Heading into a new season, every team in the NFL is surrounded by question marks. But perhaps no two teams were dogged with more uncertainties this offseason than the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers.
The Vikes will hit the road to take on the Niners at Levi's Stadium tonight at 10:15 p.m. EDT and, hopefully, fans will finally get some answers.
Adrian Peterson returns after missing all but one game last year due to suspension while second-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will start in his first-ever season opener. The hope in Minnesota is that the combination of the two can help build on last year's 7-9 season and push for the playoffs this year.
More immediately, though, the Vikings need Peterson to provide a boost to the NFL's 14th ranked rushing game from last year. Minnesota averaged 112.8 yards per game on the ground and finished with 12 touchdowns. While Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata filled in admirably for Peterson, neither back can fully replace the former MVP winner.
Yet Peterson doesn't believe that he's the engine for Minnesota's success.
"Teddy, I feel like he's the key," Peterson said via ESPN. "There's not too many guys that come into the league that have that talent, especially at the quarterback position. He's just so poised. He has a great arm. He's mature. And he's a competitor."
Bridgewater threw for 2,919 yards with 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last year. He also added 209 yards and one score on the ground. Despite the impressive numbers, Colin Kaepernick is the more dangerous dual-threat of the two QBs. The San Fran starter finished second behind Russell Wilson in rushing for a QB with 639 yards.
"All quarterbacks, they put an extra dimension in which they can run the football," Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer said. "They can create space with their legs, so you have to be careful with your rush lanes, and we anticipate they're going to get out of the pocket with some bootlegs and things like that."
Although Kaep still has the ability of a dynamic playmaker, his team is one in flux. After a disappointing 8-8 season, the Niners bid farewell to head coach Jim Harbaugh and replaced him with Jim Tomsula. The team also lost Patrick Willis, Anthony Davis, Chris Borland and Justin Smith to retirement while releasing Aldon Smith due to off-field trouble and watching Frank Gore and Mike Iupati leave via free agency.
To his credit, veteran receiver Anquan Boldin isn't worried about all the turnover.
"The way that you prepare gives you an opportunity," Boldin said. "The guys that we have in the locker room, I know what kind of guys we have in here. Those are guys that are going to bust their butt, try to do things the right way as much as possible. Nobody's perfect. We're going to try to go out and try for perfection each day."
You can check out the live stream for the game by clicking here or listen to the radio broadcast by clicking here.
