In a rematch of the 2023 NFC Championship Game, the Lions got revenge, winning 40-34, after the San Francisco 49ers denied Detroit its first Super Bowl appearance last season.
Detroit hadn’t won a road game in San Francisco since 1975, losing 14 straight road games, including the postseason, but overcame a 21-13 first-half deficit to end that road drought against the 49ers. .
The Lions also close the regular season with a perfect 8-0 road record, the longest road winning streak in franchise history.
QB Breakdown: Lions quarterback Jared Goff was able to thrive in pressure moments on the prime-time stage. All three of Goff’s touchdowns came on third or fourth downs. He now has 17 touchdowns and zero interceptions on third and fourth downs this season. He also finished the game with 303 passing yards against the 49ers, while completing 26 of 34 passes.
Promising trend: WR Jameson Williams scored a receiving touchdown for the third straight game. Against the 49ers, he scored a three-yard rushing touchdown and a 41-yard receiving touchdown in the first half. In last season’s NFC Championship game with the 49ers, Williams also had multiple touchdowns. He is now 33 yards away from the first 1,000-yard receiving season of his career.
Worrying trend: Detroit’s defense. San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy tore apart the Lions’ defense with his precision and playmaking, especially during the first half. The 49ers scored a touchdown on their first three possessions, and Purdy also completed two 40-yard passes in the game. Against tougher competition, like the Minnesota Vikings this week, this could be a major issue. –Eric Woodyard
Next match: vs Minnesota Vikings (8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday)
In a rematch of the NFC Championship Game that was supposed to be a battle of the NFC titans, the 49ers and Lions entered Monday’s matchup on decidedly different paths.
As Nick Bosa succinctly put it Thursday, “they’re doing great and we had a bad year.”
By Monday’s start, neither the 49ers nor the Lions really had much to play for since San Francisco was eliminated from playoff contention last week and Detroit’s season finale against Minnesota is all that mattered for the first NFC position.
That didn’t stop the Niners, who were down to their fourth running back and left tackle and lacked key starters across the roster, from pushing the equally, if not more injured, Lions to the brink in an entertaining offensive shootout.
There are no moral victories in the NFL, but Monday’s loss offered plenty of evidence that there is still plenty of fight left in the Niners and that their faith in coach Kyle Shanahan has not wavered. Those are things that can be helpful as you approach an offseason that carries a lot of uncertainty and could bring a lot of change.
In more practical terms, Monday’s loss is better for the Niners (6-10), as it clinched them a last-place schedule in 2025 and maintains their chances of retaining the No. 11 pick in the upcoming NFL draft.
Those are small consolations in a lost season the 49ers didn’t see coming, but at least they can find additional solace in the fact that a nightmare of 2024 is almost over.
Describe the game in two words: Any offense. It’s no surprise that the high-octane Lions moved the ball up and down the field, but the 49ers’ offense hasn’t done much of that this season. The Niners and Lions scored touchdowns on their first five possessions combined and there was not an incomplete pass thrown by either side until 4:59 remained in the second quarter. At the end of the night, they combined for 74 points and 914 yards.
Most amazing performance: 49ers rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall has been mostly quiet since a strong performance in Week 10 at Tampa Bay, recording six catches for 58 yards in the next six games. But Pearsall was prominently in the mix Monday night, finishing with 8 receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown. He is the first 49ers rookie since Deebo Samuel Sr. in 2019 to have 100 receiving yards and a touchdown in a game.
QB Breakdown: Purdy was, at least statistically, perfect for most of the first three quarters Monday night against the Lions. With a “perfect” passer rating of 158.3 with 4:19 left in the third quarter, Purdy knocked Pearsall into the arms of Lions safety Kerby Joseph for the first turnover of the game. It put a stop to a stellar performance by Purdy, who finished 27 of 35 for 377 yards (a career-high) with three touchdowns and a rushing score. In the final two minutes of the game, Purdy left with an apparent wrist injury.
Worrying trend: 49ers kicker Jake Moody’s problems (and there have been many) have largely been limited to the road this season. He had not missed a field goal or extra point attempt at Levi’s Stadium. Until Monday night. He missed two field goals from more than 50 yards (51 and 58). Moody was drafted in the third round because he’s supposed to be able to convert those kicks. He also missed an extra point late in the fourth quarter. Since Week 10, he is 10-of-18 on field goal attempts, a conversion rate of 55.6%. Add kicker to the list of positions the 49ers will need to take a long look at in the offseason. -Nick Wagoner
Next match: at Arizona Cardinals (4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday)
