The Vikings and 49ers Are About To Put On A Beefy Masterpiece

On Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings will hold their home opener against the San Francisco 49ers. This year's showdown is a rematch of one of the most memorable games of last season and features all of the stars.

But while fans will obsess over Justin Jefferson, George Kittle, and Deebo Samuel, Sunday’s game has a much larger component. It’s a part of the game where big men with big chests and big muscles battle it out for supremacy. It’s where tape grinders get the type of high they crave. As former Iowa Hawkeye Ettore Ewen put it,

We’re talking about the offensive and defensive lines. Sunday’s game could come down to one beefy masterpiece in the trenches.

Vikings fans may not admit it, but they love them some line play. Fans still bust out their John Randle jerseys on Sundays, and a generation of fathers are telling their kids how great Steve Hutchinson was. Even current-day discussions fixate on who can play guard and whether they have enough disruptors in the front seven to make their quarterback’s life a living hell.

In Week 1, the Vikings got the best of both worlds. Minnesota revamped their front seven over the offseason, and it showed up when Brian Flores rushed Daniel Jones. Andrew Van Ginkel was the most obvious beneficiary, logging a sack and a touchdown. However, Dallas Turner (one sack) and Jonathan Greenard (five pressures) gave Minnesota a deeper pass-rushing unit than they had last year.

The result was less blitzing. Minnesota's 24.5% blitz rate was half of their league-leading 51.5% from last season, and a 38.8% pressure rate that was third in the NFL behind the Chicago Bears (39.5%) and Dallas Cowboys (46.4%).

You could dismiss that change, given that the Vikings played the worst offense in the league in Week 1. However, it also could be the start of something bigger. While the Vikings relied on Danielle Hunter as a one-stop shop, Flores showed that he could create different looks and didn’t empty his bag because the game was a blowout.

The 49ers will be a better test. San Francisco ranked 10th in Pro Football Focus’s offensive line rankings ahead of Week 2, partially due to an injury to left guard Aaron Banks. However, the biggest task will be to crack left tackle Trent Williams.

A training camp holdout may have left a little rust on Williams. Still, he graded as San Francisco's top offensive lineman with an 81.6 PFF grade. An old-school coach would have a top Vikings rusher go one-on-one with the future Hall of Famer. However, Flores may work around him and send attackers on the other end of the offensive line.

How the 49ers protect Brock Purdy against Flores’ scheme will be critical in Sunday’s game. Last week, San Francisco faced a stout New York Jets defense. However, the Jets only pressured Purdy on one-third of his dropbacks, ranking 17th among qualifiers.

While Purdy’s performance under pressure was one reason the 49ers kept the ball moving, so was their ability to protect him. The 49ers ran the ball with Jordan Mason 28 times for 147 yards and a touchdown. Success rate measures how often a runner gains 40% of yards needed on first down, 60% on second down, and 100% on third and fourth down. His 53.6% success rate ranked 13th among qualifying running backs in Week 1.

By comparison, the Vikings front held Devin Singletary to a 40% success rate in Sunday's win over the Giants, which makes Sunday’s game interesting. If the 49ers can control the line of scrimmage, they won’t have to worry about Flores’ exotic packages to create pressure. If they can’t, they can still lean on Purdy’s Avengers to move the ball, which may put pressure on their defensive front.

San Francisco’s defensive front looks much different than the last time they were in Minneapolis. The Niners ranked third in rushing defense last season, allowing 89.7 yards per game. However, the unit sprung a leak when they reached the playoffs, allowing 149.3 yards per contest on the way to the Super Bowl.

After allowing 130 yards to the Chiefs in an overtime loss, Kyle Shanahan went back to the lab and undoubtedly let out a monotone, boring laugh while firing defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. The Niners also allowed Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead to leave in free agency and replaced them with Maliek Collins, Jordan Elliott, and Leonard Floyd.

The new look suited San Francisco for one week; they held the Jets to 68 rushing yards. But like Minnesota’s success in their pass rush, the Vikings' running game will test the 49ers.

After two straight years of ranking toward the bottom of the league in rushing offense, O’Connell went back to his lab. The Vikings released Alexander Mattison and signed Aaron Jones, one of the league’s most efficient runners, to replace him.

Jones’ age is a red flag, increasing concern deeper into the season. However, he looked like himself in Week 1. One year after ranking first among running backs with a 62% success rate, Jones ranked behind Alvin Kamara (80%) with a 78.6% success rate against the Giants.

With a massive upgrade over Alexander Mattison’s 45% success rate last season, O’Connell opened up the playbook and made life easier for Sam Darnold. With Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill erasing Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns on the edge, Darnold navigated the struggles of Garrett Bradbury (four pressures) and Ed Ingram (six pressures) to run the offense, get the ball where it needed to go, and lead the Vikings to victory.

Incumbents Nick Bosa and Javon Hargrave could make that more difficult. Still, the Vikings must find ways to create lanes for Jones to run efficiently. If that happens, the scales could be tipped toward Minnesota’s favor and create grounds for an upset.

The typical fan may not notice the play in the trenches. They want their 80-yard touchdowns, their highlight-reel catches, and their fantasy teams to win. But the 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers would be proud of the battle in this game.

The stars will grab the headlines. However, the beef up front will be the determining factor.