San Francisco 49ers @ Minnesota Vikings: A Prospector's Guide
by David Fucillo on Sep 23, 2009 8:00 AM PDT
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We return with the newest Prospector's Guide. This is a particularly interesting matchup in Week 3, and one might say a showdown of sorts. The 2-0 49ers travel to Minnesota to face the 2-0 Vikings in a battle for NFC supremacy! Ok, maybe that's exaggerating it a bit much. However, the winner of this game will definitely be getting a lot of buzz at 3-0. I would actually think the 49ers would generate more buzz given that it would be a big road victory and not many folks (including yours truly) see 3-0 in this team's future. If they do pull it out, big props to ProfessorBigelow for going with his heart in the early predictions. We'll revisit those predictions at the quarter turn after week 4, but for now we're both on the money with our 2-0 predictions.
The 49ers travel to Minnesota for the first time since 2003 to play the Vikings in what will be the 44th contest between the two teams, dating back to 1961. San Francisco holds a 22-20-1 advantage over Minnesota in the series. The Vikings won the last contest in 2007 at Candlestick Park, 27-7.
Last week, San Francisco defeated Seattle, 23-10, at Candlestick Park. In that game, RB Frank Gore rushed for 207 yards on 16 carries, which included touchdown carries of 79 and 80 yards. San Francisco’s defense limited the Seahawks to 10 points after allowing only 16 points a week prior against the Cardinals. The 26 points allowed rank 5th in the NFL after two games, and the 148 points allowed over the last nine games rank 4th in the NFL during that time span.
The 49ers have won seven of their last nine games, dating back to 2008. With a win last week, Hill improved his career record as a starter to 9-3, which includes a perfect 6-0 record when playing at home. Since head coach Mike Singletary took over the 49ers midway through.
49ers-Vikings Connections
Coaches
• 49ers head coach Mike Singletary and Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier were teammates with the Chicago Bears, including on their Super Bowl XX Championship team.
• 49ers defensive coordinator Greg Manusky and Vikings tight ends coach Jimmie Johnson were teammates with the Washington Redskins and Kansas City Chiefs. Manusky was Vikings LB Ben Leber’s position coach with the San Diego Chargers.
• 49ers tight ends coach Pete Hoener and Vikings defensive line coach Karl Dunbar coached together on the Chicago Bears staff in 2004.
• 49ers wide receivers/senior asst. coach Jerry Sullivan coached at Ohio State with Vikings linebackers coach Fred Pagac in 1991.
• 49ers secondary coach Vance Joseph coached at Colorado with Vikings running backs coach Eric Bieniemy.
• 49ers WR Arnaz Battle played for the Fighting Irish when Vikings quarterbacks coach Kevin Rogers was the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for Notre Dame.
Players
FORMER 49ERS - K Ryan Longwell entered the NFL in 1997 as an undrafted free agent with the 49ers … Wide receivers coach George Stewart coached in San Francisco for seven seasons (1996-2002) and was a part of five playoff teams … Offensive line coach Pat Morris spent seven seasons (1997-2003) on the 49ers coaching staff and was part of four playoff teams.
FORMER VIKINGS - QB Shaun Hill played for the Vikings for four seasons (2002-05) after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent … Defensive coordinator Greg Manusky played linebacker for the Vikings from 1991-93.
VIKINGS NOR CAL CONNECTIONS - K Ryan Longwell played at the University of California – Berkeley from 1993-96 … S Eric Frampton was a standout at Oak Grove High in San Jose, CA.
TEXAS TWO-STEP – 49ers CB Tarell Brown patrolled the defensive secondary alongside Vikings CB Cedric Griffin at Texas from 2003-05.
BUCKEYE! - 49ers CB Nate Clements and Vikings CB Antoine Winfield were teammates for a season at Ohio State. The two went on to play together with the Buffalo Bills from 2001-03.
TERP TANDEMS - 49ers QB Shaun Hill, Vikings LB E.J. Henderson and FB Jeff Dugan were teammates at the University of Maryland. 49ers TE Vernon Davis also played with Vikings FS Madieu Williams from 2003-04.
