If the 49ers are to open 2015 with a victory Monday night, they will need strong outings from two positions with giant question marks.
First, the offensive line – so woeful at protecting 49ers quarterbacks this summer – must give Colin Kaepernick time to throw, while also opening holes for the running game.
And second, the new-look cornerback corps will have to shut down a Vikings receiving group that could be very dangerous on deep patterns in combination with second-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
This will be the first full game for the offensive line that features Joe Staley at left tackle and former right guard Alex Boone at left guard. It’s not likely that those two will be a problem. They are the line’s best two players. But center Marcus Martin, right guard Jordan Devey and right tackle Erik Pears will be put to the test. Pears has been consistently inadequate in exhibitions and Devey is new, having been picked up from the Patriots. Martin is back at center after being tested at right guard.
Vikings defensive tackle Shariff Floyd, one of the NFL’s best in 2014 (as judged by the analytics website Pro Football Focus), will line up across from Devey, who was inconsistent last season with New England and in his brief time with the Niners in exhibition action. The rest of the Vikings defense, too, can get after the quarterback. Defensive end Everson Griffen had a career-high 12 sacks in 2014, and young linebacker Anthony Barr had four sacks.
Niners head coach Jim Tomsula said this week that he likes the “cohesion” of his revamped current starting group and is confident they can play well.
“I feel very comfortable with the guys,” he told reporters this week. “I feel good about the guys. I feel good about the group. It’s a good group.”
Sports
Meanwhile, the starting cornerback tandem still isn’t set. Tramaine Brock has been limited in practice this week with a hamstring injury that has bothered him for more than two weeks. And the team still hasn’t announced the starter on the other side. It’s between second-year men Kenneth Acker and Keith Reaser.
Whoever is at cornerback will need to prevent Bridgewater from going deep to a couple of speedsters, Mike Wallace and Charles Johnson. Third-year receiver Cordarelle Patterson also is a threat, with 11 touchdown catches in his first two seasons.
“They have fast receivers,” Acker told the media this week. “Everybody has a deep threat in their system. I’m sure we’ll get tested just like everybody else. I look at it as an opportunity that the ball is going to come at some point, so just making sure tht when it does come, it’s the best play for me.”
Oddsmakers have made the Vikings 2-point favorites for the game that is scheduled to kick off at 7:20 p.m.
