Vikings v 49ers Kool-Aided Preview

Week 9

Well this week is pretty simple, if you want to make the playoffs, you have to win this game. The Niners are 2-5 and the Vikings need to maintain their stellar NFC record. Like I said, this isn't complicated the Vikings must win or think about whether or not they want to make the playoffs.

The Trenches - The MN defensive line overmatches the SF offensive line. This is a match up that we need to do more than just win, we have to dominate. On the other side of the ball this is a match up we can also win but it is not a sure thing. The Vikings are facing another 3-4 defense this week and it was not a particularly good situation last week vs. New England (that was the last Patriot / 49er comparison). We should be able to handle their 3 down linemen (SHOULD) but the Niner LB corp is pretty solid and we have to do a better job of picking them up on the blitz.

The Pretty Boys - If the OL can give Brad time he should be able to move us downfield. Our passing game should seriously overmatch the San Fran secondary. Chester should have an opportunity to get his legs going again IF our OL can manhandle their defensive front. On the other side, the Niner offensive skill guys are young and improving. But they are still young, make mistakes and they don't have the OL to help them out.

The Ball Hawks - THIS is an interesting match up. Last week the Vikings secondary looked like they were wearing maroon & gold and they were still tired from getting beat by Ohio State. This week could be ugly or they could grab a handful of turnovers.

Keys to the Game

1. Minnesota D-line MUST DOMINATE - Not much to elaborate on here, get to Smith and keep Gore from breaking anything big.
2. Minnesota secondary - has to make the adjustments that got them embarassed on Monday night. Alex Smith is not Tom Brady no matter how much Kool Aid I drink, but Smith is getting better and he can get on a roll if we let him.
   
3. Overcome injuries - Napoleon Harris and Marcus Robinson are out this week. Marcus is a bigger loss than we thought before and usually I wouldn't care about Harris but his speed is necessary to help cover Vernon Davis (assuming he is back from injury). Also Napo was inefective last week and I think he'd come back this week to be productive.

The season would not be lost but this is a must win. The Vikings have a handful of games vs. bad teams in the next month. Losing to Green Bay is a possiblity as divisional games are often competitive, losing at Miami would not hurt as much as losing this week as they are an AFC team and Arizona at home is a dangerous game with Leinart improving and Denny returning to the Dome. All that to say that this is the easiest of the upcoming games and a must win to keep their playoff position.