Series Highlights
Matchups: 43
Series Record: 49ers lead series 22-20-1
49ers Away Record vs. Vikings: Vikings lead series 12-9
First Meeting: 11/26/61, 49ers win, 38-28, at Minnesota
Last Meeting: 12/9/07, Vikings win, 27-7, at San Francisco
Current Streak: Lost 1
Longest 49ers Win Streak: 4 (10/15/61-12/2/62; 10/30/88-12/30/90)
Longest Vikings Win Streak: 5 (9/15/63-10/24/65)
Most 49ers Points: 51 (12/8/84): 51-7, at San Francisco
Most Vikings Points: 45 (9/29/63), 45-14, at Minnesota
49ers Shutouts: None
Vikings Shutouts: None
MINNESOTA 27, SAN FRANCISCO 7
At San Francisco, CA, December 9, 2007
The Minnesota Vikings jumped to a 27-0 halftime lead and held on for a 27-7 victory over the San Francisco 49ers at Monster Park. Turnovers once again plagued the 49ers with five giveaways (four fumbles and one interception) that resulted in 10 Minnesota points. After yielding 226 total yards in the first half, the 49ers defense held Minnesota to just 54 total yards and just six yards rushing in the final two quarters. Minnesota entered the game with the top ranked rushing attack in the NFL behind NFL-leader RB Adrian Peterson. The 49ers defense held Peterson to just three yards on 14 attempts. The game got off to an inauspicious start for San Francisco.
On the first play from scrimmage TE Vernon Davis was called for a false start penalty. On the next play, DT Kevin Williams tipped and intercepted a QB Trent Dilfer pass and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown to take a quick 7-0 lead. The Vikings scored on four of their seven first half possessions to build their 27-0 halftime lead. Minnesota’s big first half was aided by a RB Frank Gore fumble deep inside San Francisco territory that led to a field goal, and an 84-yard touchdown run by RB Chester Taylor. Two 55-yard kickoff returns by RB Maurice Hicks and a fumble recovery at the Minnesota 28-yard-line allowed the 49ers to start three first half drives inside Minnesota territory. Despite the good field position, the 49ers did not come away with any points.
The 49ers had three drives into Minnesota territory in the second half that all resulted in turnovers. Dilfer took a shot to his head on a fourth-down attempt that was stopped short at the Minnesota nine-yard line with 29 seconds left to play in the first half and did not return to the game. QB Shaun Hill saw the first significant action of his six-year NFL career. Hill, who finished 22-of-28 for 180 yards, completed six-of-seven pass attempts on his first series and capped the drive with a five-yard touchdown pass to WR Arnaz Battle.
2009 Statistics
| 49ERS (rank) | VIKINGS (rank) | |
| 2-0 (1st NFCW) | Record | 2-0 (1st NFCN) |
| 21.5 (12th) | Points per game | 30.5 (4th) |
| 291.0 (26th) | Total Offense | 287.5 (27th) |
| 138.5 (9th) | Rushing Offense | 168.5 (2nd) |
| 152.5 (30th) | Passing Offense | 119.0 (32nd) |
| 33:04 (8th) | Possession Avg | 31:29 (11th) |
| 13.0 (4th) | Points allowed/gm | 16.5 (8th) |
| 291.0 (7th) | Total Defense | 266.5 (4th) |
| 53.0 (3rd) | Rushing Defense | 109.0 (15th) |
| 238.0 (20th) | Passing Defense | 157.5 (5th) |
| 4 (t-12th) | Sacks | 7 (t-3rd) |
| 48.1 (8th) | Punting Avg (Gross) | 40.0 (28th) |
| +2 (t-7th) | Turnover Differential | +4 (t-2nd) |
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Comments
this is a measuring stick game
We’ll see how we stack up against playoff caliber NFC teams. Let’s hope Favre thinks he’s 26 and flings a few easy ones into the secondary for picks.
by Andrew Davidson on Sep 23, 2009 8:17 AM PDT reply actions
3rd Rank Rushing Defense
This game will defiantly let us and the rest of the NFL know if this Ranking is legit! As of now, I say it is!
