Three Ways the 49ers can Stop Dalvin Cook

Vikings running back Dalvin Cook presents a challenging task for the 49ers' defense when the two teams meet in the divisional playoff round on Saturday. However, there are three ways that the 49ers can stop Cook from having an impact game.

The Minnesota Vikings' shock Wild Card win over the New Orleans Saints was highlighted by excellent performances from Dalvin Cook and Adam Thielen as they returned to their best in the SuperDome. Going against arguably the NFL's best pass defense, Thielen's prospects of a repeat performance against the San Francisco 49ers may be diminished, and the Vikings are likely to instead be pinning hopes of victory on star tailback Cook.

Cook missed the final two games of the regular season with a shoulder/chest injury but made his comeback against the Saints in hugely impressive fashion. He finished with 28 carries for 94 yards and two touchdowns. His yards per carry average of 3.36 may have been underwhelming, but an absorbing contest was defined significantly by New Orleans' struggles in stopping Cook.

If San Francisco's defense has a weakness, it is in shutting down the run. The 49ers are ranked No. 11 in the NFL in run defense by Football Outsiders DVOA. For comparison, they are second in pass defense DVOA. San Francisco had 10 games in the regular season where the Niners allowed fewer than 200 yards passing, but only four in which they allowed under 100 yards on the ground.

Cook, rookie Alexander Mattinson, and the Vikings can, therefore, afford to have hope of success against San Francisco on the ground, but what can the 49ers do to ensure they keep Minnesota's rushing attack, and specifically the former Florida State star, in check? His performance against New Orleans provided several clues.

Win on the edges

The Vikings run an offensive scheme that bears similarities to the system used by Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers, with Minnesota relying heavily on outside runs.

It was on those carries where Cook did most of his damage against the Saints. Sunday marked Cook's third game with 20 rushes outside the tackles this season, which is the most in the NFL according to NextGen Stats.

Perspective on how the #Vikings upset the #Saints thru the lens of ⁦@NextGenStats⁩

Hint: there’s some Dalvin Cook info here that will be a factor in next week’s matchup against the #Niners

⁦@nflnetwork⁩ #MINvsNO #NFLWildCard pic.twitter.com/BkoPznVFfD

— cynthia frelund (@cfrelund) January 6, 2020

Cook was able to thrive partially because of his speed, a key ingredient in the success of those outside runs and something 49ers rookie defensive end Nick Bosa is wary of.

"I have been watching him since he was at Florida State. He's really good," Bosa said, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area.

"Not many people can maintain the speed he maintains through contact. He just makes cuts and never slows down. He's so physical. It's going to be a challenge. We have played some good backs, but we haven't played him."

Bosa will be pivotal in preventing Cook from getting outside of the tackles. Saints defensive ends Cameron Jordan and Trey Hendrickson were frequently knocked off the ball or sealed off from the play on Minnesota's outside runs, their failure to consistently set the edge helping Cook average 5.4 yards on such carries in the first half, per NFL Media's Cynthia Frelund.

For the 49ers to contain Cook, Bosa and Solomon Thomas – likely to handle a lot of defensive end work if Dee Ford is limited – need to win the battles on the outside in the run game, otherwise their much-vaunted defense could have a very difficult time slowing down the Vikings.

Gain penetration

Where the Saints also struggled last week was in penetrating the backfield when defending the run. Only five of Cook's carries went for a loss and two of those came on ill-advised toss plays in the red zone.

D.J. Jones' ankle injury robbed the Niners of one of their best run disruptors but Bosa, Arik Armstead, and DeForest Buckner are all adept at bursting into the backfield in a blink and Ford's potential return from a hamstring injury would give them another player up front who excels in that area.

The Niners are blessed with excellent team speed on defense and the returns of linebacker Kwon Alexander and safety Jaquiski Tartt will add to that. If they can get home on the occasional run blitz and the defensive line can gain consistent penetration on running downs, it could be a long evening for Cook.

Get to Kirk Cousins early

One of the most significant reasons why the Vikings were able to stick with the run in New Orleans was that quarterback Kirk Cousins was largely kept clean.

Cousins was sacked only twice by the Saints, one being a give-up sack converted by Cameron Jordan in the fourth quarter. That kept the Vikings from getting behind the chains too often and afforded offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanksi the chance to be flexible with his play-calling.

As talented as the Saints' defensive front is, the 49ers have a greater wealth of options and the firepower to make the Vikings offense one-dimensional. The Niners are second in the NFL in Football Outsiders' Adjusted Sack Rate metric and, given the attention Ford will likely command when he is on the field, Bosa, Armstead and Buckner should receive significantly more one-on-one opportunities to get to Cousins.

Should they take advantage of those chances, things could get ugly in a hurry for Minnesota and the Vikings may be forced to abandon the run. The Niners had only four sacks over the final five games having racked up at least four in seven of their first 11 (h/t Kyle Madson of The Niners Wire), however, Ford has the speed off the edge to help the pass rush rediscover its early-season best.

Cook is arguably the focal point of the Vikings offense, but he could quickly be reduced to the role of spectator if San Francisco's pass rush returns to game-wrecking form and quickly unsettles a quarterback that looked completely at ease in the SuperDome.