Preview: Can Lions Unlock Keys to Best 49ers Defense?

Previewing the NFC Championship Game with All 49ers.

All Lions recently caught up with Grant Cohn, the publisher of All 49ers. He answered five questions regarding the upcoming NFC Championship game between the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers. 

Note: This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.

1.) The 49ers have dealt with heartbreak recently, losing the last two NFC Championship games. Are they ready to take the next step this year? 

Grant Cohn: "It feels like they've been ready for four years. They've been in four of the past five NFC Championship games and they've really kept the same core of guys together. It feels like this is the year. If you can't beat the Lions as a 7-point favorite at home, something's wrong. You can't just keep running this back with the same group year after year and tell fans, 'Oh there was an injury,' or, 'We had some bad luck.' You have not shown that you have a championship formula, you're an excellent team. So that's what's at stake for the 49ers. If the Niners can't get it done this year, no one's getting fired, but you look at Kyle (Shanahan) way different. You look at Brock Purdy way differently. I think, locally, people would look at this loss as a disaster."

2.) What challenge does QB Brock Purdy present for the Lions? 

Cohn: "For a long time, he was a great decision maker, really a good game manager. They're 11-0 when he doesn't throw a pick. But halfway through the year his numbers were so good, he got in the MVP conversation. Brock, who's proud, has this chip on his shoulder now and he wants to show people that he's a gunslinger, he considers himself a gunslinger because he can layer balls into tight windows. His decision making has changed a little bit now. But in the past, it was, 'I'm gonna do whatever it takes to win. I'm the last pick in the Draft, I'm just trying to stay here and do my job.' Now, it's, 'I've got to prove that I'm MVP worthy. I've got to prove it.' Now, he's taking some chances that he absolutely doesn't need to take." 

3.) What makes the 49ers linebackers so challenging to deal with?

Cohn: "(Dre) Greenlaw was a fifth-round pick, (Fred) Warner was a third-round pick. The whole league could've had those guys. And now, everyone looks at the Niners like, 'I want some linebackers like that.' Not everyone has linebackers like this. Warner, he was a freakin nickel back at BYU. He didn't play in the box, he was a DB. He'll be good enough against the run, what can he do in coverage? You put him at middle linebacker in Cover 3, Cover 4 and put him right there, you're not throwing over him. Greenlaw, man he runs and hits. He's always on the verge of a 15-yard penalty, which is kind of nice, he's kind of a throwback player, very violent. 

You get the speed and the violence from one, the sideline-to-sideline play. And then the drop back coverage from Fred Warner. It's rare, they're great. I don't think Greenlaw gets enough credit, I think he's just as important. I think you need both of them."

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4.) What is the biggest key for 49ers to beat Lions? 

Cohn: "Well if the Lions want to blitz, it seems like that's what they want to do. They're aggressive, they rush five, they rush six. Good luck, because that's one thing that Brock Purdy handles very well. He's very decisive, and he has endless options of people to dunk it down to. If you want to take people out of the middle of the field, out of coverage and rush them at Brock, he's gonna dump the ball to Deebo, or McCaffrey or whomever and they're gonna get eight yards. So that's not the way to approach this team. It's better to rush four and just play coverage. Put as many people in zone coverage over the middle as you can, because Brock's gonna throw that pass. Little gunslinger over there, he doesn't care. He can layer passes into tight windows, just ask him. So that's what you want to do, you know where he's gonna throw the ball, so be there."

5.) What is Deebo Samuel's status for Sunday's game and how do you see this game playing out? 

Cohn: "I mean, Deebo's out there, he's limited. You watch him run around, you can't tell that he's hurt, it's not like he's in a sling or anything. He's gonna play most likely, it's the NFC Championship game, over his dead body, right? You know how Deebo plays. He's not gonna be running double moves down the field, he's gonna be catching screens, running into traffic, lowering his shoulder, trying to break tackles. How many tackles can he break because this thing hurts so much that he can't stay in the game? That's a fair question. It's only been a week. So assuming that's an issue, he may not make it through the game, how do they use him? Is he a big part of their game plan? Is he not? I don't think he can be. I think he's got to be a decoy, window dressing."

"This Lions' defense, they kind of struggle at corner, they don't have a great four-man pass-rush, they feel like they have to blitz to get pressure. Purdy's great against pressure, five and six man pressures. I think the Niners are gonna win, 31-23."