GPS game...
…as Maiocco would say.
I can see it going either way, but I think they will have a nice advantage being at home. I think this game will define Shaun Hill, because I can see it falling on his shoulders.
Let's not forget
to throw the WR’s into that equation….Hill threw 2 to Bruce last week that were very catchable and important being that they were both 3rd down conversions. The passing game in general. But if Gore can get in rythem, we may not need to worry abou that. Cleveland and Detroit did decent enough against those guys but they weren’t stacking 8 against those teams like they will for us. We need to see Josh Morgan have a big game, he has only caught 1 pass and is making me want to say that Battle belongs in there as the #2 more than him
much different than 2 yrs ago...
When we started 2-0 and went into pittsburgh, as back then our 2 victories came from squeaking by NFC West bottom feeders (remember AZ was not good back then and STL went on to pick 2nd in the draft). That year we didnt put up a good show in pitt, so hopefully this season we can at the very least come out of Minn with a win or a hard-fought, close loss
Its going to be tough given that its their home opener and the debut of Ol’ Man Wrangler…hopefully our o-line can stay disciplined in the dome noise and limit the number of false starts
Funny how the sched works
We played in Minnesota three consecutive years (1990-92) yet have only been there three times in the past sixteen seasons (0-3). We used to play them yearly, either reg season or playoffs.
I certainly think Sing has gotten us past the 10AM excuse. Winning last season in Buffalo and STL plus taking Miami to the end shows that he got the team to leave that crutch at home. Of course if the Raiders were still in LA, I bet Fox would’ve moved this to their top late game of the double header.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
The 9ers will do just fine.
These are two pretty evenly matched teams. Both have run-first offenses and good defenses. Both have “game managers” at QB. The Vikes get the edge on offense, the 9ers on defense. The Vikes offense has not faced a top defense yet (DET & CLE) and their defense hasn’t faced a run-first offense yet. At the same time, the 9ers haven’t yet faced a strong running team.
It may well boil down to turnovers, penalties, and field position(ST play). Looking at the MIN-DET Gamebook, it shows that both AP and CT had fumbles last week but Farve didn’t throw any INTs, so turnovers may favor the 9ers slightly. The Vikes also went 5-43 in penalties, which is close to the 9er’s performance, so that looks pretty even. It’s difficult to evaluate ST play without watching the games, so we’ll call that even, too. Slight advantage to the 9ers due to better ball security.
But here’s how the 9ers win; stop the run and force Farve to throw against our secondary. Farve hasn’t had the time to learn the idiosyncracies of his receivers and this will work to the 9er’s advantage in terms of potential turnovers – all it takes is one miscue. Throwing Harvin and Berrian off their routes with physical play at CB will help. This will be a very physical game with the team making the fewest mistakes coming out on top – 49ers win 17-13.
nope
Most likely in Madden football, but in real football, the 49ers are gonna get stomped. Sorry man. It’s true. GO VIKINGS!!
You'll have to forgive us
As we’ve heard that before; you make it three weeks and running.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
by SpurredOn on Sep 23, 2009 1:58 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Lets hope Brett thinks its a big, important game
So he plays like Brett Favre and throws 3-4 picks downfield, as opposed to you know, playing well. the last few years hes always tended to go back into “force tings downfield wif mah bigole’ arm” mode in important games and that usually doesnt go so well. Game manager Favre can still be effective though
You're on target
Rush Farve into some bad throws in Niner territory and stop the run. Besides all his records, Farve is the all time Interception leader. He can be had if Pressured.
by LASVEGASNINER on Sep 23, 2009 1:12 PM PDT up reply actions
I doubt it
I hate to burst 49ers nation’s bubble, but we in Minnesota don’t see this as being a very big game. haha Gore was huge last week, but he’s probably going to b more like he was in week 1… Hopefully Coffee can go off for you though, we had Hill & didn’t think much of him… Then again, we have an over the hill QB & chilly at coach… Okay, you might win. I doubt it though. All Day was shut down by the 9ers 1 time, but the monster is hungry this year…
Weve got a monster of our own
He wears number 52….dont worry, youll see him a lot on Sunday
You can still see video and read recaps
of the Jets games against the Patriots and undefeated Titans.
