San Francisco 49ers WR Deebo Samuel (1) Vs. the New York Jets - Kym Fortino/49ers
Week two of the 2024 NFL season is here and the San Francisco 49ers are headed to Minnesota to face the Vikings. The 49ers are coming off a big 32-19 win against the New York Jets. The Vikings also opened their season with a 28-6 win against the New York Giants. Here is a look at what to watch for the San Francisco 49ers as they face the Vikings this weekend.
San Francisco 49ers Offense Get’s Rolling Early
In the first week of the NFL season, offenses across the league got off to slow starts. The 49ers offense did well, even exceeding expectations with no Christian McCaffrey. They still had a slower start to the passing game. They had to punt on the first drive. In week one this is common. It is also important to remember that Brandon Aiyuk came in with little practice with the team.
Aiyuk did not have his best game, but the good news is he felt fine while playing. Head coach, Kyle Shanahan said Aiyuk made it through the game well without feeling fatigued. He missed one big play that he should have made the completion for the touchdown but did make other key receptions. Watch or Aiyuk to take that next step this weekend against the Vikings. The key will get that going early in the game.
The 49ers offensive line played very well in both run and pass protection. If this group stays healthy, this could be the best offensive line that the 49ers have had in recent history. In week two with one game under their belt now, the offensive line should do well which will get the offense going early.
Taking Advantage in the Red Zone
The 49ers offense did very well against the New York Jets. San Francisco dominated with the time of possession and continuously moved downfield. One thing to watch for this weekend is for the 49ers to get into the endzone. They kicked six field goals last week. Yes, Jake Moody making all six field goals was a highlight of the game, but the team needs to make it into the endzone this week. They had two touchdowns last weekend, but it could have been more. Something to be better at this week is not having to settle for field goals every time. It will happen, but they should take advantage of being in the red zone and score more points to make it more difficult for their opponent.
Will Christian McCaffrey Play?
This is of course a topic that has to be discussed. Will the reigning Offensive Player of the Year be playing? Well, he likely will not. McCaffrey was limited in practice on both Wednesday and Thursday. The expectation is that he will not be playing against the Vikings this weekend. The good news for the 49ers is that their offense did well without him. When McCaffrey returns he will heavily elevate this offense, but San Francisco can win without him when they need to. Watch for the run game to still heavily utilize Jordan Mason this weekend, and even Deebo Samuel as always.
Defense Stopping the Run
Interestingly enough, not a lot has been seen from the 49ers defense this year so far. They did very well against the Jets forcing two turnovers and a couple of punts. The San Francisco offense did so well with time of possession, the 49ers defense barely had to be on the field. Now it is time to see if the defense can do it again.
In 2023, the 49ers defense struggled with their run defense. The Jets only had 68 rushing yards against the 49ers on Monday, according to ESPN. Now, the Jets were playing from behind in the second half, they had to pass more than they ran the ball. What is key is that they averaged just 3.6 yards per rush. Watch for the 49ers defense to keep this momentum next weekend. Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold did well throwing the ball against the Giants, but forcing him to throw instead of breaking it up with running the ball will be key.
Putting Pressure on Sam Darnold
Another key thing to watch on the defensive side of the ball is putting pressure on Darnold. If the 49ers can get to a point where the Vikings are being forced to throw the ball, they need to keep putting pressure on him to force inaccurate passes. With Justin Jefferson as the team’s receiver, he can catch a ball if it’s around him. Darnold being forced to throw short and quick can be a big help for the 49ers.
This means all eyes will be on the defensive line. There was pressure on Aaron Rodgers last weekend. Rodgers ended up throwing quick-release passes. This is when the passing game was the most progressive outside of the touchdown pass when the defense jumped offsides. Last week, the 49ers had just one sack, which was by Leaonard Floyd. They will want that to increase. Even if they do not get the sack, at the least they will be able to force Darnold to be more inaccurate, leaving the rest up to the defensive backs. Rodgers completed just 13 passes out of 21 attempts, according to ESPN. A couple were drops by receivers or good play but the defensive backs, but pressure on him did play a factor.
Darnold played well last weekend. He got rolling early against the Giants defense. Throwing him off early in the game will be one of the keys to success.
Predictions
Based on how both of these teams played in week one, this could end up being a closer game than expected. It is also a Minnesota Vikings home game, which does help the Vikings. There is also an interesting statistic that the 49ers have not won at Minnesota since 1992. All this aside, the 49ers are still the favorites in this game. The prediction is that the 49ers will win this game with a final score of 32-24.
