Golden Nuggets: Getting the red zone offense fixed Starting the

season against the Vikings in Minnesota was always going to be a tough task for the 49ers. The Vikings were one game away from the Super Bowl last year and upgraded their quarterback with the signing of Kirk Cousins in the offseason. But that still doesn’t help with the 49ers’ frustration in their loss on Sunday. They were in the game and had opportunities to steal a victory. Mistakes and red zone failures put winning out of reach. The red zone issues were glaring on Sunday. They were in the red zone 4 times against the Viking’s elite defense. In those opportunities Womens Jaquiski Tartt Jersey , they scored one touchdown and fumbled one at the goal line. It’s always going to be hard to score touchdowns against great defenses like Minnesota’s, so when the opportunity arises, the team has to punch them in. The Alfred Morris fumble at the 1 yard line hurt a lot because it would have tied the game at 10 a piece. Instead, they never got closer than 11 points. On a series in the 3rd quarter, Jimmy Garoppolo hit a jumping Pierre Garcon, but Pierre could not secure the touchdown. That led the team to a field goal. On their last red zone chance, Jimmy sailed a pass over George Kittle from 4 yards. That led to their last points of the game.In their home opener this coming Sunday, the 49ers face the Detroit Lions, who had an awful game on Monday night. The Lions had poor showings on both sides of the ball. Matt Stafford had 4 interceptions against the Jets and the Jets offense hung 41 points on the terrible Lions defense. That’s a much easier task than facing the Vikings defense so the 49ers should have an opportunity to fix their red zone offense on Sunday. 49ers linksNot an ideal way to start the season | Down 2 guards potentially (Alper)That red zone offense needs to get fixed immediately | Fixing the offense (Inman)Other than the dropped pass Youth Dustin Hopkins Jersey , he had a good game | Good start to Kittle’s season (Williams)Only allowed one reception | Richard Sherman’s 1st game went well (Wagoner)Have to fix the red zone offense (Maiocco)Dante’s 1st TD (Martin)Defense played well. Now need Jimmy and the red zone to play well | Week 1 concerns (Fann)1st game led to a lot of injuries (Madson)The start of the Jimmy-Dante connection (Madson)Moving up the power rankings (Madson)Kyle should get this fixed quickly | Red zone issues (Biderman)Debuts went well (Madson)Favorites in the home opener (Madson)Impressive start for both | Defensive debuts for Warner and Sherman (Almquist)Shanahan’s issues in the red zone (Cohn)49ers videoJimmy’s day (NFL video)Rookie LB Fred Warner shines in his regular season debut One season after watching rookie linebacker Reuben Foster make his much-anticipated debut, 49ers’ fans may have had a d茅j脿 vu moment when third-round linebacker Fred Warner stepped on the field in Minnesota.With Foster out for a two-game suspension, linebacker Malcolm Smith down with an injury, Warner was thrust into the MIKE linebacker role and he didn’t shy away. The 49ers’ rookie star finished with 12 tackles, one quarterback hit, one tackle for loss, one pass defensed and one forced fumble. After the game, Warner added “Yeah, communication-wise Rookie Nick Mullens Jersey , I feel that it was no problem. Pretty easy just getting calls out to the defense and relaying the message from Coach [Robert] Saleh,” when asked about his thoughts on wearing the green dot (for MIKE linebackers to communicate with the sideline).Warner went on to explain, “the biggest thing to work on is our effort and tackling.” The 49ers’ rookie linebacker was absolutely right, but fans shouldn’t place any blame on Warner’s effort or tackling.One of the very first plays of the game, Warner was able to shoot the gap in the offensive line, force his way into the backfield and take down Cook for a two-yard loss on the play. There were certainly shades of Foster in this violent play. The Vikings were never able to get the ground game going and it’s easy to see why they couldn’t.In this next play, it seemed like a game of pinball, with Cook bouncing off of 49ers’ defenders and eventually finding a hole. But Warner chased him down and knocked the ball out, causing a huge turn of events. The 49ers were desperately in need of a momentum-changing play and Warner delivered.Here’s a close-up angle with Warner going to straight for the ball and not just settling for the tackle of the Vikings’ running back. The 49ers’ rookie linebacker wasn’t just effect in tackling the running back Nick Mullens 49ers Jersey , he was able to show his versatility in tackling wide receivers singlehandedly in space. In this next play, Vikings’ wideout Stefon Diggs comes across the field after making the catch, immediately getting hit by the former BYU linebacker. The 49ers desperately needed a stop here, with Vikings’ receiver Laquon Treadwell looking for a big gain on this play. Warner made the sure-handed tackle, holding onto Treadwell’s legs. Again, one-on-one, in open space, there’s absolutely no concern over Warner’s tackling.In the red zone, it becomes even more imperative for the 49ers to make sure-handed tackles on the running backs. Warner reads the play immediately Authentic George Kittle Jersey , shoots the gap and makes the solo tackle on Cook. His ability to read the play, quickly make his way to the ball carrier and bring him down was amazing on Sunday.While there’s concern over who is going to be lining up next to Warner next week against the Detroit Lions, the 49ers’ defensive coaching staff can continue to put their faith in Warner’s ability to be their MIKE linebacker, even when Foster returns. Against the Lions, it’ll be imperative to slow down their rushing attack with running backs LeGarrette Blount and Kerryon Johnson.Warner’s impressive rookie debut should have 49ers’ fans excited for what’s to come when both he and Foster can share the field.