The Detroit Lions probably didn’t have to play their starters on Monday night, but did, and the blueprint for the rest of their season became clearer.
The Lions can score a lot of points. And they will have to if they want to make it to the first Super Bowl in franchise history.
The Lions' offense was good and a defense that has been battered by injuries had a hard time slowing the San Francisco 49ers down, though it came up with a couple of key second-half interceptions. The Lions won, 40-34, with the offense doing what it has done all season — racking up plenty of yards, big plays and points. That’s how they’ll have to win, starting with a massive Week 18 showdown against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night.
The Lions’ win helped them in one way, in terms of their clinching scenario. If the Vikings and Lions tie, Detroit will win the division. The Lions got that edge due to Monday night’s win. They’ll go into Week 18 needing a win or tie to win the NFC North and No. 1 seed in the conference. Minnesota will win the division and be the NFC’s top seed if they win in Week 18. The Vikings and Lions both go into the game with 14-2 records. That game next week will feature the most combined wins for any regular-season game in NFL history.
The loser of that matchup will be locked into the No. 5 seed and will be on the road during wild-card weekend.
As for Monday night, head coach Dan Campbell saw the benefit in playing the game as usual. The biggest lesson might have been that the Lions' defense is going to have to rely on big plays because it's too injured to hold down many playoff offenses.
The good news for the Lions is maybe their offense is good enough to outscore each team they’ll face the rest of the season.
49ers move the ball easily
The 49ers had one more game in the national spotlight before their season ends, and they were up for it.
San Francisco drove downfield and scored when rookie first-round draft pick Ricky Pearsall caught a pass from Brock Purdy in the end zone for a touchdown. The Lions responded with a touchdown of their own to Jameson Williams, but the 49ers found it just as easy to move downfield on their second drive. Purdy hit fullback Kyle Juszczyk for a TD.
One play into the second quarter, the 49ers had 121 yards and two touchdowns on two possessions. Purdy ended up with 377 yards passing, though he left the game in the final minutes with a concerning right elbow injury, suffered on a sack. Joshua Dobbs came off the bench and immediately led a touchdown drive.
The Lions' defense isn’t stellar but the offense is elite. Williams got his second touchdown on a fantastic play, as Amon-Ra St. Brown caught a short pass and then lateraled it to Williams at full speed. Williams beat the 49ers' secondary for a 41-yard score. The Lions have a seemingly endless bag of trick plays.
The Lions' offense isn’t much of a question. The defense is the concern. Halfway through the second quarter, each quarterback had a perfect 158.3 passer rating. That’s great for Jared Goff and not so good for the Lions' defense.
Lions open up a lead
The 49ers were moving the ball in the second half but Lions safety Kerby Joseph made a couple of big plays to turn the game in Detroit’s favor.
Joseph’s first interception led to a touchdown. St. Brown scored on a fourth down to give the Lions a 31-28. Then, in the fourth quarter, with the 49ers driving and trailing 34-28, Joseph picked off Purdy again on a pass over the middle. Jahmyr Gibbs scored a 30-yard touchdown run to put the game away after that.
The Lions' offense is so good that if Detroit's defense can win the turnover battle, that might be enough to win. Detroit might not have won without Joseph’s two picks, so give the defense credit for coming up with the big plays when it had to.
The final game of the 2024 regular season will be a classic with massive stakes. Maybe the only sure thing is we’ll see a lot of points, from both teams.
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Jason Owens
Detroit's defense had its struggles tonight, but a pair of Kerby Joseph interceptions of Brock Purdy proved to be the difference in the game. Detroit's offense converted both turnovers into touchdowns in a 40-34 win.
The Lions will continue to carry concerns about their depleted defense into next week and the playoffs after allowing 475 yards and 34 points to the 49ers. But there's nothing wrong with their offense. And they're a win away from securing the NFC North title with the winner of next week's showdown against the Vikings earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.
Jason Owens
Lions hold on after 49ers add late touchdown
Joshua Dobbs led the 49ers to a late touchdown after replacing an apparently injured Brock Purdy. But Jake Moody missed the extra point then kicked the onside kick out of bounds. Detroit kneels down on a 40-34 win.
The bigger concern in San Francisco is the status of Brock Purdy, who got hurt late in a meaningless game.
