The San Francisco 49ers haven't defeated the Minnesota Vikings on the road for 32 years.
You have to go back to December, 1992 for the 49ers' last win in Minnesota. Both the old the Metrodome and U.S. Bank Stadium have been a house of horrors for the 49ers in that time, their latest loss in this matchup coming in Week 7 last year.
San Francisco is favored to end that long drought in a matchup with former backup quarterback Sam Darnold. Getting pressure and disrupting Darnold will be crucial to the 49ers' hopes of victory, but the performance of the 49er pass rush is not included in my look at three things to watch for in what promises to be a compelling matchup.
Purdy's trial by Flores
Last season's primetime clash between the 49ers and Vikings saw Brock Purdy post his second-worst passer rating of a spectacular 2023 as he was intercepted twice, though those picks both came after the play on which he seemingly suffered a concussion on a quarterback sneak.
The challenge posed by Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is one of the most difficult in the league, with his Cover 0 heavy approach placing quarterbacks under constant duress.
Despite the late interceptions, Purdy performed relatively well against the torrent of extra rushers sent by Flores last season. Blitzed on 21 of his 33 dropbacks, per Pro Football Focus, completed 15 of his 19 attempts against the blitz for 192 yards a touchdown, and one of the pair of picks that sealed the game for Minnesota.
Having averaged 10.1 yards per attempt on those throws, blitzing Purdy would appear not to be a profitable tactic for defense, and Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell was very complimentary of the 49er quarterback on Friday.
"I think he's got really, really good field vision that you really separate some of the guys that maybe aren't six five standing in there, like, like an oak tree. He, you know, he's got some great athleticism and pocket movement. He's a willing thrower, even when there's some things going on around him. And I think he's got kind of a unique accuracy, where it's play specific, where he always seems to put the ball where he needs to. And a lot of guys can be accurate, and then they get into those game situations and those and that consistency, you know, doesn't show always show up. That's what shows up to me. When I turn on the tape and watch him play, I see a guy playing the quarterback position at a really high level, getting all his teammates involved, capitalizing on the run game they do have, and then understanding the play intent of what they're trying to get done from a play caller standpoint, with Kyle. So that's what makes it such a challenge."
But Flores' plan of attack is a 'gash or be gashed' approach. The task for Purdy will be to avoid the potentially devastating negative plays that can come when the extra rushers create disruption and ensure the Vikings are gashed more often than not when they blitz.
The run game did the heavy lifting as the 49ers swatted aside a vaunted New York Jets defense in Week 1. The Niners will hope to control proceedings on the ground again even without Christian McCaffrey , but the game may come down to Purdy's ability to maintain his field vision under heavy fire and come through the Flores test unscathed.
Potential communication issues
The 49ers' comfortable win over the Jets was keyed by a dominant performance from the San Francisco offensive line, which did an excellent job opening holes for Jordan Mason in the run game, while Purdy was pressured only eight times.
Minnesota's run defense was 13th by DVOA, per FTN Fantasy , last season. In Week 1, the Vikings gave up just 74 yards on the ground to the Giants. In the 49ers' matchup with the Vikings last year, McCaffrey managed only 45 rushing yards.
San Francisco will have confidence it can show a lot better on the ground in Minnesota this time around after its strong start, but the true test of the 49er O-Line in this game, and particularly rookie right guard Dominick Puni, will be one of communication.
Puni will be the man tasked with tapping Jake Brendel to alert him to snap the ball with the 49ers seemingly likely to need to go to a silent count in the cauldron of noise that is U.S. Bank Stadium. In addition to that, the plethora of blitzes the Vikings will be expected to throw in San Francisco's direction will command communication and awareness up front. Puni, to his credit, demonstrated excellent awareness against the Jets, keeping his head on a swivel and playing the guard position like a center.
Said offensive line coach Chris Foerster this week:
"I think that’s what there is, that’s the challenge. That the defense is good. The defense has a lot going on, so there’s a lot of communication. And then you take that crowd noise on top of it and it’s just a challenge. The good thing, is our guys have done, we’ve done it. We have to keep doing it. But we’ve at least, Puni will be the first time for him in that environment. And he’s the guy that looked back with the tap and he has to do all that stuff. So there’s a lot going on for him."
Puni was near faultless on Monday and, with Trent Williams having had another week to knock off the rust and get back into 'football shape', the O-Line is in good shape to withstand the anticipated Vikings barrage. Its success in doing so may be the difference in the game.
Will Ward travel with JJ?
One of the questions surrounding this game that has grown more pertinent in recent days surrounds the 49ers' plan to defend All-Pro receiver Justin Jefferson, regarded as the premier wideout in the NFL.
Defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen kept his cards close to his chest when asked if the 49ers would have All-Pro cornerback Charvarius Ward travel with Jefferson.
“There’s pros and cons to everything," Sorensen said. "We feel great about all our corners. I love Mooney. I think Mooney’s top notch. He’s one of the top tier corners in the game.”
Ward has had success traveling with DK Metcalf, while Aaron Rodgers completely avoided his side of the field in the season opener, illustrating his status as a lockdown defender.
The 49ers' decision over Ward was placed under greater focus with the news Jordan Addison, who scored two touchdowns against San Francisco last year, will miss out with an ankle injury.
Addison's absence lessens the need for Ward to come off covering Jefferson at any point in the game. However, him traveling with Jefferson would likely mean Ward playing significant snaps in the slot, where he is not as comfortable as he is at outside corner.
Whether Ward travels with Jefferson may well hinge on the level of faith the 49ers have in Deommodore Lenoir. San Francisco believes in Lenoir enough to have him play a dual role in playing outside corner on base downs and in the slot on nickel downs, however, facing Jefferson is an entirely different proposition.
The 49ers can't afford to let Jefferson beat them. Regardless of whether they have Ward shadow him or trust Lenoir — who forced an interception when in coverage against Garrett Wilson in the opener — to cope with him in the slot, it's a decision the Niners must get right.
Related: The Brock Purdy-Brandon Aiyuk connection is primed to explode back into life for the 49ers
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