49ers Post Game

[Laserman]

Well...that was a stinker! Looked like the Green Bay game on Monday night all over again - except on the road. Plenty of blame here.

After the 7-7 tie, the offense couldn't stay on the field. OL was dominated up front. Cook couldn't get anything going. And I knew once it was going to be all on Cousins, we were in deep trouble.

DL was also dominated up front. That SF drive of no passes and all rushing plays to go up two scores was absolutely abominable. It seemed like every time they rushed it was a minimum of 4-5 yards a carry. That'll wear any defense down, needless to say one on only 5 days rest.

Muffed catch on the SF punt was costly too. Still had some hope at 2 scores down to make it interesting, but in turn the short field was the last nail in the coffin.

Oh well. Hope to see a good Super Bowl this year, and guess the waiting for that elusive Super Bowl win will continue for the franchise and fan base. I tell my wife (I'm 35) that it'll happen sometime in my lifetime, and if it can happen to the Cubs (108 year drought), and Red Sox (86 year drought), it can certainly happen for us someday. Gotta still believe!

I used to tell my wife that when I was 35. I'm 58 now and smart enough not to say something like that. Speilman just isn't gonna get it. He need to go and get somebody who will bring in a Oline or we will go thru this for 100 years

[808vikingsfan]

Key to getting to the SB is to get the #1 seed. Watching a few Seattle games, they have a terrible OL, a 3rd string TE, and average WRs. Defense is average as well. The only reason they're in the playoffs is RW. The Titans. They were a 2-4 team and looked like a mess until they made a simple QB change. Before the change Mariotta was getting abused in the pocket. Ravens. They were a struggling 4-5 team until they put Jackson as the starter and never looked back.

But not Cousins. Other players need to perform well or we dismiss his poor performance. Everything needs to be perfect for him. He can't be pressured. We're worried when a player shows frustration because we think it might upset Cousins, or feel he needs to be in a certain emotional state to do well. He's a headcase.

To add to that, he's very limited as a qb. Zero pocket presence, can't extend plays, up and down with decision making , scared to take chances, always seem to start off slow. Thought his first few passes set the tone of the game. Allowed SF to focus on stopping the run.
He was a sitting duck in the pocket. It was like he was standing on ice. Puts so much pressure on the OL.

You guys can all talk "team" but the QB makes a huge difference in the success of a football team. I would go as far to say with better QB play this year, the Vikings had a good chance to be the #1 seed. Even today, the Vikings had a good chance up until the 2 turnovers. This is a good team that doesn't need to get blown up. They just need to upgrade a few spots but get a more versatile and gritty QB if they want a chance at the #1 seed.


If the Vikings do not invest in a high round draft pick at QB this year then yes, I think they may need new leadership because Cousins is clearly not the answer.

[cogitator]

That summed it up pretty well Jim. We were just outplayed and out coached. They lit up our offensive line, which was my main concern.

The coaching was ok a week ago. I think primarily out personnel-ed. That 49er defensive line is very tough, I think it has 4 first round picks on it, and high first round picks at that. Gonna be tough to compete with that.

[VikeFanInEagleLand]

But not Cousins. Other players need to perform well or we dismiss his poor performance. Everything needs to be perfect for him. He can't be pressured. We're worried when a player shows frustration because we think it might upset Cousins, or feel he needs to be in a certain emotional state to do well. He's a headcase.

To add to that, he's very limited as a qb. Zero pocket presence, can't extend plays, up and down with decision making , scared to take chances, always seem to start off slow. Thought his first few passes set the tone of the game. Allowed SF to focus on stopping the run.
He was a sitting duck in the pocket. It was like he was standing on ice. Puts so much pressure on the OL.

You guys can all talk "team" but the QB makes a huge difference in the success of a football team. I would go as far to say with better QB play this year, the Vikings had a good chance to be the #1 seed. Even today, the Vikings had a good chance up until the 2 turnovers. This is a good team that doesn't need to get blown up. They just need to upgrade a few spots but get a more versatile and gritty QB if they want a chance at the #1 seed.


If the Vikings do not invest in a high round draft pick at QB this year then yes, I think they may need new leadership because Cousins is clearly not the answer.

Very well said. I'm not sure I would go as far as to say he's a headcase, but he just doesn't the IT factor. I agree with your other analysis of him. I like him as a person. I was rooting for him today. It was awesome seeing the locker room scene last week. I loved his throws in OT last week. But he's just not a big enough force as a QB to win games when some other things around him break down.

With a better team around him, I think he's definitely good enough to win. There have been worse QB's that have won a Super Bowl, because of things like great defense, controlling running game, great game plans, etc. There have also been less talented teams that won Super Bowls because they had QB's that took games on their shoulders when needed. Cousins isn't THAT QB.