Nuetralize Peterson
We have the 3rd ranked rushing D and the Vikes have the 2nd ranked rushing O. If we can force Favre to put it in the air and put him on his back a couple times, I like our DB’s chances of getting a couple picks on the day. Favre has been sacked 7 times (one less than Shaun Hill has been) but has thrown 0 INT’s, so it’s very important for us to win the battle in the up front with our D-line and it wont be an easy matchup for our O-line with Minnesota’s D-Line. Our O-line needs to crank up the volume for this one.
All in all though, if we can hold Peterson to gaining 60-70 yards, maybe 1 TD, I like our chances in this one. We will have to punch, kick, and fight our way to accomplishing this. Not many teams can hold Peterson to this…But our D will be up for the challenge I’m sure
With Gore, we will have to stay away from that A gap and run off tackle more and keep those toss plays fresh as well. People that definitely need to step up in this one: Vernon Davis, Josh Morgan, and Bruce (he must not drop anymore 3rd down conversion passes as he missed two last week that were right in his bread basket, or at the very least catchable). 3rd down conversions will be crucial in this game
I think we can
Hopefully, AP may find this is one team he may not be able to run against. Some players like like that. No matter how Great they are !
by LASVEGASNINER on Sep 23, 2009 1:18 PM PDT up reply actions
It can be done, just not easy
Last year he had 6 games that he didn’t go over 100 and New Orleans held him to 32 yards on 21 carries. And last week Detroit kept him under 100 but this is thier home opener so… It will not be an easy win for us…but its definitely doable
And...
last time he faced us in ’07 he had 14 carries for 3 yards 0.2 a carry with a long of 4 yards….something to keep in mind
haha
Last time you faced AP, he was a rookie… He didn’t get over a 100 last week because Taylor had to get his carries in… I say watch out for Berrian this week. GO VIKINGS!!!
If Favre does'nt
blow it…he’s due for a couple picks…hopefully a couple pick six’s. Our DB’s have shut down Fitz, Boldin, Housh, and Burleson…was more worried about those guys.
If we force you to pass, you’re in trouble….these teams matchup really well but its your home opener, so its not gonna be a cake walk for us to beat you all. We know that…but any given Sunday. I like what Singletary’s doing with the Niners
TRUE...
Oh for sure man, I could see the niners winning because of the superior coaching (most of us hate Chili)… I’m excited for this game because of all the Hype everyone gives Favre. I can’t stand the guy, but for 12mill, he better when us a Super Bowl otherwise it was a waste of money… I say either way, the best team will win, & I see the 9ers in the playoffs this year. Good Luck!!
Alot of people
are starting to say, “what is he doing that Tavaris can’t”…I kinda scratch my head on that one too..
Good luck to you all also….sure it’ll be a bruiser of a game
and...
Favre is due for a melt down. that’s what scares me.
You cannot use
the “rookie” excuse when he put up 224 against a really good Bears D…sorry doesn’t work
not really
the Bears D has been overrated for years. Urlacher was out (like usual), and so was half of their DB’s… He blew up because our line dominated, now we have a slightly better than average line & he’s playing better because he sees the field like a Vet. Look what Slaton did last season or Forte, or even Stewart in Carolina… stud rookie years, but none of them have done much after 2 games this year.
Our D
has the potential to hold him under 100…not saying it will for sure happen but our D is better than it has been in years. No denying that.
I tend to think that the Bears have a really good D. Was that the year they played the Colts in the Superbowl? ‘07-’08…they were good enough to make it to the big game
Urlacher
for that game had 6 tackles, 2 sacks, and an INT…so maybe you were thinking of another game
Wrong game
He actually had 5 tackles…anyhow he played against Minn in that particular game that Peterson flew for 224
good
arguments. I just talk. I never double check my facts. I’ve been doing it for 20 years. haha Regardless of what was & what is, I see this game coming down to 1 thing – how healthy is Gore’s ankle? I think Coffee can do it if Gore is out, but I haven’t heard a thing about Coffee since the preseason… Our run D isn’t the same as it’s been the last few seasons for some reason. anyway, I’m leaving work for the week (we start early here)… Good luck you niners fans!!
