Fred Warner on 49ers stopping Vikings RB Dalvin Cook: ‘We took care of business’

Jan 11, 2020 at 6:59 PM


placeholder image

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan admitted to the media his team was set on being the one to get at least 30 rushes in the NFC divisional round of the playoffs on Saturday, not the Minnesota Vikings.

Turns out, the Niners had 47 attempts. The Vikings? Just 10.

This was a major piece to San Francisco's 27-10 victory, which ended Minnesota's season and now propels the 49ers into the NFC Championship game for the first time since 2014. And with both the Niners and Vikings wanting to establish the run game, it's clear Shanahan's squad did much better at bottling up the opponent on the ground than Minnesota.

Stopping Vikings running back Dalvin Cook was priority No. 1 for San Francisco. And it was awfully successful. A week after Cook rushed for 94 yards and two touchdowns in the Vikings' Wild Card win over the New Orleans Saints, the 49ers bottled him up for a mere 18 yards rushing on nine carries. On top of that, Cook was only able to add 8 yards on six catches.

Yes, 26 net yards from Cook. That was it.

"We knew they were going to attack us with the run game," defensive tackle DeForest Buckner told reporters after the game. "We knew they were going to try us early. We had to shut it down early to make it the game we wanted to make it."

Buckner and a number of other 49ers players pointed out how the Vikings defense felt almost the entirely opposite way in the second half, visibly showing frustration, while the Niners were making the situation more and more difficult for Minnesota with each passing minute.

"We were just not really able to get into a rhythm," Cook later admitted. "So they were able to sit back and do what they do. We just never got a rhythm and they were just able to fly around and make plays."

Especially 49ers linebacker Fred Warner, who led the defense with seven tackles.

"Yeah, we did all right," Warner said. "I think every week we want to come out and we want to stop the run. I mean, that was of course a big emphasis this week with how successful they've been in the run of recent or throughout the season, honestly.

"We took care of business in that phase."

And in the pass rush, too, as San Francisco was able to sack quarterback Kirk Cousins six times, thanks largely to the Vikings not being able to balance things out with their rushing attack.

As a result, the Niners are advancing in the playoffs because they handled their business better than Minnesota.

  • Written by:
    Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
Enjoy this article? Follow us to never miss more!

Powered by Follow.it


Comments

More San Francisco 49ers News

placeholder image

49ers mailbag: What do the 49ers have left in the tank for the last four games? Will SF bring back Robert Saleh? Can Brock Purdy beat good teams?

By Marc Adams
Dec 11

It's always a big week when the San Francisco 49ers play the Los Angeles Rams. In 2021, the rivalry became even bigger when the 49ers had to win in the season's final week, in Los Angeles, to make it into the playoffs. On Thursday night, the 49ers must win again to keep their...


placeholder image

49ers vs. Rams injury updates: Ji'Ayir Brown questionable to return

By David Bonilla
Dec 12

The San Francisco 49ers entered Thursday night's NFC West showdown against the Los Angeles Rams without key players, most notably left tackle Trent Williams, who is sidelined for the fourth straight game with an ankle injury. On defense, standout rookie safety Malik Mustapha...


placeholder image

Will the 49ers move on from Brock Purdy, Kyle Shanahan? One NFL insider believes they will not

By Marc Adams
10 hrs

"The season is lost, but the 49ers are still building around coach and QB." Those are the words of The Athletic's Dianna Russini in her latest NFL column, in which she writes that despite the San Francisco 49ers horrid season, the team is sticking to its plan of committing to...


placeholder image

49ers vs. Bears final injury report: Williams won't play, Bosa doubtful

By David Bonilla
Dec 6

The San Francisco 49ers are preparing for their Week 14 contest against the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Both teams have released their official injury reports, which are provided below. San Francisco 49ers Out LB Dre Greenlaw...


Latest

d

San Francisco 49ers

20.3K Subscribers
POWERED BY
SUN

22

dec
49ers at Dolphins
Sun, Dec 22 | 9:25 PM · Hard Rock Stadium, 2269 Northwest 199th Street, Miami Gardens, FL
49ers at Dolphins
✔ 📺 Watch on CBS

---
TUE

31

dec
Lions at 49ers
Tue, Dec 31 | 1:15 AM · Levi's Stadium, 4900 Marie P DeBartolo Way, Santa Clara, CA
Lions at 49ers
✔ 📺 Watch on ABC/ESPN

---
SUN

5

jan
49ers at Cardinals
Sun, Jan 5 | 6:00 PM · State Farm Stadium, One Cardinals Drive, Glendale, AZ
49ers at Cardinals
✔ San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals

---
View All
See all upcoming and past events on Stanza.
Past Events
FRI

13

dec
Rams at 49ers
Fri, Dec 13 | 1:15 AM · Levi's Stadium, 4900 Marie P DeBartolo Way, Santa Clara, CA
Rams at 49ers
✔ San Francisco 49ers - Los Angeles Rams

---
SUN

8

dec
Bears at 49ers
Sun, Dec 8 | 9:25 PM · Levi's Stadium, 4900 Marie P DeBartolo Way, Santa Clara, CA
Bears at 49ers
✔ San Francisco 49ers - Chicago Bears

---
MON

2

dec
49ers at Bills
Mon, Dec 2 | 1:20 AM · Highmark Stadium, One Bills Drive, Orchard Park, NY
49ers at Bills
✔ Buffalo Bills - San Francisco 49ers

---
SUN

24

nov
49ers at Packers
Sun, Nov 24 | 9:25 PM · Lambeau Field, 1265 Lombardi Avenue, Green Bay, WI
49ers at Packers
✔ Green Bay Packers - San Francisco 49ers

---
SUN

17

nov
Seahawks at 49ers
Sun, Nov 17 | 9:05 PM · Levi's Stadium, 4900 Marie P DeBartolo Way, Santa Clara, CA
Seahawks at 49ers
✔ San Francisco 49ers - Seattle Seahawks

---
SUN

10

nov
49ers at Buccaneers
Sun, Nov 10 | 6:00 PM · Raymond James Stadium, 4201 North Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, FL
49ers at Buccaneers
✔ Tampa Bay Buccaneers - San Francisco 49ers

---
MON

28

oct
Cowboys at 49ers
Mon, Oct 28 | 12:20 AM · Levi's Stadium, 4900 Marie P DeBartolo Way, Santa Clara, CA
Cowboys at 49ers
✔ San Francisco 49ers - Dallas Cowboys

---
SUN

20

oct
Chiefs at 49ers
Sun, Oct 20 | 8:25 PM · Levi's Stadium, 4900 Marie P DeBartolo Way, Santa Clara, CA
Chiefs at 49ers
✔ San Francisco 49ers - Kansas City Chiefs

---
FRI

11

oct
49ers at Seahawks
Fri, Oct 11 | 12:15 AM · Lumen Field, 800 Occidental Avenue South, Seattle, WA
49ers at Seahawks
✔ Seattle Seahawks - San Francisco 49ers

---
SUN

6

oct
Cardinals at 49ers
Sun, Oct 6 | 8:05 PM · Levi's Stadium, 4900 Marie P DeBartolo Way, Santa Clara, CA
Cardinals at 49ers
✔ San Francisco 49ers - Arizona Cardinals

---

Trending News

Theme: Auto • LightDark
Share 49ersWebzone