Niners at Vikings 9/9/18 - NFL Picks & Predictions

The San Francisco 49ers visit the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday September 9 in Week 1 of the NFL regular season.

High expectations reign in San Francisco after four seasons without a trip to the playoffs. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will start his first full season under center and fans hope the talented QB can lead them to the playoffs. Garoppolo has several options to hand off and throw to, but it might the new offensive line that is most important to the team’s success. On defense, Richard Sherman brings experience to the secondary but linebacker Reuben Foster will sit out, with Korey Toomer leading the way in his absence.

Minnesota spent large sums of money to sign quarterback Kirk Cousins and his era starts on Sunday. Cousins will have the duo of Dalvin Cook and Latavius Murray as running backs, while Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs will be just two of the many targets Cousins will have as receivers. However, it is the defense that separates the Vikings from most opponents. Xavier Rhodes, Everson Griffen, Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks are just four of the talented players on the Vikings defense. Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 305 yards, one touchdown and one interception during the preseason. Jerick McKinnon had just three carries during the preseason but is expected to start as the feature back for the 49ers offense. Marquise Goodwin caught 7 passes for 119 yards and Pierre Garcon 3 for 79 yards as the top two receivers for San Francisco.

Kirk Cousins threw for 236 yards and one touchdown during the preseason. Running back Latavius Murray rushed for 79 yards while Dalvin Cook was limited to 2 carries and 1 yard as he is slowly returning to form after major knee surgery. Stefon Diggs caught 7 passing for 86 yards and Adam Thielen had 4 receptions for 26 yards.