Five 49ers to watch in illuminating Week 2 matchup vs. Vikings

Five 49ers to watch in illuminating Week 2 matchup vs. Vikings originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Minnesota Vikings have a new quarterback, running back and edge rusher.

The 49ers are quite familiar with some of the Vikings’ key offseason acquisitions, especially quarterback Sam Darnold and running back Aaron Jones.

San Francisco is coming off an impressive Week 1 victory over the New York Jets, but 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa said he believes this week poses a more significant challenge.

“This week I think we’re playing a better, honestly, a better team,” Bosa said as the 49ers prepared for their road trip to face the Vikings on Sunday in Week 2.

“We have to hone in and not pat ourselves on the back.”

The 49ers are looking to snap their seven-game road losing streak against the Vikings. The organization has not won in Minnesota since 1992.

Here are five key players who can help the 49ers end that skid:

George Kittle suits up for his 100th NFL regular-season game on Sunday. Through this stage of his career, he ranks favorably among the all-time greats at the tight end position.

Kittle needs 17 yards receiving to surpass Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow for No. 3 on the all-time list of receiving yards for a tight end through 100 games. And with six receptions, he would top Rob Gronkowski for fifth-most receptions during that period.

In 99 games, Kittle has 464 receptions for 6,314 yards.

But he will be a huge factor in this game as a blocker, too. He should see plenty of Vikings outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, who is used in a variety of different ways in defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ scheme.

Safety Ji’Ayir Brown

Darnold has started 57 games in his six-plus seasons in the NFL. He has thrown 57 interceptions in his career.

Darnold will give the 49ers’ defensive backfield some opportunities to create takeaways, and second-year safety Ji’Ayir Brown will have his chances to come away with the football.

Brown has shown a knack for making plays. He had two interceptions in limited playing time in the regular season a year ago. He even picked off Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl.

Just like the rest of the 49ers’ defense, he knows a lot about Darnold. And that seems it could help the 49ers more than it might benefit Darnold.

Brock Purdy might have more on his plate Sunday than against any opponent he faces all season.

That’s because the Vikings push the boundaries as far as trying to confuse the opposition with their post-snap rotations.

“With Minnesota, it’s sort of an illusion-fest,” Purdy said. “They want to make it seem like they’re doing this and then post snap they’re dropping eight into every which way.”

Purdy got off to a hot start last season against the Vikings, as the 49ers played without Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel. But he threw two interceptions in the final five minutes of the 49ers’ 22-17 loss.

Purdy had just converted a fourth-down quarterback sneak and was later diagnosed with a concussion from the play. His two interceptions came following that hit to the head.

RT Colton McKivitz

Colton McKivitz is coming off a season opener in which his run-blocking and pass-protection were outstanding against the Jets.

However, he must clean up the penalties. He was called for a holding and false start.

What makes this game especially difficult for McKivitz is the 49ers will have to go with a silent count for the entire game because of the crowd noise at U.S. Bank Stadium. Therefore, McKivitz will largely be forced to react to the movements of the Vikings’ defensive line.

He faces a tough one-on-one matchup, too. McKivitz will go against Minnesota edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, who is coming off a breakout season in 2023, when he racked up 12.5 sacks with the Houston Texans. He signed a four-year, $76 million contract with the Vikings.

The last time the 49ers saw Aaron Jones, he was running all over the place in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs as a member of the Green Bay Packers.

Jones had 108 yards on 18 carries, and was a big reason the Packers took a 21-14 lead into the fourth quarter at Levi’s Stadium.

The 49ers’ run defense was not great last season, so they went out and did something about it. At the opening of the new league year in March, the 49ers dealt a seventh-round draft pick to the Houston Texans to acquire Collins, a run-stuffing defensive tackle who enters his ninth NFL season.

Collins was a big part of the 49ers’ formula for shutting down Jets running back Breece Hall in Week 1. He also recovered a fumble after Fred Warner punched the ball from Hall’s grasp.

The Vikings need to get the run game going behind Jones, who gained 94 yards and a touchdown in his Minnesota debut last week. And the 49ers will be focused on forcing the Vikings into third-and-long situations throughout the game.

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