The Minnesota Vikings had plenty of reasons to be frustrated during their 27-10 divisional-round playoff defeat to the 49ers in the 2019 season. Chief among them, though, was a controversial hit by then 49ers rookie Nick Bosa on Vikings offensive tackle Brian O’Neill during Richard Sherman’s third-quarter interception return.
Bosa picked up an unnecessary roughness penalty, and O'Neill left the game and was evaluated for a concussion after the play.
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Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer called it a "cheap shot," and one unnamed Vikings player called it a "bulls--t move."
But on Wednesday, O'Neill made it known he has moved on ahead of the two teams battling this upcoming Sunday at Levi's Stadium.
"That's water under the bridge now," O'Neill said to reporters. "I got over that a long time ago, I'm good. I respect how he plays the game and hopefully it's going to be a good battle."
O'Neill said that he and Bosa haven't talked since that play.
San Francisco 49ers
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But mostly O'Neill praised the 49ers' pass rusher, who already has a career-high 10 sacks this season.
"First off, I have a ton of respect for his game and how he goes about his business," O'Neill said. "He's extremely explosive, he's long, he's athletic. He can beat you with power, he can beat you with speed, he can beat you with technically using his hands.
"Ton of respect for him. ... He's the whole package and one of the best edge rushers in the game, so it's a big challenge for me."