Week 9 - 49ers vs. Minnesota Vikings Offensive Preview

Rankings - based on Football Outsiders DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value over Average)

• Vikings Defense - RUN: 5th; PASS: 10th; OVERALL: 6th
  
• 49ers Offense - RUN: 18th; PASS: 19th; OVERALL: 22nd

As long as you don't consider the beating the Patriots laid on Minnesota last Monday, the Vikings defense has been quite good this year, almost among the elite in terms of rankings.

While the 49ers are not the Patriots, they have an offense that has been quite explosive at times. The Vikings gave up some big plays to the Patriots running backs and that is an area the 49ers can match up well. The key will coming down to avoiding turnovers. If Frank Gore can hold onto the ball, this is definitely a defense against which he can make things happen.

If Gore is making things happen and the offensive line is pushing back the Vikings defensive front, Alex Smith can have some time to make things happen through the air. A banged up Vikings defense could be just as key to Alex Smith being successful. Anything that gives him time to throw is a good thing. Smith will be without Vernon Davis for one last week, but hopefully Eric Johnson can step up and make some plays. The 49ers are a team that could be as explosive as anybody when everything is going well. We'll see if they can get something going today.