Jason Owens
Brock Purdy appears to be hurt
Brock Purdy has exited San Franciso's last drive after apparently hurting his right wrist on a hit. He appeared to struggle while throwing balls on the sideline and is out of the game in favor of Joshua Dobbs.
Brock Purdy tried to throw on the sidelines after landing hard on his wrist… he could not. He won’t be coming back in this game. pic.twitter.com/LlfUJfk8rW
Jahmyr Gibbs likely just iced it. The Lions running back streaked down the right sideline for a 30-yard touchdown to extend Detroit's lead to 40-28 with 2:58 remaining. A missed extra point is of little consequence.
Purdy's second pick short-circuits drive into Lions territory
Brock Purdy's second interception of the night was a big one. A pick to Kerby Joseph cuts short a drive into Lions territory midway through the fourth quarter. The Lions regain possession with 7:34 remaining and a chance to run clock and extend their lead to two possessions while holding a 34-28 advantage.
Joseph has come up with both interceptions of Purdy. His first led to a go-ahead touchdown for Detroit.
A pair of busted screen passes fall incomplete and force a Lions field-goal attempt on fourth-and-8. Jake Bates is good from 42 yards to extend Detroit's lead to 34-28 with 10:19 remaining.
Jason Owens
Jake Moody misses from 58
Jake Moody's now 0-for-2 on a pair of long field goals. After a third-and-10 stop by the Lions, Moody missed wide left from 58 yards. He missed from 51 in the first half. Detroit takes over with a 31-28 lead and 13:25 remaining.
Jason Owens
Fourth quarter, still no punts
The fourth quarter is underway, and we're still without a punt tonight.
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Fourth-down Lions gamble pays off
The Lions didn't miss on their second fourth-down attempt in the red zone. A Jared Goff touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown gives the Lions a 31-28 lead after their fourth-down attempt in the first half fell incomplete. The Lions convert Brock Purdy's interception into seven points.
Brock Purdy's perfect passer rating is no more. A air-mail interception to Kerby Joseph give the Lions the ball back and a chance to take the lead late in the third quarter. San Francisco leads, 28-24.
Nick Bosa's second sack of Jared Goff puts the Lions in fourth-and-16 and forces a 57-yard field-goal attempt by Jake Bates. Bates is good from deep to salvage the drive and cut San Francisco's lead to 28-24.
Deebo Samuel got the score, but Ricky Pearsall made it possible and continues to star in this offense tonight. A 39-yard Pearsall catch-and-run put the 49ers deep in Detroit territory before Samuel scored on a shovel from Brock Purdy from five yards. 49ers lead, 28-21.
Pearsall's up to 102 yards on the night and looks like a strong play for a feature role ahead of Samuel in the 49ers offense next season.
The Purdy-Pearsall connection is STRONG tonight. Another big catch and run!
The 49ers came up with a fourth-down stop, and Jake Moody missed a field for San Francisco in the first half. But this game has yet to see a punt early in the third quarter.
Jason Owens
Lions strike first in 2nd half
We have a tie game. The Lions cap a 66-yard drive with a six-yard touchdown from Jared Goff to Sam LaPorta to open the second half. A successful two-point conversion ties the game at 21. A fun game for a contest of little consequence.
We're underway in the second half. The Lions have the ball first and are still playing their starters, as Dan Campbell promised.
Jason Owens
49ers 21, Lions 13: Key first-half stats
Detroit's depleted defense is giving Lions fans anxiety ahead of the playoffs as each team's offense has come out firing tonight.
Brock Purdy: 14 of 16 for 200 yards with 2 TDs, no turnovers: 1 rushing TD Jared Goff: 11 of 13 for 138 yards with 1 TD and no turnovers
Isaac Guerendo: 7 carries for 26 yards, 3 catches for 56 yards Jahmyr Gibbs: 9 carries for 60 yards
Ricky Pearsall: 4 catches for 63 yards, 1 TD Jameson Williams: 1 catch for 44 yards, 1 TD; 1 TD run
49ers total offense: 260 yards on 8.4 yards per play; zero turnovers Lions total offense: 211 yards on 7 yards per play; zero turnovers
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Missed Jake Moody FG ends half
Jake Moody is wide right from 51 yards with 2 seconds remaining, and the 49ers come up without points for the first time in the first half. It's been a tough go for Moody, who's 10 for 17 on field goals in recent weeks after a 13-for-14 start to the season. A sprained ankle in Week 5 derailed his season.
