MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 09: Kyle Rudolph #82 of the Minnesota Vikings catches the ball in the end zone for a touchdown over defender Jaquiski Tartt #29 of the San Francisco 49ers in the third quarter of the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on September 9, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images) /
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – SEPTEMBER 09: Dalvin Cook #33 of the Minnesota Vikings fumbles the ball in the second quarter of the game against the San Francisco 49ers at U.S. Bank Stadium on September 9, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
The Bad Things
Protecting the quarterback. The offensive line didn’t look good, especially with DeForest Buckner dominating his spot on the line. Cousins was forced to throw before he was comfortable and even got sacked. This is an area that will need massive improvement this season.
That’s not going to impress. This season is a big one for Laquon Treadwell. He needs to show that the can contribute to the offense and be a reliable target. Dropping a wide-open pass right between the numbers on third down isn’t going to earn that trust. Thankfully, he had a couple other catches to help counter that drop.
Time management at the end of the first half. Being just outside a comfortable range to try a field goal and 6 seconds left, Minnesota should have powered the ball up the gut, called timeout and tried a kick as the clock expired. You’ll never convince me a hail mary would be a higher percentage play.
Those sneaky pass catchers. The 49ers tore up the Vikings with passes to tight ends and their fullback to gain some big yardage when the defense was being aggressive getting after the quarterback. This was particularly effective on the play action, which Jimmy G is quite good at. And he seems to LOVE targeting Kittle on those plays.
Putting the game away. The Vikings led throughout the whole game but never put the game out of reach for the 49ers, even having the game be a one-score contest late in the fourth quarter. Minnesota needs to close games out strong and not let teams hang around or sneak back in.
