Why Shanahan Thinks O’Connell’s Vikings Offense Is Struggling Originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Kyle Shanahan knows all too well that a Kevin O’Connell-led Vikings offense could give the 49ers a headache for the second straight season on Sunday.
During the latest episode of NBC Sports Bay Area’s “49ers Game Plan,” which premiered Friday night, Shanahan explained to Greg Papa the similarities between O’Connell’s plan and that of his and Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams, and why it poses a threat.
“Yeah, I think it’s similar, especially how the Rams were,” Shanahan told Papa. “I think the Rams were a little different in one game this year, a little different running style and stuff.”
With a 22-17 upset last season boosting their hopes, the Vikings will hope to continue their seven-game home win streak against the 49ers. San Francisco hasn’t won in Minneapolis since 1992.
And O’Connell, who served as McVay’s offensive coordinator with the Rams in 2020 and 2021, bolstered his offense this offseason, adding quarterback Sam Darnold and running back Aaron Jones in an effort to complement superstar receiver Justin Jefferson.
Shanahan knows O’Connell’s scheme and therefore has a good idea of how the NFL head coach can deploy his offensive weapons in his third year.
“But they’re primarily based on one back,” Shanahan added. “They’re doing a lot of tempo stuff. A lot of drop backs and things that are very similar.”
In the Week 1 win over the New York Jets, San Francisco’s star secondary receiver limited Garrett Wilson to a subpar 60 yards receiving and zero touchdowns, while Aaron Rodgers was limited to 167 yards on 13 completions.
At US Bank Stadium, the task could look very different as Jefferson is happy to take advantage of any one-on-one coverage he gets.
Shanahan has respect for that, and for everything that makes O’Connell’s offense so exciting.
“Kevin has always done a really good job,” Shanahan added. “I have a lot of respect for him.
“When you have Kevin, their system, a really good running back, a really good quarterback, as good a receiver as there is, they can be a problem. We have our work cut out for us.”
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