© Stan Szeto | 2019 Oct 27
On paper it appears the 49ers have lucked out. San Francisco avoided a rematch with the Seahawks thanks to the Vikings’ upset of the Saints during the Wild Card round, setting up a matchup between the lowest and highest seeded teams in the NFC Playoffs.
But Ian Rapoport of NFL Network doesn’t see it that way, and explained on Murph & Mac why the Vikings will actually be a tough matchup for San Francisco.
“I think the Vikings are really good,” Rapoport said. “I thought they were going to beat the Saints. I think they are really, really talented. They haven’t been healthy like all year, now they are actually healthy somewhat, so I really like the Vikings.
“My sort of warning shot would be, the Vikings are kind of similar to the 49ers in that they can control the game on the ground, and really wear out a defense and control the clock and all those things. The 49ers are probably more explosive on the ground than the Vikings, at least that’s what it feels like, so I think the Vikings are really good.”
The Vikings scoring defense actually ranked better than the 49ers, with 18.9 points allowed per game tying for 5th best in the NFL. The 49ers ranked 8th at 19.4. The 49ers did out gain the Vikings on the ground this season but it was close, with the teams averaging 144.1 (2nd in NFL) and 133.3 yards per game (6th in NFL) respectively. That was with Minnesota starting running back Dalvin Cook missing the last two games of the season.
“I would say based on how the 49ers defense is, I would say this is probably the worst matchup for the 49ers, but I would say they have a really good shot.”
Rapoport also provided an update on linebacker Kwon Alexander, who is improbably expected to return this weekend from a torn pec nearly three months ahead of schedule.
“You’d like Kwon Alexander to get through practice this week. It’s hard to do, it’s a different position because if Kwon Alexander’s out there which I think he’s going to be, he’s going to be hitting someone every single play. That’s a lot of impact. It’s different from J.J. Watt, who might engage with a tackle, but will not make a tackle every single play, probably just a few. I would say it’s a much more physically demanding situation than J.J. Watt, so I would say Kwon Alexander is going to be good, but I don’t know for sure.
“It’s something that’s rare. It’s possible but I wouldn’t say it’s definite.”