Minnesota Vikings: 5 keys against San Francisco 49ers
By Luke Sims
Oct 5, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) tries to hold off Kansas City Chiefs free safety Husain Abdullah (39) during the fourth quarter at Levi
3) Limit Colin Kaepernick
Colin Kaepernick struggled in 2014. He wasn’t nearly as effective as his first couple seasons in the NFL, but he is still an extremely dangerous quarterback.
With the ability to make the most of broken plays and improvise better than many other quarterbacks, Kaepernick can be a nightmare for defenses.
While I personally believe he is a hot and cold quarterback and the 49ers won’t know what version of Kaepernick they have until the game starts, his ability is to be respected. He completed 60% of his passes in 2014 complete with 19 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions.
But it’s his mobility and ability to beat teams with his feet that presents the most problems. With 639 yards on the ground in 2014 alone, Kaepernick was the 49ers second-best rushing threat in 2014. With Frank Gore now with the Indianapolis Colts, Kaepernick’s value as a runner is even more important.
Carlos Hyde and Reggie Bush won’t go quietly into the night at running back, but if the 49ers falter in the running game, they can always rely on Kaepernick to pick up the slack.
The defensive line for the Minnesota Vikings is critical to containing Kaepernick. Guys like Sharrif Floyd should be able to keep Kaepernick unsettled all day long. If he does manage to get around the guys up front, however, it will fall to the Vikings linebackers to be on top of their game to slow him down.
With just above six yards per attempt last season, if the Vikings linebackers can’t clamp down on the quarterback when he runs, then third and long and other key downs can quickly turn into missed opportunities for the Vikings.
Kaepernick tends to step up in big-time games, so expect him to put his best foot forward on Monday night.
More than any other player, the Minnesota Vikings must step up when called to upon to limit Colin Kaepernick.
Next: Can the secondary step up against strong receivers?