Grudge match: Lions hold off 49ers, 40-34, set up showdown vs. Vikings
SANTA CLARA, Calif.— The two quarterbacks playing at Levi’s Stadium on Monday Night Football threw the ball a combined 16 times before a ball hit the turf.
And that is an apt summation of the defense that was being played in a primetime matchup between the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco 49ers.
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Detroit and San Francisco quickly traded scores until the Lions got an interception from safety Kerby Joseph midway through the third quarter, flipping the game on its head and kick-starting a commanding second-half performance.
The Lions (14-2) achieved a franchise-record 14th win and gained vengeance on their season-ending loss in Santa Clara in last year’s NFC Championship with a 40-34 win over the 49ers on Monday night.
Detroit finishes the regular season a perfect 8-0 in road games.
The Lions and coach Dan Campbell got back to his gambling ways, as Detroit converted several critical fourth downs in the second half to help forge the victory. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown caught a 5-yard touchdown pass on fourth down with 19 seconds left in the third quarter to go up, 31-28, and tight end Sam LaPorta caught a 19-yard pass on fourth-and-3 near midfield to help the Lions add a field goal and go up, 34-28, with 10:29 left in the game.
The game’s first incompletion came at 5:05 in the second quarter, as Lions quarterback Jared Goff half-heartedly spiked the ball in the feet of running back Jahmyr Gibbs to avoid a sack. There were no punts from either team in the game.
Between Goff (26-for-34 for 303 yards and three touchdowns) and 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (27-for-35 for 377 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions), both teams’ pass defenses were in disarray until Joseph got the pick party started.
With the 49ers (6-10) getting the ball first, Detroit was playing catch-up for the entire first half (and part of the second) before Joseph’s interception started a string of three straight stops on defense, including a 58-yard field goal try from former Michigan standout Jake Moody that missed. After the Lions went up by six points in the fourth quarter, Joseph intercepted his second pass of the game, his league-leading ninth of the season. Moments later, Gibbs, who had 163 yards from scrimmage in the contest, took a third-down handoff from Goff and exploded for a 30-yard touchdown on the outside to seal the victory.
The 49ers got a 37-yard return from Deebo Samuel on the opening kickoff before racing out to a 7-0 lead on an 11-play scoring drive that ended with 49ers receiver Ricky Pearsall catching a 3-yard touchdown pass.
Detroit responded with a nine-play touchdown drive. Gibbs had three carries for 32 yards and Craig Reynolds caught a 26-yard pass to set up a 3-yard touchdown run from Jameson Williams on third-and-goal, Williams’ seventh touchdown on the season. But the Lions trailed, 7-6, with 3:42 left in the first quarter after the extra point was blocked by 49ers defensive lineman Jordan Elliott.
The 49ers continued to put Detroit’s depleted defense in a blender and took a 14-6 lead on the opening play of the second quarter. San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy delivered passes of 14 and 20 yards to help get the 49ers to Detroit’s 9-yard line, where Kyle Juszczyk caught a 9-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead.
The Lions dug into their bag of tricks early in the second quarter, leading to a 42-yard touchdown. Goff threw a completion to St. Brown, who lateralled it to Williams at full speed and Williams carried it down the sideline and into the end zone to make it 14-13 with 10:09 to go in the second quarter. Williams finished with 77 receiving yards.
San Francisco added a third touchdown with 6:13 to go in the first half. Another busted coverage for the Lions left Pearsall (141 receiving yards) wide open on a 40-yard completion and the 49ers cashed in with a 9-yard scramble up the middle by Purdy for the touchdown and a 21-13 lead.
The Lions found themselves facing a fourth-and-3 in the red zone with under two minutes left — just as they did in last year’s NFC Championship — but went for it this time instead of settling for a field goal. Goff’s fourth-down throw to LaPorta in the end zone was read well by rookie cornerback Renardo Green, who swatted it away for a turnover on downs.
Coming back the other way, the 49ers and kicker Jake Moody couldn’t convert a 51-yard field goal, keeping the 49ers’ lead at one score.
The Lions tied the game out of halftime, going 3-for-3 on third downs during the opening drive, including a 6-yard touchdown pass to LaPorta, his seventh of the season, before Detroit tied the game with a 2-point conversion to Tim Patrick.
But the 49ers answered with a six-play, 84-yard drive that took just 2:18 off the clock after a 39-yard completion to Pearsall and a 22-yard completion to Kittle (112 receiving yards) put Detroit on the defensive once again. Samuel finished the drive with an end-around reception for the 5-yard score.
