Vikings and 49ers Collide in a Defensive Showdown

August 22, 2010

The San Francisco 49ers are going to surprise some people this year. Although this is the pre-season, they are taking it very seriously……just ask Indianapolis. They handed the Colts a 37-17 beating, and are building confidence quickly. Alex Smith will be the key to the Niners success this year.

He was a number 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, just a 5 years ago, and has not lived up to the hype. On his behalf, he has had to deal with several different offensive coordinators during his tenure, but is now in his second year under Jimmy Raye. Smith can clearly throw the ball, but his he need to work on getting rid of the ball when there’s nothing available. He did complete 60+ percent of his passes last year, but his 2350 yards were a huge disappointment. Head coach Mike Singletary has made this a run first offense as he should with Frank Gore in the backfield. However, Smith will need to do more in order to keep opposing defenses on their heels. You can expect another solid performance from San Francisco Sunday against the Vikings as they try to size themselves up against the “Big Boys”.

Now that the Minnesota Vikings officially have Brett Favre back, the Vegas sportsbooks have now made them the odd on favorites to win the NFC. Favre may be well over 40, but his experience and leadership are more than enough to lead this team to a Super Bowl. They were an interception away last year, and have a very good chance to duplicate that feat in 2010. Adrian Peterson is the best pure runner in the game, and regardless of his inability to hold onto the ball at times, has the ability to shred opposing defenses.

Peterson had a “down” year in 2009, and still finished with 1312 yards and 18 touchdowns. Long story short, he’s a BEAST! The combination of Peterson and Favre alone is more than enough to lead this Vikings team to the playoffs. The fact that their defense was ranked 6th overall last year is just icing on the cake. They had the second best rush defense, and were able to keep opponents under 20 points per game last season.

This match-up may be more important to the Niners because they are trying to convince themselves that they are good enough to make the playoffs this year, but the Vikings will make them earn this one. Many NFL handicappers are picking the 49ers to be the surprise team of the year due to their weak schedule and improved offense.

This will be a hard fought defensive battle that should come down to the wire. Both offenses have the ability to score, but defenses will prevail Sunday night!

Written by Glenn Andrew · Filed Under NFL

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