Vikings football returns on Sunday as the Vikings host the San Francisco 49ers at U.S. Bank Stadium. Daniel House previews the game provides a few key areas to watch closely.
Updated: September 7, 2018, 11:12 a.m.
By: Daniel House
It’s finally here.
Vikings football returns on Sunday as the Vikings host the
San Francisco 49ers at U.S. Bank Stadium. It’s the first chance to see offensive
coordinator John DeFilippo’s offense with quarterback Kirk Cousins at the helm.
Not only that, but a defense with continuity added weapons like defensive tackle
Sheldon Richardson and cornerback Mike Hughes this offseason. The season-opener
is the first chance to see all of the pieces come together in regular season
action. It won’t be easy for the Vikings as a talented 49ers team led by Jimmy
Garoppolo travels to Minnesota. With the game quickly approaching, here are a
few specific areas to watch closely.
The Kirk Cousins
debut
Sunday will be the first chance to see Kirk Cousins in
regular season action as a member of the Minnesota Vikings. The biggest
offseason addition will have the chance to play within the full arsenal of
offensive coordinator John DeFilippo’s system. The biggest question is how much
time it may take for the offense to gel. With a new quarterback and coordinator
in the fold, the offense might be an early work in progress. However, a full
scheme loaded with a melting pot of concepts and the addition running back
Dalvin Cook should help the offensive rhythm. When Cousins is best, he has a
clean pocket and time to go through his progressions. He is a very cerebral
quarterback and can take advantage of the fact he has a wide receiver duo like
Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen to throw the ball to. This is the first chance to
measure the cohesiveness and timing of the Vikings’ offense. One can anticipate
the scheme to be creative, which will help place players in the best situation
to be successful.
The starting center
The starting center position created quite the stir this
week as the Vikings have yet to officially announce who will start at center.
With Pat Elflein recovering from injury, Brett Jones is expected to start, per Ben
Goessling at the Star Tribune. This likely signals Tom Compton will play at
left guard for the being – at least until Elflein returns in the coming weeks.
The question then shifts to whether Jones slide over to left guard and fills a
role similar to Joe Berger’s. It feels like the best possible scenario,
however, it’s worth evaluating Compton’s performance this week against 49ers
defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. Early in the week, Brian Baldinger reported
Danny Isidora would start at center, despite playing just one game at the
position. It was later determined this was potentially incorrect. At this
point, nobody will likely know who is starting at center until warm-ups on
Sunday. That’s exactly how head coach Mike Zimmer likes it. As I explained
earlier, the performance of the offensive line is going to hold the keys to
many things the Vikings can do offensively in 2018.
Minnesota’s defensive
line in action
The addition of Sheldon Richardson is still exciting and has
the chance to quietly be a very underrated addition. People who were concerned
about his performance in the Seahawks preseason game didn’t understand that
Seattle game planned to attack Sheldon Richardson via quick traps. The Vikings
can make specific scheme adjustments during games, such as having Richardson
use a slip technique. However, there was no need to do that in a preseason
game. The idea of Richardson and Linval Joseph inside with Danielle Hunter and
Everson Griffen on the edge, is an exciting thought. This will be the first opportunity
to see all of them together in a complete scheme. The matchup to watch closely
in this game will be Everson Griffen vs. veteran left tackle Joe Staley.
Getting after Jimmy Garoppolo will be important if the Vikings want to leave
with a victory.
Controlling Jimmy
Garoppolo and 49ers’ weapons
In the late stages of the season, Jimmy Garoppolo joined the
49ers and the team finished 5-0 over the final five games. He tossed for 1,560
yards and seven touchdowns during that timeframe. His adjusted accuracy
percentage (71.4%) ranked second behind Drew Brees, according to Pro Football
Focus. Garoppolo is particularly solid in the intermediate passing game and can
fit passes into tight windows. With an emerging Marquise Goodwin and veteran
Pierre Garcon, there are weapons available. Goodwin is a speedy option with a
quietly evolving route tree. Cornerback Trae Waynes will be tasked with keeping
track of Goodwin. Both of their skill-sets align well, especially considering
they feature speed as one of their key traits. Goodwin has the chance to evolve
into a top option in San Francisco and showed plenty of chemistry with Jimmy
Garoppolo during the preseason.
The pass rush will need to get after Garoppolo to
potentially force him into mistakes that impact San Francisco’s offensive rhythm.
Last season, he had a 63.3 passer rating when under pressure, according to Pro
Football Focus. This is a key stat to keep in mind as the Vikings likely scheme
to put heat on Garoppolo. With running back Jerick McKinnon suffering a
season-ending ACL tear last week, it changes the balance of the 49ers’ offense.
Young running back Matt Breida and journeyman Alfred Morris will be tasked with
filling in for McKinnon, who was certainly going to be a key part of the
offense.
Mike Hughes could see
extended playing time
Rookie cornerback Mike Hughes has quietly become one of the
biggest additions to the Vikings’ defense. He is likely going to contribute in
the secondary and as a kickoff returner. Hughes might see extend action on
Sunday if Mackensie Alexander (ankle) is unable to play. The way Hughes picked
up the technique and system has been impressive. He was handling the Vikings’
top receivers in practice during training camp. It showed how skilled Hughes is
as a player.
If he plays at a high level immediately, he may be a player
the Vikings simply can’t take off the field. His speed, transition quickness
and playmaking ability will be an important addition to the Minnesota defense.
With 10 of the 11 starters returning to the defense, the continuity and
additions of Sheldon Richardson and Mike Hughes will make the Vikings’ defense
a major force in 2018. Sunday is the first look at a unit with plenty of
weapons.
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