The No. 6 seed Minnesota Vikings head west to take on the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers in the NFL divisional round of the playoffs on Saturday. The all-time series is tied 23-23-1, but the Vikings have won four of the last five meetings, including a 24-16 home victory back in 2018. Ironically, the only 49ers victory during that time span came in 2015 on their home turf. Can San Francisco continue its magical season or will Minnesota play spoiler for the second straight weekend?
[protected-iframe id=”3d34b8e26c745c8e6901f7a904fe7b22-58289342-150719707″ info=”https://fubo-preview.global.ssl.fastly.net/lp/preview/index-lite.html?params=irad%3D557541%26irmp%3D1205322%26pack%3Dfubotv-basic&page_slug=NBC” style=”max-width: 640px;” width = “100%”]
Vikings vs. 49ers
- When: Saturday, January 11
- Time: 4:35 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
Minnesota advanced to the NFL divisional round after a thrilling 26-20 overtime win against the Saints in New Orleans. Drew Brees and company tied it up as time expired in the fourth quarter, but it was Kirk Cousins who stepped up for the Vikings who had the first possession in overtime. Minnesota fell short last year and there were questions as to the ability of Cousins to win the big game. He completed 19 of 31 passes for 242 yards and one touchdown, 129 of those yards to wide receiver Adam Thielen. Running back Dalvin Cook carried the load with 28 carries for 94 yards and two touchdowns. They face the NFL’s top-ranked defense this weekend in San Francisco. Minnesota was 10 of 18 on third down and controlled the time of possession against New Orleans. It won’t be easy, but many didn’t have them winning in the first round. If they can keep that momentum on offense, they will have success.
Defensively, The Vikings did an excellent job containing Drew Brees, Michael Thomas, and a potent Saints offense. They forced two turnovers and sacked Brees three times, including a key stop by Danielle Hunter, which caused him to fumble and Jalyn Holmes to recover it on the Minnesota 36-yard line. Hunter finished the game with five tackles and one and a half sacks, while Eversen Griffin chipped in three tackles and an additional one and a half sacks. Opponents are averaging 16.9 points per game against the Vikings. If they can limit the 49ers offense, they have a chance at pulling off the upset.
Expect the 49ers on offense to pound the ball with running backs Raheem Mostert and Matt Breida. They also boast one of the best tight ends in the league in George Kittle, who has 85 catches for 1,054 yards on the season. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is an excellent game manager and should put them in a position to advance to the NFC Championship game.
The 49ers don’t have to put up a slew of points with the defensive front seven they have. Defensive ends Arik Armstead, Nick Bosa, DeForest Buckner, and Dee Ford have a combined 33 sacks on the season. San Francisco has no problem pressuring the quarterback and should be in the face of Kirk Cousins all game long.
We recommend interesting sports viewing and streaming opportunities. If you sign up to a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.