 27-10 beatdown of the Minnesota Vikings in the divisional playoffs.
Chris Biderman of the Sacramento Bee and Kyle Madson take a look back at the 49ers’ win and discuss some of the things that went right for San Francisco. The guys also assess what big picture takeaways they had that will matter for the 49ers going through the playoffs.
They wrap with a quick look ahead to the NFC championship against the Packers, and chat about how Green Bay managed to stave off the Seahawks in the divisional playoffs.
Dee Ford and Kwon Alexander got to ease back into action thanks to a dominant showing from the 49ers’ defense.
The 49ers defense made life easy for themselves Saturday in a 27-10 win over the Vikings in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. Their performance in which they allowed just seven first downs and 147 total yards meant a light workload for the finally-healthy unit.
San Francisco’s defense was so dominant that they held the Vikings to just 46 offensive snaps. That was the fewest they played since their Week 5 win over the Browns, which coincidentally also came after a bye week.
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The low snap count meant the 49ers defense had a relatively light work day. That was especially important for players like Dee Ford, Kwon Alexander and Jaquiski Tartt who were all coming off injuries and seeing their first action in several weeks.
Tartt didn’t miss a beat. He played all 46 of the downs the 49ers defense was on the field. That’s not a huge surprise since the bye week effectively let him get back to full strength after a rib injury in Week 13 sidelined him for the rest of the regular season.
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Ford and Alexander were the two big question marks though.
Ford was used a a pass-rush specialist and played 22 snaps, good for 48 percent. That raw snap count actually falls in line with the number he was playing prior to his Week 11 hamstring injury. After Week 1 when he played 40 snaps, he didn’t eclipse 26 the rest of the year due to a lingering quad injury.
Getting him to emerge healthy from Saturday’s game is significant given the impact he has on the 49ers’ pass rush. He recorded a sack late in the first half and was around the quarterback a lot in his limited action. It’s within reason to think he’ll land between 22 and 30 snaps the rest of the postseason, even if his hamstring is 100 percent healed.
Alexander took over the Sam linebacker spot from Azeez Al-Shaair in his return from a torn pectoral. Dre Greenlaw stayed at Will linebacker, which belonged to Alexander prior to his injury. Getting Alexander in at the Sam spot allowed the 49ers to use him significantly, but on fewer snaps than if he played Will.
Alexander saw action on 25 snaps, which comes out to 54 percent. Greenlaw was in for 39 plays. The 54 percent falls in line with the amount Mark Nzeocha played at the Sam spot in the 49ers’ Week 1 loss to the Vikings a year ago.
It’ll be interesting to see how the 49ers deploy Alexander moving forward. It’s unlikely their base defense with a third linebacker on the field will be used as much against their next opponent, so Alexander’s role could change going into the NFC championship.
Here are the full snap counts for the 49ers on both sides of the ball, provided by NFL GSIS:
Tevin Coleman took over Saturday vs. the Vikings and had his best game since October.
Tevin Coleman entered the 49ers’ divisional playoff game vs. the Vikings in a bit of a slump. He broke out of that slump in a big way Saturday with his best outing since October. Coleman was one of only a few 49ers with experience in the NFL playoffs, and that experience paid off with a showing that eclipsed his last five weeks of production.
Between Weeks 13-17, Coleman had just 22 carries for 96 yards and no touchdowns. His game-high for carries in that span was five, and nearly a third of those yards came on a 30-yard run vs. the Vikings. That means outside that run, he had 66 yards in his last 21 carries.
He blew those numbers away Saturday. Coleman ran it 22 times for 105 yards and two touchdowns. All three of those numbers were playoff career highs.
Perhaps there was an undisclosed injury, or Coleman was simply experiencing the wear and tear of the regular season, but the bye week appears to have rejuvenated him.
Saturday was reminiscent of Coleman’s first five games where he averaged 14.2 carries, 66.4 four yards and one touchdown per game. San Francisco averaged 28.4 points per game in those contests.
The 49ers’ rushing attack is capable of being one of the NFL’s best, and that’s especially true with Coleman rolling like he did Saturday. Running the ball that effectively is a great way to string together wins in January.
Richard Sherman’s big day against the Vikings in the divisional playoffs earned him a drug test from the NFL.
