The 2019 Vikings season ended Saturday in a 27-10 loss at San Francisco.
Minnesota's defense struggled against the run and was unable to create bad situations for the 49ers.
The NFC's top seed shut down the Vikings attack and played the game on their terms.
Here are three stats that stood out in the Divisional round playoff game:
1. Outside the tackles
The 49ers rushed a whopping 47 times for 186 yards on the ground. A significant key to the success was performing well on runs outside of the tackles.
San Francisco gained 110 yards and one of its rushing touchdowns on 26 carries that were outside the left tackle or right tackle.
How balanced were the 49ers? San Francisco had 55 yards on 13 carries to the left and the same to the right.
Tevin Coleman did the most damage for the Niners, even though Next Gen Stats calculated that he faced a box with eight or more defenders 68.2 percent of the time. He gained 34 yards and scored on eight runs to the left of the left tackle and 32 yards on five carries to the right of the right tackle.
Conversely, the 49ers bottlenecked the Vikings ground game like a California freeway.
Dalvin Cook rushed nine total times for 18 yards. Minnesota tried to get to the perimeter on seven different attempts but netted just 15 yards.
2. Fresher and faster?
The Vikings were playing on the road for the second time within a week, and the 49ers had earned a bye as well as home-field advantage.
The week of rest was a welcome sight for a San Francisco squad whose bye week occurred in Week 4.
Next Gen Stats measured Cook's top speed on Saturday at 18.1 miles per hour on a 3-yard run, which was a notable drop from the 20.5 mph that he reached during a 19-yard touchdown against Atlanta in Week 1.
The 49ers had five plays by ball carriers that were faster.
RB Raheem Mostert had the fastest speed by a ball carrier in the game, reaching 19.7 mph on an 8-yard run. He also reached 18.39 on a 6-yard carry.
WR Kendrick Bourne topped out at 19.31 on a 16-yard reception, and Emmanuel Sanders was measured at 18.47 mph on a 22-yard catch. Coleman's fastest speed while toting the ball was 18.23 mph on an 11-yard rush.
3. Downfield passing comparison
The Vikings and 49ers each attempted the same number of passes (eight) of 10 or more yards beyond the line of scrimmage.
Minnesota really needed to hit some to stage a comeback, but the Vikings struggled against an aggressive and effective rush by San Francisco.
Kirk Cousins was 3-of-8 passing for 79 yards, highlighted by a 41-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs, on such throws.
Jimmy Garoppolo went 4-for-8 and totaled 73 yards. He also was intercepted by Eric Kendricks on one of his attempts that traveled 10 or more yards beyond the line of scrimmage.
The difference was that the 49ers success in the run game enabled San Francisco to play it safe in the second half.