SO either they put a more dominant defense on the field, better coaches, and a better OL, or else they start thinking of replacing Cousins with a QB that CAN be the reason they win a big game every now and then.

[VikeFanInEagleLand]

But not Cousins. Other players need to perform well or we dismiss his poor performance. Everything needs to be perfect for him. He can't be pressured. We're worried when a player shows frustration because we think it might upset Cousins, or feel he needs to be in a certain emotional state to do well. He's a headcase.

To add to that, he's very limited as a qb. Zero pocket presence, can't extend plays, up and down with decision making , scared to take chances, always seem to start off slow. Thought his first few passes set the tone of the game. Allowed SF to focus on stopping the run.
He was a sitting duck in the pocket. It was like he was standing on ice. Puts so much pressure on the OL.

You guys can all talk "team" but the QB makes a huge difference in the success of a football team. I would go as far to say with better QB play this year, the Vikings had a good chance to be the #1 seed. Even today, the Vikings had a good chance up until the 2 turnovers. This is a good team that doesn't need to get blown up. They just need to upgrade a few spots but get a more versatile and gritty QB if they want a chance at the #1 seed.


If the Vikings do not invest in a high round draft pick at QB this year then yes, I think they may need new leadership because Cousins is clearly not the answer.

Very well said. I'm not sure I would go as far as to say he's a headcase, but he just doesn't have the IT factor. I agree with your other analysis of him. I like him as a person. I was rooting for him today. It was awesome seeing the locker room scene last week. I loved his throws in OT last week. But he's just not a big enough force as a QB to win games when some other things around him break down.

With a better team around him, I think he's definitely good enough to win. There have been worse QB's that have won a Super Bowl, because of things like great defense, controlling running game, great game plans, etc. There have also been less talented teams that won Super Bowls because they had QB's that took games on their shoulders when needed. Cousins isn't THAT QB.

SO either they put a more dominant defense on the field, better coaches, and a better OL, or else they start thinking of replacing Cousins with a QB that CAN be the reason they win a big game every now and then.

[Mothman]

We are now the first team in NFL history to lose 30 playoff games. The Cowboys are 2nd with 28... but they also have 5 championships.

What a depressing accomplishment. Obviously, to lose 30 playoff games you have to be good enough to participate in them so the Vikings have often been competitive and that's good. On the other hand, all those postseason losses are enormously frustrating.

[CharVike]

We lost because the offense couldn't score. A single TD and FG drive won't win you many playoff games.

There are issues with the D, they were not good. Too many yards given up on the ground and not enough stops. You clean that up and we still lose this game. You clean up the offense, and we have a chance at winning.

The #1 culprit on the O in this game: Pat Elflein. I have never seen a LG play as badly as he did at times. Simple stunts confused the heck out of him, and he just flat out failed to block anyone multiple times. I know he started playing better towards the end of the season, but I think that might have just been the competition he was facing. The guy does not belong as a starter on any football team.

The #2 culprit on the O: Our boy Kirk Cousins. He played awful in this game, and not just because the Oline played poorly. Whether he had time or not, he did nothing. You cannot rely on your defense and run game to keep you in games in the playoffs in every game. Eventually the QB has to step up and do something. Anything.

I love that he had a great overtime drive against the Saints to win that playoff game, and it was a big step in the 8 year vets career. However,in this game he has proven yet again in this game he is just not good enough.

You can fix Elf easily enough. Finally draft a guard in the early rounds after it being the biggest hole on your offense for 10 straight seasons. Cousins will never be good enough. There will always be a reason he can't succeed, always an excuse.

Cue those excuses....now.

The #3 culprit on the O: We need a RB that can avg more than 2 yards a pop. Not many teams win playoff games when their back does that.
This all comes down to blocking. No holes no yards. The 49ers dominated the LOS on both sides of the ball. It looked like men against boys up front on both sides. We couldn't run or stop it. Tough to win that way.

[40for60]

I think I am going to adopt the Titans as long as they are in it. Have a lot of heart and an offense that is bruising yet innovative at times.

[40for60]

What I hoped the Vikings would be.

[Mothman]

I think I am going to adopt the Titans as long as they are in it. Have a lot of heart and an offense that is bruising yet innovative at times.

Same here. I love the way they're playing. They look to me like a team that could go all the way.

[VikeFanInEagleLand]

We lost because the offense couldn't score. A single TD and FG drive won't win you many playoff games.

There are issues with the D, they were not good. Too many yards given up on the ground and not enough stops. You clean that up and we still lose this game. You clean up the offense, and we have a chance at winning.

