Pinned
Link copied
Most Games with 40+ Points and 0 TO - NFL History
2024 Lions 5
2024 Bills 4
2019 Ravens 4
It doesn't change the result of last year's NFC Championship, but the Lions' 40-34 win over the 49ers on "Monday Night Football" is nonetheless a big win for Detroit, which will now prepare for the right to earn the NFC's top seed after adding another loss to the defending NFC champions' mounting tally.
How important was this game to Detroit? Despite having nothing to gain in the standings, Lions head coach Dan Campbell played each of his healthy starters. Campbell also continued to be aggressive with his decision-making, and the result was two big fourth-down conversions that included the go-ahead touchdown pass from Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown late in the third quarter.
The Lions turned a tight game into a runaway after recording four unanswered scores during the second half. Fittingly, the back-breaking score was courtesy of Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who committed a costly fumble in January's NFC title game loss.
Detroit received yet another MVP-caliber performance from Goff, who threw for 306 yards and three touchdowns on 26 of 34 passing. Jameson Williams scored two touchdowns (including one off a trick play), while Gibbs was a beast on the ground with 117 rushing yards in addition to his four catches for 46 yards. The Lions' defense recorded a pair of second-half picks against 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, who left the game after injuring his elbow with under two minutes left. His backup, Josh Dobbs, made the final score look closer with a late touchdown run.
The game started with five consecutive drives that ended with touchdowns. San Francisco took a 21-13 halftime lead on the strength of Purdy's 200 passing yards, two touchdown passes and 9-yard touchdown run during the game's first 30 minutes. But from there, it was all Detroit.
Here's how the Lions took care of business in the Bay.
Why the Lions won
It was a complete team victory as the Lions outplayed the 49ers in all three phases. The Lions' offense racked up 475 yards on a night when they made history by becoming the first offense in NFL history to have two receivers and two running backs to each post 1,000 all-purpose yards in a season. Detroit's offense was money on possession downs, going 9 of 14 on third down and 2 of 3 on fourth down. Each of the Lions' touchdowns came on either third- or fourth-down plays.
Defensively, the Lions struggled early but made up for it in the second half with their two picks of Purdy that the offense turned into 14 points.
Why the 49ers lost
San Francisco's offense was on fire in the first half, but it simply couldn't keep pace with the Lions in the second half. It didn't help that the 49ers' running game was non-existent in the second half. San Francisco ran for just 15 yards on three carries in the second half after rushing for 60 yards and a score on 15 carries in the first half.
Without a semblance of a running game, the 49ers put Purdy in a tough spot, as the Lions defense focused all of their attention on him. The result wasn't pretty for the 49ers and Purdy, whose gaudy final stats (377 yards on 27 of 35 passing) were overshadowed by his two big mistakes.
Another big factor in the 49ers' loss were two missed field goals by Jake Moody that included a 58-yard miss that would have tied the score early in the fourth quarter.
The 49ers received solid performances in a losing effort from tight end George Kittle (112 yards on eight catches) and rookie wideout Ricky Pearsall (141 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions).
Turning point
The Lions had already started to build momentum, but it was still anyone's game late in the third quarter. Detroit took the momentum for good, though, when Kerby Joseph picked off Purdy's high pass intended for Pearsall late in the third quarter. The pick set up Goff's go-ahead touchdown pass to St. Brown. It was the second of four unanswered scores by the Lions, who turned a 28-21 deficit into a 40-28 lead.
Play of the game
Once again, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson dialed up a trick play that worked to perfection. Trailing 14-6 early, the Lions got on the board after Williams scored after catching a lateral from St. Brown.
Quotable
"This game describes our DNA. Everyone is saying, 'Oh, rest the starters. ... The biggest game is next Sunday night for the 1 seed. This one doesn't matter.' We go out there and we play the whole game. I feel like none of us out there were even thinking of next week. We just wanted to win this one." -- St. Brown during his postgame interview with ESPN
What's next
As alluded to above, the 14-2 Lions will host the 14-2 Vikings on Sunday night in a game that will decide which team gets the NFC's No. 1 seed. For the 49ers, they'll wrap up what has been a tough season with a home game against the Arizona Cardinals, who have also been eliminated from postseason contention.
