San Francisco 49ers-Detroit Lions Game Preview: An Unexpected Fate

What a difference a year makes.

Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs runs for a touchdown against the 49ers during the first half of the NFC championship game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The 49ers face the team they took out in the NFC Championship in a role reversal with the Lions looking like a Super Bowl contender.

Detroit Head Coach Dan Campbell is not taking the 49ers lightly. “We know what we’re getting ready to walk into and we know that we have to win," he said this week. "We have to win.”

Coachspeak, but also earned respect. Campbell remembers last year, and so does his team. They’ll be out for revenge, but also need to save energy for next week’s finale against Minnesota, where the winner is the NFC’s 1 seed and the loser gets the 5 seed.

INJURIES

SF: Out: Aaron Banks, Robert Beal Jr., Spencer Burford, Dre Greenlaw, and Charvarius Ward. Questionable: Tatum Bethune Ji’Ayir Brown, and Colton McKivitz. Isaac Guerendo was a full go in the final practice and will get the start at RB.

DET: Out: RB David Montgomery, WR Kalif Raymond. Questionable: LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin.

49ERS ON OFFENSE

Brock Purdy and the 49ers offense will count on an offensive line of Charlie Heck, Nick Zakelj, Jake Brendel, Dominic Puni, and Colton McKivitz. Maybe not including McKivitz, who hurt his knee in practice this week. If he can’t go, practice squad signing Austen Pleasants will step in.

A patchwork OL that hasn’t played together will limit the game plan, meaning more passes and basic run concepts.

It’s a risk to play Purdy behind this line. Particularly against a Detroit defense led by Aaron Glenn that blitzes frequently to compensate for the loss of so many defensive starters including Aidan Hutchinson. The Lions rank 2nd in blitz rate at 33.1%, and 4th in pressure rate at 25.9%.

The Niners have trouble picking up defensive backs on blitzes, Ife Melifonwu is Glenn’s go-to for that, he had half a sack in the NFC Championship Game last year.

I would expect the Niners to utilize a quick passing attack and screens to offset the blitzing. The offensive line is an unknown so the ball will need to get out quickly. Can the OL succeed with enough consistency for sustained drives? If not, Kyle Shanahan will need to target George Kittle, dial-up explosives, and get the ball to speed players in space, particularly Guerendo.

DETROIT ON OFFENSE

The Lions have the league’s top scoring offense at 32.9 points per game. With David Montgomery out, Jahmyr Gibbs is the focal point, gaining over 150 yards in total offense last week against Chicago, including 109 on the ground.

Without Dre Greenlaw, limiting Gibbs will be difficult for the 49ers defense as Fred Warner and the safeties will be occupied with tight end Sam LaPorta. Jared Goff threw for more than 330 yards and three touchdowns last week with a quarterback rating of 137. Jameson Williams had an 82-yard touchdown as he and Amon-Ra St. Brown combined for more than 200 yards receiving.

The depleted Niners defense will face difficulty stopping the Detroit freight train. The best way to limit Goff is to turn him over but the Niners have only one takeaway in their past five games.

Prediction (9-6)

This isn’t who, it’s how much? Detroit out for revenge and a quick big lead plus the makeshift 49ers OL equals a blowout. If Detroit plays everybody all game, a 40 burger is on the menu, but I think they’ll pull starters to rest for the Vikings next week. The ideal game for the Lions is to put the game away as early as possible so they can pull the ripcord on their parachutes and get ready for next Sunday night.

Detroit 34 49ers 13

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