Vikings Players to Watch vs. 49ers
Adam New
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This week, the Vikings are heading over to the Bay Area to face the San Francisco 49ers.
In a game with considerable playoff implications, both teams have a 5-5 record and sit in the final two places for playoff seeding in the NFC. The team that wins will consolidate their spot in the wildcard position. The loser will fall back into the pack of chasing teams.
Last week, I picked out some “Vikings players to watch” vs. the Packers. You can see how they did by clicking here. This week, my Vikings players to watch vs. the 49ers are as follows.
Armon Watts
Following the injury to Michael Pierce, Armon Watts stepped into the starting nose tackle role.
He’s done a good job deputizing for Pierce, racking up 20 combined tackles in his six starts — including one tackle for loss and an impressive three sacks, three QB hits, and two forced fumbles.
As can be seen by those impressive stats for getting to the quarterback, pass-rush has been where Watts has excelled. Pro Football Focus scores him a 73.8 pass-rushing grade, but only 53.5 for run defense. Suppose the Vikings are to be victorious this Sunday. Armon Watts, along with Sheldon Richardson, James Lynch, and the rest of the defense, must find a way to slow San Francisco’s rushing attack. Rookie Elijah Mitchell is the lead tailback used to grind the Vikings defense down in a heavy rotation of running backs, likely opening the game up for Deebo Samuel.
Patrick Peterson
Deebo Samuel is the big-play threat for the 49ers.
If the Vikings are forced to stack the box to stop the run covering Samuel will be a significant challenge. And it will most likely fall on the shoulders of veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson, who’s the second of my Vikings players to watch.
Through ten games, Samuel has the second-most receiving yards in the NFL with 994 yards, averaging a huge 18.1 yards a catch. His elite speed is what makes him so dangerous. So, if the Vikings don’t pressure the 49ers quarterback, every Vikings defensive back will have trouble tracking him down the field.
Even more worrying, in recent weeks, Kyle Shanahan put the ball in Samuels’ hands on rushing plays — to great effect. 13 rushes in the last two games have yielded 115 yards and two touchdowns. Using his speed to get to the edge, Peterson and the other defensive backs will have to be ready to stop him on two fronts. — something that is going to be difficult.
Deebo Samuel is one of the most effective players in football right now, so the Vikings will need Peterson at his best if they hope to keep him somewhat quiet.
Brian O Neill
If the Vikings are going to win this one, the third of my Vikings players to watch will need a big game.
The whole offensive line needs to step up, and the veteran leader of the line, Brian O Neill, must lead the way. The 49ers star pass rusher is left defensive end Nick Bosa, one of the premier pass rushers in the NFL. These are the matchups where O Neill has to prove he is worth the big contract he signed this year. PFF scores a pass-blocking grade of 76.9 for O’Neill and credits him as not giving up a sack all season.
PFF gives Bosa a pass-rushing grade of 84.5. Plus, he has 10 sacks in 10 games so far. Only Green Bay, Indianapolis, and Arizona stopped him from getting to the quarterback.
This is the type of heavyweight battle the Vikings need O’ Neill to win. The Vikings have done a good job of creating time for Kirk Cousins to throw while making plays under pressure. At times in this game, O Neill and his linemen will need to stand up and be counted, affording the time for the playmakers to go and win the game.
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