49ers Who Need to do Better Against the Detroit Lions

To beat the Lions this Sunday, several 49ers will have to play much better than they did against the Lions.

The 49ers escaped last weekend with a win over Green Bay, but they didn't play well. Even they'll admit that.

To beat the Lions this Sunday, several 49ers will have to play much better than they did against the Lions. Here are the top five 49ers who need to do better.

1. Nick Bosa

Will he finally make an appearance? He hasn't recorded a sack in four straight playoff games and he certainly didn't earn his massive paycheck during the regular season. If he comes through Sunday with a couple sacks on Jared Goff, all will be forgiven. The 49ers will have to sack Goff lots of times to win this game, and that means Bosa needs to show up.

2. Chase Young

Will he play like he cares? His effort is terrible. His run blocking is abysmal. He can't set an edge. He lets wide receivers block him out of plays. And he's invisible as a puss rusher. Other than that, he's outstanding.

3. Ambry Thomas

Will he stop panicking when the ball is in the air? He committed two terrible pass interference penalties against the Packers when he was in decent coverage. He simply panicked. If he does that again, the 49ers need to play someone else at quarterback.

4. Brock Purdy

Will he play better than Jimmy Garoppolo? Purdy can blame the rain for his shaky performance against the Packers (86.7 quarterback rating), but he was just as shaky last year in the divisional round against the Cowboys (87.4 rating). Both performances were Garoppoloesque, and in both games the opponent dropped potential interceptions that would have changed the game. So far, Purdy has been luckier than Garoppolo in the playoffs, but not much better than him.

5. Kyle Shanahan

Will he have the right game plan this time? Last week, he let Green Bay dictate his offensive play calling. The Packers put five and six players on the line and dared the 49ers to pass, so Shanahan called 39 passes -- a season high. And most of them were drop-back passes, not play-action passes. That's not the 49ers identity. Shanahan has to stick to what got the 49ers here, because they're supposed to be the best team. Don't counter weaker teams.