The 49ers offensive line was bulldozed by the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Due to Cleveland’s highly defensive line and the difficult throwing conditions, Brock Purdy was under consistent duress in San Francisco’s first loss of the year, something that undoubtedly led to a number of missed throws and Purdy’s first interception of the season.
So is blitzing the key to stopping the 49ers offense? Well, not necessarily. The New York Giants blitzed SF incessantly earlier this season, and were tuned up, allowing 30 points and 310 yards passing.
Regardless, the Vikings and defensive coordinator Brian Flores love to blitz more than any other team in the league. It’s a safe bet that will continue on Monday, and NFL Films’ Senior Producer Greg Cosell believes it will be the key to the game.
“Brian Flores who’s their defensive coordinator, he loves to blitz,” Cosell said on KNBR Thursday. “They are blitzing at far and away the highest percentage of any team in the NFL. The thing about Flores is, he’s not necessarily tendency based when he blitzes, he’ll just blitz. I’m very curious to see how the 49ers come out offensively after a game in which they did not execute at their highest level. That to me is a fascinating component to this game.”
The good news is that the Vikings have not been very effective rushing the passer. According to Pro Football Focus, Minnesota grades 31st of the 32 teams in their pass rush rankings. It could set up a situation where Purdy has fortuitous matchups in the passing game, and opens up the opportunity to a bounce back through the air. This could be especially true if Christian McCaffrey is not available.
It should be noted, however, that Minnesota’s defensive backfield is considered one of the best in the league (seventh overall according to PFF), a likely explanation as to why Flores blitzes so aggressively.
“The question is, the 49ers are a 21 personnel offense for the most part,” Cosell continued. “They play (Kyle) Juszczyk, so they play two backs. Brian Flores likes to play what we like to call a lot of big nickel. Three safeties instead of a third linebacker. So, we’ll see.
“The Niners are a tough offense to play against. This is a week-to-week league, now everyone thinks the Niners stink and Brock Purdy’s a fraud. You know how it goes. So, I’ll be very curious to see how Brian Flores decides to play from a personnel standpoint and a tactical standpoint and how Kyle chooses to play.”
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