The Detroit Lions technically didn’t need to win Monday night’s matchup with the San Francisco 49ers, begging the question of whether head coach Dan Campbell would pull his starters at some point in this game.
But, as Campbell has shown us too many times in the past, he’s never going to let up no matter the situation. And after saying it will be "full throttle" on the West Coast this week, he meant it.
The Lions took down the 49ers, 40-34, where the starters played throughout the game on both sides of the ball.
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Detroit remembers well what happened in January at Levi’s Stadium, having blown a massive first-half lead in the NFC Championship Game. So, there was a bit of revenge in this one despite the 49ers being mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.
Jared Goff passed his way to three touchdowns, going 26-of-34 for 303 yards in another stellar performance for the Lions. He found Sam LaPorta and Amon-Ra St. Brown, but by far the best Lions touchdown was yet another lateral play that worked to perfection.
Earlier this season, it was St. Brown dishing it back to Jahmyr Gibbs for the score against the Arizona Cardinals. Well, the same concept was used as St. Brown caught the quick slant from Goff, but the speedy Jameson Williams came behind him and took the ball to the house on a 41-yard run.
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At that point, it was a 14-13 game, as Brock Purdy and the 49ers’ offense were clicking well to start this game.
Purdy orchestrated three straight touchdown drives against Detroit to open it up, including a strike to rookie Ricky Pearsall on the opening drive of the game. Then, he needed just six plays on the next drive to find Kyle Juszczyk from nine yards out, and the third touchdown was a scramble by Purdy for nine yards to make it 21-13.
However, the second half saw a Lions dominance that has been felt by many teams this season. It began with a quick opening drive that saw LaPorta get in the end zone from six yards out. But, once again, the 49ers answered with a touchdown of their own, as Deebo Samuel found his way into pay dirt to retake the lead, 28-21.
This back-and-forth battle was only going to fall off the rails when one team forced the issue, and that’s exactly what Aaron Glenn’s Lions defense did after making it 28-24 with a Jake Bates field goal.
Kerby Joseph, who now leads the NFL in interceptions this season, picked off a Purdy throw that sailed over Pearsall’s head. And when Detroit creates turnovers, points usually follow.
That’s when St. Brown’s touchdown, a four-yard catch, came for the Lions, who went for it on fourth-and-goal to take a 31-28 lead. The ensuing drives saw a missed Jake Moody field goal from 58 yards out, followed by yet another Joseph interception, which gave him nine for the year.
That interception led to the nail in the coffin, as Gibbs, who rushed for 117 yards on just 18 carries, broke a 30-yard touchdown run to add to the Lions’ offensive onslaught.
Purdy was eventually injured on the final 49ers drive of the game, but backup Josh Dobbs did add to the score with a scramble touchdown run to make it a 40-34 game. But the onside kick attempt to keep the game alive was recovered by Detroit.
Looking more at the stat sheet, St. Brown led the Lions with eight receptions for 60 yards, while LaPorta finished with 64 yards on six catches.
Purdy would’ve had a brilliant performance if it wasn’t for the two interceptions, as he was 27-for-35 for 377 yards with three touchdowns. Pearsall had 141 receiving yards for the game-high on eight catches, while George Kittle matched his eight receptions for 112 yards. Jauan Jennings also finished with 67 yards on seven catches.
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