Vikings vs. 49ers: San Francisco Grades, Notes and Quotes
The San Francisco 49ers are 1-0 after beating the visiting Minnesota Vikings at home on Monday Night Football 20-3.
Both teams' ground games figured to be major factors over the course of the evening. But the 49ers got the better of Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and Co. New No. 1 back Carlos Hyde rushed for 168 yards and two touchdowns over the course of the evening.
Peterson netted just 31 yards on 10 attempts. And the 49ers defense proved why it should still be considered one of the better units in the NFL in 2015.
The game started off ugly with a number of special teams gaffes on both sides. San Francisco attacked Minnesota's red zone on the first offensive possession. But a blocked field goal ensured there wouldn't be any scoring until later in the game.
Much later, as things turned out. The 49ers finally opened up the scoreboard with a Hyde touchdown late in the first half.
The 49ers scored 13 more points over the game and held the Vikings to a lone field goal.
What were some of the key moments in the game, and what can we expect moving forward? Let's break down the 49ers opening victory in Week 1.
Position Grades for 49ers
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| Position | Grade |
| QB | B |
| RB | A+ |
| WR | C |
| TE | A- |
| OL | B+ |
| DL | B+ |
| LB | A+ |
| DB | B+ |
| Special Teams | D |
| Coaching | B |
Quarterback Colin Kaepernick actually looked poised within the pocket compared to many of his efforts last season. San Francisco's signal-caller didn't finish the evening with any touchdowns, but he helped set up a couple of scoring drives with well-executed passes and key runs from the pocket.
Kaepernick didn't get much production out of his wide receivers, but tight ends Vernon Davis and Garrett Celek did combine for 87 receiving yards on six receptions, with three apiece.
Aside from some poor penalties, Kaepernick's offensive line also looked much stronger than what was expected out of this unit entering the regular season.
And the way the O-line opened up holes for running back Carlos Hyde was particularly special.
Hyde stole the show for San Francisco. His efforts amounted to 168 rushing yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns. He averaged 6.5 yards per carry and was the critical reason why the 49ers offense gained momentum over the course of the bout.
Equally impressive was the 49ers defense.
Overall, the defense held Minnesota's offense to a mere 248 all-purpose yards and forced five sacks for 54 yards.
Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater had his moments but was hindered by the inability of running back Adrian Peterson to get things going. Peterson averaged just 3.1 yards per attempt on the evening.
Linebackers NaVorro Bowman and Aaron Lynch had two of those five sacks. And veteran cornerback Tramaine Brock forced the only interception of the game in the fourth quarter.
Penalties and poor special teams play were really the only major areas of issue for San Francisco. And those are elements upon which the 49ers should be able to fix moving forward.
Carlos Hyde Is the Man
2 of 7Hyde's first touchdown, which put the 49ers on top toward the end of the first half, looked more like a video game move than something commonly executed at the NFL level.
But this spin—seen in the above video—showcases Hyde's unique skill and will continue to provide more reasons behind all the hype the second-year pro could receive this season.
Hyde carried the 49ers offense in his first effort as San Francisco's No. 1 back. In doing so, the promising talent did something not seen from the 49ers in quite some time.
Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle describes further:
"With the 49ers leading 10-3 in the fourth quarter, Hyde killed the suspense with a 17-yard run with 9:30 remaining.
Hyde became the first 49ers running besides Gore to rush for more than 160 yards since Charlie Garner had 201 on Sept. 24, 2000. And he also made the forward pass largely unnecessary.
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"I watched the Washington game last year," Hyde said of his spin move during the 49ers press conference following the game. "I saw one play where No. 99 was stiff and that spin move killed him."
It sure did.
The 49ers will continue to put a lot of pressure on Hyde this season as the offense figures to be run-heavy over the course of the year.
And Hyde certainly didn't disappoint.
Colin Kaepernick Looks More Poised Than Previously
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ESPN's coverage of Monday Night Football gave Kaepernick critics a few different looks compared to what was seen by the 49ers quarterback a year ago.
Color analyst Trent Dilfer was quick to point out Kaepernick's ability to stay poised within the pocket. A number of replays showed him going through his progressions and recognizing the coverage rather than simply taking off when his first read wasn't there.
Dilfer's analysis might have been stretched a bit—Kaepernick had a relatively pedestrian game with 17 completions on 26 attempts for 165 yards—but San Francisco's signal-caller did appear much more decisive within the pocket.
When Kaepernick did run, the rushes came at moments when Minnesota's coverage was tight and/or there was a clear gap in which he could exploit a seam in the defense.
In short, he looked to pass first and only run when necessary.
