San Francisco 49ers vs. Minnesota Vikings

Post Game Thoughts The Blackout theme was prevalent in the crowd to the end zones. It was also administered on the field by the 49ers defense against the Vikings. Adrian Peterson returned from a long suspension on Monday Night Football ready for an explosive 2015 debut. The 49ers defense lead by Navarro Bowman’s return had other things in mind; Peterson was limited to 10 carries for 31 yards. The 49ers defensive line lead by nose tackle Ian Williams stonewalled the Vikings offensive line which was mismatched due to missing 2 starters at center and right tackle. Surprisingly Teddy Bridgewater was the focal point of the offense, going 23 of 32 for 231 yards. Often pressured by varying blitzing packages by Defensive Coordinator Eric Mangini Bridgewater struggled as the 49ers brought the heat which resulted in five sacks by five different defenders. Offensively the 49ers were lead by first time starting running back Carlos Hyde. Behind the 49ers new zone run blocking scheme Hyde rushed for 168 yards on 26 carries with two touchdowns. As he outshined his hall of fame counterpart on Monday Night with a combination of speed, power, and an impressive spin move on his first touchdown run which lit up the Levis Stadium crowd for the first score of the year. After the departure of Frank Gore the 49ers all time leader in rushing yards Hyde has huge shoes to fill but he’s off to a spectacular start. Colin Kaepernick debuted with a series of short passes and roll outs. Kaepernick looked more like a game manager then the guy who loves to throw laser beams down the field for huge gains. As part of his offseason training which concentrated on shorter throws and passes to the running backs in the flats he has attempted to diversify his evolvement as a quarterback. There was nothing spectacular about the offense on Monday Night, simply an old school game of running and stopping the run which the 49ers won easily.

The Good

• Carlos Hyde o 26 carries 168 Yards and 2 touchdowns • Five Sacks o Tartt o Bowman o Bethea o Carradine o Lynch • Interception o Brock

The Bad

• Turnovers o Hayne’s muffed punt o Field Goal Blocked • Missed Opportunities o Ellington returns 85 yard punt return but its nullified by block in the back by Patton o Offensive penalties which nullified three potential scoring drives

Cladie Jordan

49ersHub Writer

@Bay2Yaylive