San Francisco 49ers Post-Game: Week Two Preseason vs. Minnesota Vikings

The 49ers defense came to play.  From sacking Favre on the first drive to ending the game with a safety (which covered the point spread), the 49ers defense was running its motors all game.

Travis LaBoy was the most impressive and was hitting Vikings QB Tarvaris Jackson all night.  LaBoy is sure to make the team after this sort of performance and will likely see a starting role on passing situations.

Matt Wilhelm had a good overall game on the defensive side of the ball.  After missing one tackle on a swing pass, he made up for it by reading a swing pass later in the game and made a leaping deflection of the pass.  This play took instinct and athleticism and in a defensive game, which this was, every play is a big play.

The defensive surprise of the night however was No. 60 Khalif Mitchell.  Mitchell found himself in the right place at the right time on almost every snap and it was because he worked harder than anyone else on the field.  This man has a motor and he was disrupting the Vikings passing game all night including his involvement on the safety that ended the game.

The pressure on the quarterback and disrupting the passing game is exactly the kind of improvement the 49ers needed to see.  The defense has been stellar against the run in years past, but to see the pass defense ramp up is an encouraging sight.

Taylor Mays in the secondary took advantage of a new NFL rule that allows a defender to knock a player out of bounds to make the play an incompletion.  The old rule was more fair where a receiver could still make a reception if knocked out of bounds by a defender; nonetheless Mays demonstrated the increased value of a hard-hitting safety by knocking the receiver out of the air and entirely off the field to make the call an easy one for the officials.  It wasn't a hit for the ages (like the one Nate Byham took) but Mays made the play and the pass went incomplete.

The 49ers offence faced a staunch Vikings defense all game and the most impressive drive of the game for either team was the opening one of the game.

Alex Smith took the field after the opening kickoff with no Frank Gore, no Michael Crabtree, and no Vernon Davis.  The preseason stage was set to see what Smith could manufacture without his biggest weapons...although not alone.

The pass protection played big and Alex Smith stepped up in the pocket and completed three third down conversions in a row while marching the Niners down to the five-yard line.

On first and goal, Smith faked an inside handoff to the fullback and pitched the ball weakside to RB Anthony Dixon who had one CB to beat and a blocker sealing that CB to the outside.  Dixon faked running the ball in between the CB and the line, and out of nowhere a Viking defender closed the hole.  Dixon had to bounce the run to the sideline and won a footrace with the CB on a diving play for the pylon and scored the touchdown.

The 49ers have been getting off to slow starts in games and for Alex Smith to march his team down the field without the three biggest weapons on the team against a Vikings defense that led the league in sacks last year was no small feat.

Unfortunately, the 49ers could not find the same symmetry of play calling and execution again in the game that got them into the end zone so efficiently on this opening drive.

One part of the offense that is most surprising thus far is the pass catching ability of Nate Byham. 

Drafted in the sixth round this year for his blocking ability at TE, Nate has shown he can catch the ball and get open.  Nate has caught every ball thrown his way all preseason save for one he was bringing in before he got blasted by the Vikings strong safety, who jarred the ball loose. 

Still, after catching his breath and sitting out a few plays, Byham was right back into the mix catching balls and making blocks without missing a beat.  Welcome to the show Byham.

The offensive highlight for the 49ers however was a single play from Nate Davis to Ted Ginn Jr.

Ted Ginn Jr. showed he is anything but a possession receiver in this game.  His timing was off and he didn't have the hands to bring in two passes a team would like to see their alleged No. 2 receiver make.  That being said, Ginn Jr. showed how truly effective he can be as a deep threat.

With Ginn Jr. starting the play on the left side of the field, Nate Davis took the snap from inside his own 10-yard line and turned to see a defender right in his face. 

Davis calmly sidestepped the rush to the right, planted his feet, and launched the ball 65 yards in the air hitting Ted Ginn in stride, who had at this point outran everyone all the way across to the right side of the field, catching the ball just before going out of bounds.

Watching the replays just made the play all that more impressive: 

http://www.nfl.com/videos/san-francisco-49ers/09000d5d819f2830/That-s-an-arm

The calm of Nate Davis, the arm of Nate Davis, and the speed of Ginn Jr. all came together perfectly in this one play, the play of the game for the 49ers.

If there's one thing 49ers fans can be sure of after a 2-0 preseason start with wins against the Vikings and the Colts is that the team is very deep and pointed in the right direction.

While the coordinators continue to find a consistent rhythm in their play calling, it is clear Mike Singletary has most of these players playing to the best of their ability.  Motivation is not going to be a concern for these 49ers as they move into Week Three of the preseason. 

Preseason football is a joy to watch because we as fans can all just enjoy the game and not worry so much about all the mistakes and who wins or loses.  Preseason football takes us all back to the purity of the sport where each and every one of us went pad-less on a patch of grass with the kids from the neighborhood; where we all just went to play our best because we enjoy doing so.