Back in January, the Green Bay Packers watched helplessly as the San Francisco 49ers relentlessly exploited a glaring weakness and protected their turnover-prone quarterback from disruption with a brilliant run-heavy attack in the NFC title game.
During a windy day at Lambeau Field on Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings essentially copied the blueprint to power an upset win over the Packers.
At Levi’s Stadium in January, the 49ers attempted only eight passes and ran for 285 yards on 42 attempts. Running back Raheem Mostert paved the way, rushing for 220 yards and scoring four touchdowns.
Vikings running back Dalvin Cook was certainly the star of the show on Sunday, rushing 30 times for 163 yards, gaining 226 total yards and scoring four total touchdowns, but the Vikings simply did to the Packers what the 49ers showed was possible in January.
Of Minnesota’s 49 plays, 30 were handoffs to Cook, and the Vikings attempted 34 total running plays overall. It was essentially a 70-30 split between runs and passes.
Kirk Cousins only attempted 14 passes. Not a single one was thrown over 10 yards down the field, according to Pro Football Focus. For comparison, Aaron Rodgers attempted 17. In fact, only eight of Cousins’ passes were thrown past the line of scrimmage.
The quick passing game all but buried the Packers’ pass-rush and kept Cousins out of harm’s way, all while limiting his chances of producing a turnover. The Packers had just two pressures all game, and one came on an unblocked bootleg that resulted in an easy sack for Dean Lowry.
Za’Darius Smith, the Packers’ star defender last season, didn’t have a single pressure and was essentially taken out of the game.
Cousins, who came into the contest leading the NFL in interceptions, never needed to force the ball in tough throwing conditions. He was protected, both by the playcalls and the effectiveness of the run game.
Despite not throwing the ball downfield, Cousins still averaged 11.4 yards per attempt, thanks in large part to a 50-yard touchdown by Cook on a screen play and several missed tackles by Packers defenders in the secondary.
Overall, the Packers missed 11 tackles, including seven by defensive backs.
Cook really was a star. He gained 111 yards and averaged 3.7 yards after contact, per PFF. He gained another 72 yards after the catch.
Overall, the Vikings had 121 yards after first contact in the run game and 132 yards after the catch on Sunday, an accurate portrayal of the Packers’ implosion on defense.
The meltdown by Mike Pettine’s defense in San Francisco last year was described by many, including the Packers’ own coaches, as something of a fluke, a performance that most others would struggle to emulate. The Vikings proved it’s possible to replicate.
And you can bet the 49ers will attempt a sequel on Thursday night.
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