Gore...
He’s gonna play…it’ll take that guy a broken leg to sit. They listed it after the game as a mild sprain (a twist basically), wich happens ALOT in the NFL, and I haven’t heard anything about it since really. If he can’t go the entire game for whatever reason, I think most of our fans really like Coffee but I think Gore will be 100% for this one
49ers take it
I think this will be a very great game to watch but I say the niners bring it home.
Come check out more blogs on the niners at California-Sportsfans.com
The big matchup on our minds is Frank vs. their Run D
but the one thats probably going to be a bigger challenge is Staley vs. Jared Allen…its imperative that Staley can avoid the crowd noise and keep Allen in check coming off the blind side if we want to preserve ball control
Kerney...
… isn’t really what I call a run defender, not when you’re looking at guys like Williams and Williams.
Bah, misunderstood.
Ignore my comment. Staley and Allen will definitely be an interesting matchup.
The most surprising part of those stats...
is seeing MIN run defense ranked 15th and passing defense ranked 5th! Is it me, or is this the opposite results of the past few years? Only 15th after facing CLE and DET? This is either a good opportunity for the 9er run game or a slow start for MIN on the road. It’s also a surprising ranking given that they only gave up 137 combined yards to Lewis and Smith.
2 game sample
With a rookie QB playing in one. Plus both games were competitive into the late 3rd quarter, allowing DET and CLE to run the ball.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
The niners can win ....if..
Staley and the rest of the o-line have a great game. The vikes have yet to play to their talent in two games being down at half time and giving up yards on the ground, but their front four is fearsome.
I think that if we can get 4 or 5 yards on 1st down, hit a big screen every now and again, and keep AP off the field that they have a solid chance.
I’ll take our D to control (not shut down) AP, but that left side is nasty with Mikenny (sp) and Hutchinson. I think they are starting a rookie on the right side and he has struggled against the pass so far this year, I hope that payrs or manny can use their speed to get in the backfield to disrupt things.
I’m not sure how much VD will get down field since we might have to use him in protection/blocking but the vikes have given up some yards to TE’s this year.
Also, does anyone know about B. Jones? Will he be available this game? I’d love to see them take a chance downfield?
Either way, it will be a heck of a game, and I’m just loving that this is basically the same team from last year and we are playing like crazy.
I believe in coach Sig, and I know this is just the start of something big.
P. Willie
I think it will come down to willis VS Petterson. We can play man aginst thier less than stelar WR and let willis and the other 7 flow to the run game. Besides look what we did to favre when we played the Jets last year. He was very uncomfortable in the pocket. I see a grind it out low scoring battle just like Sing likes it. Niners in a road win upset!!!!
Can't get sacked
It’s kind of a cliche, but they can’t go on the road and be in 2nd and long, 3rd and long situations. Vikings have a front 4 that combined for 25 sacks last season with Allen doing most of the damage. Edwards has proven he can play opposite Allen and have pretty good success. Keep Hill safe and take your shots downfield, but if the first few drives have some big sacks then it’ll be a long day.
If we can run, play action will work.
Traps, counters, and flips to Gore will work against the Vikes just like it did against the Seahawks if the Vikes stack the line and run blitz, which I would expect them to do. And if the run is working, play action will work. Running right at J. Allen will nullify his rushing, too. But the 9ers need to leave the “Taser” at home this week (and every other week).
The biggest key to this game is mistakes – whichever teams makes the fewest mistakes (turnovers, penalties, ST play) will win it.
by MontanaPass on Sep 24, 2009 12:40 PM PDT up reply actions
in regards to the taser
I think the biggest issue is WHEN they ran it. 3rd and long (or 3rd down in general). Run it on first down if you’re going to run it.
by darcwingdux on Sep 25, 2009 12:35 AM PDT up reply actions
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