Last season the 49ers and Vikings would’ve been a premier Monday night matchup. This year Minnesota has struggled out of the gate with four losses in its first six weeks, leaving the club on the outside of the playoff picture after a third of the season.
So, what’s changed from last season when the Vikings were 13-4, and what does this year’s team look like? We wanted to get an inside look at San Francisco’s Week 7 opponent, so we hit up our buddy and managing editor of Vikings Wire, Tyler Forness. He was kind enough to answer all of our questions!
Let’s dive in:
Niners Wire: How has Alexander Mattison looked replacing Dalvin Cook?
Tyler Forness: Honestly, not great. Mattison is one of those players that never stood out when he replaced Cook. He averaged 79.5 yards and 0.5 touchdowns per start in his six starts prior to this season. This year, the Vikings are No. 5 in the NFL in rushing success rate but don’t have any explosive rushing plays. With PFF’s No. 1 run-blocking unit, why are they not better in the running game? It starts with Mattison not being able to read his blocks well enough.
NW: Can Jordan Addison be a suitable No. 1 WR while Justin Jefferson is out?
TF: It’s no secret that Addison has been really good this season. The Vikings started him out slow as the WR3, but he caught a deep post-touchdown in his first two games with four touchdowns overall. Addison is a great complementary piece right now, but he’s struggling to beat physical cornerbacks and press coverage. That was his biggest concern coming out of USC and it’s been inconsistent at best this season. A full offseason in an NFL strength and conditioning program should help out quite a bit, but right now it’s preventing him from taking a leap.
NW: How much of Minnesota’s 2-4 start is on Kirk Cousins?
TF: A good amount to be completely honest. Cousins has always had stats that make him look on paper like a really good quarterback. So far this season, he has those once again. However, it’s not quite that simple. In 2022, Cousins took a step back with 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, but took a major step forward in his aggressiveness and decision making. This year, Cousins has been indecisive, patting the ball and taking an extra hitch or two in his drop. It’s cost the Vikings multiple times and interceptions this season. Now, other elements have certainly factored in to the Vikings 2-4 start, but Cousins is responsible for seven of the Vikings 13 turnovers.
NW: Why do the Vikings blitz so much?
TF: In the same way that Vic Fangio tends to stay in shell coverages to prevent big plays, (defensive coordinator Brian) Flores does the same, but with blitzes and aggression. He loves to attack and keep quarterbacks guessing on where the pressure is coming from. Per Sports Info Solutions, the Vikings have the most three-man and five-plus-man pressures and the least amount of four-man pressures. Every game, there are multiple plays with a free rusher coming off of the edge or up the middle and those plays can be the turning point of the game. It was against the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers where they got a defensive touchdown in each game.
NW: Will one, both or neither of Cousins and Danielle Hunter be on the team in 2 weeks?
TF: Unless something catastrophic happens or Cousins has a change of heart about his no trade clause, he will be a Minnesota Viking when the trade deadline passes. There has been no indication that Cousins would waive it for anyone. Hunter on the other hand is a more interesting case. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that it would take a “sizeable deal” to move on from the former All-Pro at just age 29 and I think that’s the case. We don’t know for certain how general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will handle a trade deadline where his team is 2-4 games under 0.500. If I had to give it a percentage, I’d say its 50/50 Hunter is with the team post trade deadline.
NW: Let’s get a prediction for Monday night’s game.
TF: This game could go any which way in all honesty. The Vikings have played their best four games in their losses and their worst games in their two wins. If they play poorly against the San Francisco 49ers, things could get ugly really fast. All six games have been decided by a single score and this game will follow the same path. 49ers 31, Vikings 24
