A surprising San Francisco is 2-0 in a bleak NFC West. Playing conservative football with a solid defense, the 49ers have an excellent shot to finish the season in first in their division and head to the playoffs for the first time since 2002. With a fiery Mike Singletary as head coach, the 49ers are the type of no-nonsense, power football team that you might expect to find playing in the hardnosed NFC Central instead of the cappuccino drinking NFC West.
Steady Quarterback Play For 49ers
Shawn Hill has done a respectable job of ball control, throwing no interceptions in two wins, and managing the game effectively, with around 6 yards per completion. Frank Gore, finally healthy, has been the much needed ground presence the 49ers must have to play their style of football. San Francisco ranks 9th in the league in rushing and a respectable 14th in the league in passer rating.
Make no mistake, however, the 49ers strength is their defense. The 49ers rank 7th in the league in total defense and are tied for 6th in rushing first downs allowed. Most impressively, the Niners are third in the league in third down conversions allowed. Singletary has taken the blueprint that has worked so well in Baltimore, Tennessee, and Chicago, and applied it to the 49ers.
Favre Still A Game Changer
Whether the 49ers are for real or not will be shown this week, as they head into Minnesota to try to defeat the Vikings. Minnesota (2-0) is also playing excellent football. Adrian Peterson looks like Gayle Sayers and Brett Favre has managed to throw no interceptions and only one press conference since the start of the season. Despite the media reporting every minor ache and pain the guy has (a bent nail being exhibit A), Favre is still a riverboat gambler of a quarterback who can change a game.
Minnesota is second in the league in rushing offense, and with a Hall Of Fame caliber running back on his team, Favre shouldn’t have to be better than average to win games. Currently, the Vikings are last in the league in passing yardage, but don’t let that be misleading. They are first in completion percentage. The Vikings are last in pass yardage only because they don’t have to be any better.
Defense The Key For Minnesota
This will be Minnesota’s first real test of a division leader, and their defense must also be up to the task. Minnesota is 5th in the league in passing yards allowed, which may play heavily into this game, as Shaun Hill isn’t exactly Joe Montana. Their rushing defense is in the middle of the pack, which could cost them as Frank Gore is banging between the tackles for large gains.
If the 49ers are truly on their way to a playoff season, this should be the game they look back on and point to as the one where they defined themselves. If the Vikings are Super Bowl bound, they should show up and step on the throats of the 49ers with ease. In either case, fans are hoping that neither team’s 2-0 record is made of smoke and mirrors as the two division leaders square off.
 |