A number of these moments helped set up San Francisco's scoring drives. Kaepernick did pick up some critical first downs on the game-clinching scoring drive, per Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area.
Kaepernick's efforts were a good sign. He didn't have a perfect game by any stretch, but he certainly helped his team rather than hindered it.
And that's always a positive.
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The Defense Is Good...Really Good
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Linebackers Patrick Willis, Chris Borland and Aldon Smith. Defensive ends Justin Smith and Ray McDonald. Cornerbacks Chris Culliver and Perrish Cox.
Those were some of the names on which pundits around the league focused when evaluating the 2015 NFL defense.
Instead, they should be focusing on Bowman and Lynch along with secondary members Antoine Bethea, Kenneth Acker and Jaquiski Tartt.
This new-look defense under defensive coordinator Eric Mangini looked much more aggressive compared to its efforts under former coordinator Vic Fangio. And the efforts paid off with five sacks and one interception.
Bleacher Report's Matt Miller noted the 49ers' defensive efforts during the game by tweeting: "49ers look like they're playing with 15 men on defense. Fast, attacking, swarming to the ball."
And it seemed that way all night.
The defense was led by Bowman, who looked every part the All-Pro that 49ers fans have come to know during his amazing career. And Lynch looked like the promising player once seen from San Francisco last season.
Mangini has to get a lot of credit for the way the 49ers defense responded during the game. Limiting Peterson was a prime goal.
San Francisco responded and did much more in the process.
Jim Tomsula on NaVorro Bowman
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Bowman's stat line from Monday night read like this: seven tackles and one sack.
But his efforts were much stronger than just numbers. The big matchup entering the game was the respective returns of Bowman and Peterson and which player would get the edge.
Simply stated, Bowman emerged on top.
Head coach Jim Tomsula was quick to praise Bowman's efforts in the 49ers' postgame press conference.
"You can't say enough about [Bowman]," Tomsula stated, via the team on Twitter. "One of the things I respect most about NaVorro is he plays team defense."
The defense now belongs to Bowman following Willis' retirement. Not only is the three-time All-Pro the vocal leader of this group, but he also continues to serve as the primary playmaker and impact guy on that side of the ball.
San Francisco will continue to look to Bowman as he continues his amazing comeback from the horrendous injury of more than a year ago.
Kaepernick on the O-Line
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San Francisco's offensive line was a major question mark entering the 2015 season. Especially along the right side, this unit could still be viewed as the team's primary weakness in the young season.
But, aside from a few poor penalties, the O-line looked solid across the board.
Zone blocking is one of the reasons behind Hyde's amazing night. This is a new approach for this group, and the early results are promising. On top of that, the line held up Minnesota's crop of pass-rushers. Kaepernick was sacked just once during the game.
"They played a really good game," Kaepernick said of the O-line, via Taylor Price of 49ers.com. "I don’t think there’s going to be too many things for them to correct off of that."
What was even more special was how the O-line did a solid job of holding its blocks while Kaepernick was within the pocket. This allowed San Francisco's quarterback to move within the pocket while continuously looking down the field for passing targets.
Additionally, the line did a solid job of extending blocks at the second level, which helped increase the yards per carry from Hyde over the course of the night.
Hyde on the New Zone-Blocking Approach
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Hyde's 168 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns didn't occur in a vacuum. And those numbers were certainly assisted by San Francisco's new zone-blocking approach up front.
When asked how he felt about this new scheme, Hyde responded, via 49ers.com, "I felt like I was back at Ohio State tonight. I loved it."
The former Ohio State star certainly looked as if he benefits from this scheme.
Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area describes further:
"Hyde appears to be a good fit for the 49ers’ zone-blocking scheme – a similar style to which he ran during his career at Ohio State. Hyde exploded on the scene with 168 yards and two touchdowns on 23 rushing attempts. ... Hyde reversed field to score on a 10-yard touchdown run to give the 49ers a 7-0 lead with :47 remaining in the first half. Hyde achieved career-highs in rushes (12) and yards rushing (83) in the first half alone. As a rookie, Hyde’s best game came against Seattle in December when he gained 55 yards.
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One of the elements that stood out from Hyde's efforts was his ability to attack gaps and explode at the second level—aspects that made former 49ers back Frank Gore so famous during his storied tenure in San Francisco.
The 49ers needed to get Hyde involved in the play-calling early and often. This approach succeeded as he did more than just prove he can pick up where Gore left off.
All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and ESPN.com unless otherwise indicated.
Peter Panacy is a featured columnist covering the San Francisco 49ers for Bleacher Report. Follow him @PeterPanacy on Twitter.
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