Detroit (13-2) and San Francisco (6-9)
Monday, 8:15 p.m. EST, ESPN/ABC
BettingMGM NFL Odds: Lions at 3 1/2.
Against the Spread: Lions 10-5; 49ers 5-10.
Series record: 49ers lead 40-28-1.
Last meeting: 49ers defeated Lions 34-31 in NFC title game in Santa Clara, California, on January 28, 2024.
Last week: Lions defeated Bears 44-42; 49ers lost to the Dolphins 29-17.
Lions offense: overall (2), rush (6), pass (2), score (1).
Lions defense: overall (18), rush (4), pass (27), score (7).
49ers offense: total (8), rush (10), pass (7), score (16).
49ers defense: overall (2), rush (15), pass (3), score (19)
Turnover difference: Lions plus-9; 49ers minus-5.
Lions player to watch
RB Jahmyr Gibbs. He had 154 yards rushing last week and carried a heavier load while David Montgomery was out with a knee injury. Gibbs has 70 yards from scrimmage in every game, the first NFL player to do so in the first 15 games of a season since David Johnson in 2016.
49ers player to watch
WR Deebo Samuel had a throwback game last week when he had seven catches for 96 yards and his first TD since Week 6 and also added 25 yards while rushing for a season-high 121 yards from scrimmage. Samuel was held to 116 yards from scrimmage in the previous five games and may need more outings like last week to show the Niners he is worth bringing back next season.
Key match
Lions downfield passing vs. 49ers secondary. Detroit is tied for the lead in the NFL with 57 passes gained at least 20 yards as the Lions offense relies heavily on big plays. San Francisco has done a good job limiting these, allowing a league-low 31 big pass plays.
Main injuries
Guard Graham Glasgow, inactive with a knee injury with Chicago, is expected to return to the lineup for Detroit. … Lions LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin will play for the first time since suffering a neck injury against Green Bay on Nov. 3. … RB Isaac Guerendo is expected back with the 49ers after missing a game with a hamstring injury. … San Francisco will be missing its top two LTs with Trent Williams (ankle) and Jaylon Moore (quadriceps) both sidelined. … The Niners are also without their top two LGs, with Aaron Banks (knee) and Ben Batch (ankle) also injured. … LB Dre Greenlaw is not expected to play for San Francisco with a sore calf.
Series notes
The Lions blew a 17-point lead and lost the NFC title game to the 49ers last season. … San Francisco has won 12 of its past 13 meetings, with its lone loss coming in 2015. … Detroit hasn’t won a road game in the series since Sept. 25, 1995, at Candlestick Park. … Goff has lost his past five starts against San Francisco with seven TD passes and five INTs in those games.
Statistics and all that
The Lions will earn top seeding in the NFC with a win at San Francisco and a win against Minnesota in Week 18 at home. Detroit also achieved that with a win and a Vikings loss on Sunday against Green Bay. … Detroit has won a franchise-record 13 games, breaking the tie with last year’s team and the 1991 squad. … The Lions are the NFL’s only undefeated team on the road and they have won a franchise-record seven games as visitors. … Detroit’s win in Chicago extended its streak of avoiding consecutive losses dating back to the first half of the 2022 season. … Goff, who is from the Bay Area and starred in California, is the only player in NFL history to throw for 300 yards or more with a 100+ passer rating over nine seasons. … Detroit’s WR Amon-Ra St. Brown has joined Brandon Marshall and Michael Thomas as the three players in league history to reach at least 100 catches in three of their first four seasons. … Sam LaPorta has 16 career TD receptions for the Lions, trailing just two tight ends in their first two NFL seasons: Rob Gronkowski, who had 27, and Hall of Famer Mike Ditka, who had 17. … San Francisco was eliminated from the playoffs last week and will have its first losing season since going 6-10 in 2020. … The 49ers are 0-43 under coach Kyle Shanahan after falling behind by eight or more points in the fourth quarter of the regular season or playoffs. They are the only team in the NFL without a win in that scenario since Shanahan was hired in 2017. … After allowing touchdowns on 13 consecutive red zone drives over a four-week span, the 49ers have held the opposition to one TD on six trips the past two games. … San Francisco K Jake Moody has missed seven FGs this season and his 76.7% conversion rate ranks 26th. … Niners TE George Kittle had eight catches for 106 yards and needs 33 more yards for his fourth 1,000-yard season. … San Francisco LB Fred Warner is one of two players with at least 115 tackles in seven straight seasons. … Niners DE Leonard Floyd needs 1 1/2 sacks to reach double figures for the third time in his career. … San Francisco ranks third in the league with 6.6 yards allowed per pass attempt.
Fantasy tip
Guerendo should be back in the lineup for San Francisco and get the bulk of the work out of the backfield. He had 203 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in the past two games he played.
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AP N.F.L.:
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