5 Bold Predictions: Vikings vs. 49ers – NFC Divisional Round
By Chris Schad
The Minnesota Vikings will be underdogs again by traveling to the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers on Saturday, but can they pull off another playoff upset?
If you ask a majority of the NFL media, the Minnesota Vikings aren’t even supposed to be here. After going to the Superdome to take on the New Orleans Saints, many talking heads treated the Vikings as a junior high team getting ready to take on an NFL juggernaut that was going to evaporate their chances in a Wild Card blood bath.
Whoops.
A strong running game and a pair of clutch pass by Kirk Cousins set that narrative (and the Saints-Packers scripts that went along with it) on fire as Minnesota picked up a 26-20 overtime victory and their first road playoff win in 15 years.
Their reward is to head out west, where the Vikings will square off against a top-seeded San Francisco 49ers squad. The 13-3 49ers are more than deserving of their top spot, but the last time they ran into the Vikings, Minnesota put together a strong performance to dispose of San Francisco 24-16 in the 2018 season opener.
Both teams have had their share of changes that meeting, but at their core, they remain mirror images of each other, making this a tough game to predict. With the Vikings once again picked to lose by a touchdown, the underdog narrative continues for Minnesota, but will it be enough to return to the NFC Championship game?