The 49ers’ defense had one of its most dominant showings of the year in their playoff opener against the Vikings. They held Minnesota to 147 yards, and veteran cornerback Richard Sherman notched an interception for the defense’s lone takeaway of the contest.
Sherman, 31, played in his first playoff game since 2017 and continued his outstanding season that culminated in a Second-Team All-Pro nod. His interception went with his usual uneventful day because quarterback Kirk Cousins didn’t target Sherman often.
The performance was enough to earn Sherman a post-game drug test according to a tweet from the cornerback:
Hahahaha ball out and get the double dip…. PED and HGH tests…. hahaha gotta love it …
However, Sherman is playing some of the best football of his career coming off an Achilles injury and reaching an age where cornerbacks typically see a steep decline. If the NFL was going to administer drug tests based on performances, Sherman’s postseason dominance would certainly warrant one.
Sherman tweeted later that he doesn’t mind the tests aside from the fact they require a blood draw.
Oh I will… just hate giving blood lol. Mostly because I don’t know where it’s going lol
In his postgame press conference, Sherman explained how he came up with his interception. It involved strong technique combined with the exceptional football IQ that’s allowed Sherman to remain one of the best corners in the league for a decade.
“Yeah, we were in man,” he said. “It was third down. He gave me an inside release. Gave me a little bit too much at the top of the route. I knew what the route was. I beat him to the spot. Kirk (Cousins) threw a very catchable ball, appreciate it, and I was able to make the play.”
It doesn’t sound like HGH or PEDs are necessary to make that happen, but Sherman may find himself the subject of another test if he continues playing this well through the rest of the postseason.
The 49ers crushed the Vikings and are on to the NFC championship game.
The 49ers obliterated the Ravens 27-10 in a divisional playoff game that wasn’t as close as the score indicated. San Francisco dominated every facet, and save two plays by Minnesota, they dominated every play Saturday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium.
With the 49ers moving on in the playoffs, we have six takeaways from Saturday:
NFC championship bound
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
The 49ers are headed back to the NFC championship for the first time since 2014, when they went for a third-consecutive time. It’ll be their first NFC championship game at home since 2012 when they fell to the New York Giants at Candlestick Park.
San Francisco doesn’t know their opponent just yet. They await Sunday’s NFC divisional round game between the Seahawks and Packers. The 49ers went 1-1 vs. Seattle this season with a loss at home in Week 10 and a thrilling win in Seattle in Week 17. San Francisco thumped the Packers 37-8 at home in Week 12.
Nick Bosa was having a huge game vs. the Vikings. His first sack was only a matter of time.
The 49ers’ defensive line is cooking now that they’ve taken a three-score lead and the Vikings are forced to be one-dimensional.
San Francisco got Kirk Cousins on a third-and-8 early in the fourth quarter to force a Vikings punt after the 49ers kicked a field goal to go up 27-10. Nick Bosa got home this time with the team’s third sack of the day.
The 49ers run game is on fire Saturday in the divisional playoffs.
Tevin Coleman struggled for the final nine games of the year. He averaged just over 3.0 yards per carry and only found the end zone once.
He didn’t struggle Saturday in the divisional playoffs against the Vikings. He plowed in from two yards out for his second touchdown of the game after San Francisco ran it eight times on their eight-play, 44-yard drive.
Coleman after the touchdown has 67 yards on 14 carries with a pair of scores. His 67 yards are his most since rushing for 105 against Carolina in Week 8. His 14 carries are his most since Week 7 vs. Washington.
Richard Sherman grabbed an interception off Kirk Cousins early in the second half in the divisional playoffs.
The 49ers defense got on the board in the turnover column on the Vikings’ first series of the second half. On a third-and-9, Kirk Cousins tried to find Adam Thielen matched up against Richard Sherman. Sherman had perfect coverage, and Cousins’ throw went directly to the 49ers’ cornerback.
Dee Ford came up with a big sack late in the first half Saturday.
Dee Ford didn’t play a lot in the first half against the Vikings, but he still came up with a big play.
The Vikings had the ball deep in 49ers territory late in the first half facing a third-and-11 after a Jimmy Garoppolo interception. Ford lined up on the same side as Nick Bosa and flew through the line for a sack to force a Vikings field goal.
