SAN FRANCISCO – The Detroit Lions knocked off the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night ahead of a winner-take-all battle against the Vikings next week.
Monday was a rematch of last year’s NFC Championship Game, when the Lions famously blew a huge halftime lead and missed a chance to go to the first Super Bowl in franchise history.
The stakes were considerably lower this time around. San Francisco has already been eliminated from playoff contention, and the Lions' seeding will be determined next week against Minnesota.
The only significance of this victory is that the Lions will now get the No. 1 seed if they tie the Vikings next week. More importantly, they appeared to escape without any more major injuries.
Still, the Lions went into San Francisco wanting to win, and that’s exactly what they did, finishing the regular season with a perfect road record.
First half
Even though there was nothing at stake, some of the Lions' defensive warts continued to show.
Injuries have decimated what was once a much-improved defense at the start of the year. Now, it’s looking like the offense will have to carry the load if the Lions have any hope of making a deep playoff run.
San Francisco had no problem moving the ball early, going 61 yards in 11 plays, 70 yards on six plays, and 70 yards on seven plays for a trio of touchdowns to open the game.
Fortunately, the Lions offense was also hot. Jameson Williams scored on each of the first two possessions, first on a 3-yard run and then on a 42-yard hook and ladder from Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown.
But Detroit blinked first, turning the ball over on downs at the 8-yard line a minute before the half.
Once again the defense couldn’t make a stop, but Jake Moody missed a 51-yard field goal to keep the score at 21-13 heading into the break.
Second half
Goff and the Lions came out of the half firing, completing six of seven pass attempts during a 10-play, 66-yard touchdown drive. It was capped by a Sam LaPorta touchdown grab and a Tim Patrick two-point conversion to tie the game.
But the defense gave the lead right back, and it looked way too easy. San Francisco needed just six plays to go 84 yards for a touchdown.
Bates hit a 57-yard field goal on the ensuing possession to pull the Lions within four, and then the defense finally got a stop with Kerby Joseph’s eighth interception of the season.
The offense cashed in, as Goff hit St. Brown for a 4-yard touchdown on fourth down to cap off an eight-play, 43-yard drive.
For the first time, the Lions took the lead, 31-28.
Aaron Glenn’s defense held up once again on the next drive, forcing a 58-yard field goal attempt after a trio of incompletions. Moody missed wide left and gave the Lions the ball back near midfield with a three-point lead.
Dan Campbell gambled on a fourth-and-3 from the 45-yard line, and it paid off with a 19-yard pass from Goff to LaPorta. that led to a 42-yard field goal from Bates that put the Lions up 34-28.
Joseph struck again a few plays later with league-leading interception No. 9, setting the table for a relentless offense to ice the game.
Detroit went seven plays and 62 yards, capped by a 30-yard touchdown for Jahmyr Gibbs. And that was all she wrote.
The 49ers added a late touchdown to make the final score 40-34.
High stakes next week
When the Vikings beat the Packers on Sunday evening, they ensured that the Monday night game between the Lions and 49ers wouldn’t have any meaning.
If the Vikings had lost, the Lions could have clinched the top seed in the conference with a win in San Francisco because they own the tiebreakers over both the Vikings and the Eagles.
But because of how it turned out, win or lose, the Lions knew they were going to head back home for a rematch with the Vikings to determine the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
The winner of next week’s Sunday Night Football game on NBC will earn a first-round bye and home field throughout the NFC Championship Game. The loser will get the No. 5 seed and hit the road for at least the first two rounds, and likely all three.
Lions-Vikings details
Next week’s game between the Lions and Vikings at Ford Field will decide the NFC North Division once and for all.
Detroit won the first meeting back in Week 7, a 31-29 final that ended with a Bates game-winning field goal from 44 yards out.
Since then, the Lions and Vikings have done basically nothing but win. That game was the fourth of what became an 11-game winning streak for the Lions, while the Vikings lost the following week and have ripped off nine straight since.
Both teams come in with 14-2 records, behind only the 15-1 Chiefs for best in the NFL.
For the second time in three years, the Lions will in the final game of the NFL regular season. Two years ago, they eliminated the Packers from the playoffs on Sunday Night Football in Week 18.
This time, it’s their own playoff position at stake. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 5, 2024.
