Offensive Line is the X-Factor in Vikings' Upset Bid Against 49ers

The Minnesota Vikings shocked the world when they marched into New Orleans and knocked off Drew Brees and the Saints in dramatic fashion. Their prize? An even tougher matchup against Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara.

Dalvin Cook and that offense will have to contend with one of the deepest defenses in all of football. And that's why offensive line play is the key to everything if the Vikes are going to escape the Bay Area with another famous victory.

Robert Saleh's defense is one of the most dangerous, aggressive units in the league, and their pass rush led by Nick Bosa, Dee Ford, and DeForest Buckner could spell trouble for Kirk Cousins in the pocket.

Minnesota invested a lot of draft capital into the offensive line through the likes of Pat Elflein, Garrett Bradbury, and Brian O'Neill, and they rewarded that investment by allowing just 28 sacks all year long. Cousins has shown he gets rattled when hit early, and if this offensive line gets overpowered by San Francisco's D-line, the Vikings might as well get the bus heated up on the way back to Minnesota.

Minnesota's offensive line has played pretty exceptionally over the course of the season, but the massacre at the hands of the mighty Green Bay Packers defense is still fresh in the minds of many, and this San Francisco pass rush has the horses to make Cousins sweat in the pocket. No. 8 needs to stay upright for Minnesota to stand a chance.