Sophia Michaels
The Vikings traveled to Levi’s Stadium on Saturday afternoon to face the 49ers in the first game of the NFL Divisional round, but after an impressive showing against the Saints, Minnesota posted a dud on offense against San Francisco’s defense.
Minnesota could only muster 21 yards rushing on the day, as the Niners bottled up Dalvin Cook and negated the Vikings run game. That put the game on the shoulders of Kirk Cousins who couldn’t replicate his performance from New Orleans with 179 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
That pick was critical, as the Niners offense didn’t fare that much better yardage wise, but took advantage of key Vikings miscues to rack up their 27 points in a 17-point win. Richard Sherman blanketed Adam Thielen on the slant route and what appeared to be some miscommunication on whether Thielen should continue his route meant Sherman was where Cousins threw the ball rather than Thielen.
After the game, Sherman was naturally asked about his big pick and had a funny response, complimenting the catchable nature of Cousins pass and saying he “appreciated it.”
Saying a quarterback throws a catchable ball after an interception is always a favorite backhanded compliment, and it’s perfectly executed here by Sherman. After the performance on Saturday, the Niners deserve to say whatever they please because they were truly spectacular, and even with a dismal performance from Jimmy Garoppolo (helped by a great rushing day) they won comfortably.
Written by: Uproxx
