Saturday's NFC Divisional Playoff Game between the top-seeded 49ers and No. 6-seeded Minnesota Vikings will feature two mesmerizing in-game chess matches.
The matchup between 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan's inventive offense and Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer's disciplined defense will take center stage. But the undercard bout between Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski and Robert Saleh's fast-flowing 49ers defense might be the battle that decides who moves onto the NFC Championship Game.
NBC Sports' Chris Simms took a look at what each offense does well and what's the best way to throw a wrench into their plan. The Vikings run a lot of different actions out of their bunch formation. As seen in their wild-card win over the New Orleans Saints, the Vikings like to run outside zone out of the bunch formation.
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The Vikings also can run toss sweep and inside zone in that package, which Simms suggests they use to attack a 49ers defense that is one of the fastest in the NFL. Stefanski also likes to use play-action out of the same package, roll quarterback Kirk Cousins out and hit defenses with the bootleg to either side once they are thinking about the litany of run options the Vikings can use in that action.
As for Shanahan vs. Zimmer, Simms notes that Shanahan has a lot of tricks in his bag. One of those is the "Oh s--t" play where the 49ers lull defenses into believing they are seeing one thing only to hit them with something else. Zimmer's defense will have to be sound and stick to their assignments in order to avoid letting up a big play Saturday at Levi's Stadium.
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San Francisco 49ers
Which team will be able to stop the other's bread and butter? Who will be able to make plays after being punched in the mouth?
Saturday's showdown between the 49ers and Vikings promises to have all the fixings.