The #1 culprit on the O in this game: Pat Elflein. I have never seen a LG play as badly as he did at times. Simple stunts confused the heck out of him, and he just flat out failed to block anyone multiple times. I know he started playing better towards the end of the season, but I think that might have just been the competition he was facing. The guy does not belong as a starter on any football team.

The #2 culprit on the O: Our boy Kirk Cousins. He played awful in this game, and not just because the Oline played poorly. Whether he had time or not, he did nothing. You cannot rely on your defense and run game to keep you in games in the playoffs in every game. Eventually the QB has to step up and do something. Anything.

I love that he had a great overtime drive against the Saints to win that playoff game, and it was a big step in the 8 year vets career. However,in this game he has proven yet again in this game he is just not good enough.

You can fix Elf easily enough. Finally draft a guard in the early rounds after it being the biggest hole on your offense for 10 straight seasons. Cousins will never be good enough. There will always be a reason he can't succeed, always an excuse.

Cue those excuses....now.

The #3 culprit on the O: We need a RB that can avg more than 2 yards a pop. Not many teams win playoff games when their back does that.
This all comes down to blocking. No holes no yards. The 49ers dominated the LOS on both sides of the ball. It looked like men against boys up front on both sides. We couldn't run or stop it. Tough to win that way.

When you have an OL that can't create holes, and the defense is filling gaps, that's what happens. I will say that Cook didn't look himself today either. Normally good at yardage after first contact, he seemed to go down pretty easily today.

[Pondering Her Percy]

What a shocker, we lose and the cousins haters flock. Kissing his as# or silent last week but here you are this week. The entire fricken team played terrible. Cousins had bad plays, cook had bad plays, Thielen and diggs had bad plays, the OL was abused all game, the defense couldn’t stop joe Staley from running the ball, Sherels needs to retire, coaching was awful and so on.

Cousins is a fricken pocket QB. When you don’t have an OL that can pass block and are forced into being one dimensional, the offense is going to struggle. Period. This fricken guy has put every damn narrative to bed other than not winning a damn super bowl and guys still fricken complain.

Cant put together a winning season: WRONG
Turns the ball over too much: WRONG
Has a fumbling problem: WRONG
Crumbles under pressure: WRONG
Has good stats due to garbage time: WRONG
Can’t beat a winning team: WRONG
Can’t win a prime time game: WRONG
Can’t orchestrate a comeback: WRONG
Can’t win a playoff game: WRONG

So sure, the guys hasn’t won a super bowl. So there ya go, ya got him! I hope he wins a super bowl some day. Because I wonder what the next narrative will be? Can’t make the hall of fame?

He didn’t play well today at all but the reasons why we’re quite obvious.

It all starts with balance. The fact that cook couldn’t get going causes a ton a 3rd and longs which isn’t good for any QB. Second, with cook being shut down, that eliminates our bread and butter (play action and rollouts), we then become one dimensional which is never good for any team. When you get into these situations and rollouts don’t work, screens don’t work, running in general doesn’t work, you are forced to do one thing and one thing only, sit BEHIND a bad pass blocking OL against the best front 4 and best pass defense in the nfl and try to pick them apart. Good fuc#ing luck. I can tell you there are few that can pull that off.

This is a damn team game. When the run game is rolling, the pass game is rolling. When the pass game is rolling, the run game is rolling. To get to a SB, you need great balance. We didn’t have that today. We had neither run or pass. That’s not fricken Kirk cousins, that’s not dalvin cook, it’s not the OL, it’s not the WRs, it was EVERYONE!!

Can anyone sit here and say that any player on this offense played well today? No. Can anyone say anyone on this defense played well today? No. Can anyone say the coaches called a good game today? No. There was no specific problem today. The entire team played poorly and you can’t play like that in the playoffs. PERIOD.

So all you finger pointers can take your cousins hate somewhere else.

[ERIK the PURPLE]

As much as I wanted the Vikes to win, realistically I didn’t give them much of a chance. Spotty OL and devastating injuries did them in over the second half of the season. Being a 6 seed, we were what we were. However, I got over this loss pretty quickly. Overall, a decent season with a nice win last week. About the best we could expect.

Now, put yourselves in the shoes of Saints fans and Ravens fans - MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT.

[40for60]

What is so difficult about this team is they are never bad but never excellent. Good enough to be in the playoffs 3 out of 5 years but don’t make it to the SB. And the GM and coach aren’t horrible but will they get you to the promised land? And if you blow it up will you end up like a Cleveland or Detroit?

[Pondering Her Percy]

What is so difficult about this team is they are never bad but never excellent. Good enough to be in the playoffs 3 out of 5 years but don’t make it to the SB. And the GM and coach aren’t horrible but will they get you to the promised land? And if you blow it up will you end up like a Cleveland or Detroit?

This is actually pretty damn accurate