San Francisco takes a 21-13 lead into halftime and is generally having its way with a depleted Lions defense despite coming up short on its final drive.
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We have a stop
The Lions went for it on fourth-and-3 at the 49ers 8-yard line. Rookie cornerback Renardo Green came up with the breakup in the end zone on a pass from Jared Goff to Sam LaPorta. It's the first drive by either team that didn't end with a touchdown.
Lions take over on downs with 1:13 remaining in the half.
Rookies Renardo Green and Malik Mustapha team up for the big fourth down stop. Both young players have been big bright spots in a down year.#49erspic.twitter.com/SBjZLeurg2
Jared Goff's incomplete pass with 5:05 left in the first half is the first of the game by either quarterback. These offenses are having a field day.
Jason Owens
3 49ers drives, 3 49ers TDs
San Franciso's offense is off to its best start of the season. The 49ers now hold a 21-13 lead after their third touchdown in three drives. Ricky Pearsall set this one up with a 40-yard grab from Brock Purdy before Purdy ran it in himself from nine yards.
Not a great sign for a banged-up Lions defense on the cusp of the playoffs.
There's no substitute for speed. Jameson Williams just scored his second touchdown of the night on a third-and-12 hook and lateral from Amon-Ra. St. Brown. 49ers defenders didn't stand a chance as Williams sprinted down the sideline for the 42-yard score.
Ben Johnson wizardry strikes again, but begs the question: why not save this for the playoffs? But Johnson surely has plenty of other tricks up his sleeve for the postseason.
That's two touchdowns on two drives for the 49ers, and fans in Santa Clara are wondering where this offense has been all season. Brock Purdy finds Kyle Juszczyk for a nine-yard catch-and-rumble through the Lions secondary for the score. 49ers 14, Lions 6 early in the second quarter.
It's the short toss and San Francisco extends their lead!
Ricky Pearsall is a nice player. After securing the contested touchdown grab on San Francisco's first drive, he just kept a drive alive with this catch, complete with a self-tip and toe drag near the sideline on third down.
After a gunshot wound derailed the start of his career, Pearsall's showing promise late in the season and could be an integral part of San Francisco's offense in 2025.
Jameson Williams is a weapon. The Lions wide receiver took an end-around untouched into the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown run. He makes plays all over the field with his speed. Got a nice block from Sam LaPorta on the score.
The 49ers blocked the ensuing extra point and lead, 7-6 after a possession for each team.
San Francisco came to play. The 49ers ran a trick play, then converted on fourth down inside the 10 to set up first-and-10. They paid it off with a second-down touchdown pass from Brock Purdy to Ricky Pearsall that required replay assistance to confirm. 49ers 7, Lions 0 after the opening drive.
We're underway. The Lions won the coin toss and deferred, and the 49ers received the opening kickoff. San Francisco starts the game on offense at its own 39-yard line.
Jason Owens
Teddy Bridgewater's warming up as Detroit's emergency quarterback:
What a month for Teddy Bridgewater 🙌
Wins the state title at Miami Northwestern Senior High School and now suiting up for the Lions 💪 pic.twitter.com/TtU9MvRH2r
Barring a tie in next week's Lions-Vikings clash, tonight's outcome does not matter in the race for the No. 1 seed. Thanks to a previous win over the Vikings, the Lions hold the tiebreaker edge over Minnesota and would secure the NFC North title and No. 1 seed in the NFC if both teams finish with a 14-3 record — an outcome that would result from a Lions loss tonight and win next week.
The loser of next week's game will be relegated to the No. 5 seed and a first-round road game in the postseason.
A loss by the Lions tonight would only come into play in the event of a tie next week. In that instance the Vikings would finish 14-2-1, ahead of the 13-3-1 Lions in the standings.
Jason Owens
Lions inactives: Teddy Bridgewater is emergency QB
Fresh off of coaching his high school alma mater to a state championship, Teddy Bridgewater will make his 2024 debut with the Lions as their emergency quarterback. Bridgewater signed for his second stint with the Lions last week and is highly unlikely to see the field Monday night.
There are no surprises of note with San Francisco's inactives. Starting right tackle Colton McKivitz will play after being listed as questionable with a knee injury. As will starting safety Ji'Ayir Brown, who was previously questionable with an ankle injury.
Ji'Ayir Brown and Colton McKivitz are active for Week 17 vs. Lions.
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