49ers set a fierce physical tone and are a win away from seventh Super Bowl
George Kittle’s personality and tenacity would fit right in on this defensive unit.
He plays tight end for the 49ers, a stout fellow who rather enjoys drive blocking people into next week as a tight end when he isn’t catching passes.
So imagine Kittle’s glee in catching a glimpse of how his defensive friends teed off.
On Saturday at Levi’s Stadium, in front of raucous red sea of fans waving towels and yanking on their 49ers jerseys, San Francisco’s defense muscled a Minnesota Vikings outfit used to doing the pushing and shoving.
How often have you heard this in football: Impose your will?
The 49ers imposed, and then some. They left their forearm and cleat marks across the collective facemasks of the Vikings in a physical display that often leads to Super Bowl appearances. San Francisco won Saturday’s NFC Divisional playoff game 27-10 to advance to its 14th conference championship game since 1982, second best in that stretch to New England’s 15.
One win separates the 49ers from their seventh Super Bowl invitation. San Francisco will host the winner of Sunday’s Green Bay-Seattle game at Lambeau Field. You can expect the defense will be there, snarling and ready to pounce.
“Our defense? They’re pretty good. Holy cow!” Kittle said excitedly after the game. “Our defense is fun to watch. So violent, so physical.”
49ers defense makes life a chore
The 49ers aimed to make touchdown drives a chore for Minnesota and to set their own tone by gashing the Vikings for ground yardage. The 49ers’ goal was 30 team rushes. The offense ran it 47 times, with Tevin Coleman going for a season-high tying 105 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns. The 47 carries produced 187 yards and a lot of gassed Vikings.
The 49ers moved to 8-1 in NFC Divisional round games as the top seed, meaning they have won the sort of games they absolutely have to.
Healthy at long last on defense, San Francisco had six sacks, two by Nick Bosa. Minnesota managed just 21 yards on the ground. Pro Bowl-bound back Dalvin Cook was a nonfactor with 18 yards.
“Tough loss today,” Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer said. “I thought (the 49ers) were outstanding on defense and in control of the tempo of the game offensively.”
Kirk Cousins engineered a late victory at New Orleans last week in a playoff opener in his first such playoff triumph at quarterback, but he was engulfed Saturday. His line buckled by a crunch of 49ers defensive linemen. Healthy, it is perhaps the best unit in football.
You know someone said it in the stands or on the field, playing off Cousins’ catchphrase with a slight tweak: “You VIKE that?”
The only tense moment in the second half for San Francisco was when Bosa took a moment to collect himself after a play. Hearts sank in the seats and on the sideline when the rookie had to collect his bearings. Then he reveled in it, waving to the crowd that showered him with, “Bosa! Bosa! Bosa!”
“I thought he milked it for the crowd,” Shanahan said with a laugh later.
The 49ers earned their gloat and boast. Richard Sherman was for years despised by 49ers fans as a villain patrolling the Seattle secondary and talking about it later. He is now hailed as a 49ers hero.
Sherman had a first-half interception, a gift of a gaffe of a throw from Cousins, and he talked about it.
“Kirk threw a very catchable ball. Appreciate that!” Sherman said later with a smile. “That’s what we look like when totally healthy. We play fast.”
On Bosa, Sherman said, “He’s a dominant player. He wants to be dominant every play.”
Sherman, 49ers defense feed on disrespect
Sherman was showered and neatly dressed while speaking at the podium but he was still a bit agitated. He feeds off any hint of a slight or disrespect, particularly from media, though he’s been treated more than fairly by 49ers reporters.
“I’m tired of the excuses of why I’m great,” Sherman bristled. “Big games, I show up. I hear, ‘Oh, my God! Plays zone defense!’ People want me to fail.”
Opponents don’t want to throw his way. That much we do know. The 49ers were burned only once critically on defense. The cornerback opposite of Sherman was Ahkello Witherspoon. He lost sight of Stefon Diggs for a split instance, and Diggs took off for a 41-yard touchdown to tie it at 7 in the first quarter
Witherspoon was given another shot to start after Seattle scored twice on him in the regular-season finale. Emmanuel Moseley replaced Witherspoon, the defense settled and then dominated.
“He knew,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said of the short leash on Witherspoon. “It was a tough decision, but he knew. He was aware of that.”
Jimmy Garoppolo understood his role, too. He earned his first playoff victory for the 49ers by efficiently engineering drives in the first half and by handing off a lot in the second half. Joe Montana was here, the Hall of Famer on hand as an honorary captain. Even Montana didn’t have to be Joe Cool every game. Just Joe Smart.
Garoppolo passed for a modest 11 of 19 for 131 yards and a touchdown. He also laid into a Viking while blocking on a reverse, and his teammates ribbed him for it.
“Said he got his first pancake block,” Kittle said grinning.
Said Garoppolo, “I was pretty happy about that.”
It was that sort of day and it’s become that sort of season.
This story was originally published January 12, 2020 at 6:00 AM.