▶ Kickoff: 8:15 p.m. Monday, Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California
▶ TV/radio: ABC, ESPN/97.1 FM
▶ Records: Lions 13-2; 49ers 6-9
▶ Line: Lions by 3½
▶ Series: 49ers lead 40-28-1 (Last meeting: 49ers, 34-31, Jan. 28)
Richard Silva of The Detroit News breaks down the Lions’ Week 17 game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Key matchup
LIONS PASS RUSH VS. 49ERS OFFENSIVE LINE
If there’s one big glaring issue with the Lions, it’s their pass rush. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn did a splendid job keeping his unit above water when the first wave of injuries hit (Derrick Barnes, John Cominsky, Marcus Davenport, Aidan Hutchinson and Kyle Peko were all placed on injured reserve before Week 7), but the latest rash of ailments, including Alim McNeill’s torn ACL on Dec. 15, have been a significant blow.
The Lions haven’t been horrible in generating pressure their last four games — opposing quarterbacks have faced heat on 34.2% of their dropbacks (Jared Goff has been pressured 30.3% of the time, for a familiar comparison) — but they haven’t been able to get home as much as they’d like. That’s especially true when considering two of their last four contests came against the Chicago Bears and quarterback Caleb Williams, who has been sacked a whopping 67 times. Detroit got Williams down seven times in its two wins.
San Francisco’s offensive line won’t be at full strength. Superstar left tackle Trent Williams is done for the season, and starting left guard Aaron Banks won’t play versus the Lions. That said, it still won’t be easy getting to Brock Purdy, who has a pressure-to-sack rate (15.4%) that’s seventh-best among quarterbacks who have started 10 more games this season.
Three 49ers to watch
▶ Brock Purdy, QB: After tossing 31 touchdowns in his first full season as a starter in 2023, Purdy has taken somewhat of a step back with two games left to play in 2024. His touchdown-to-interception ratio of 1.7 isn’t as good compared to last season (2.8). He’s also seen dips in yards per attempt (9.6 vs. 8.3), passer rating (113 vs. 94.4), quarterback rating (72.8 vs. 65.4) and passing success rate (54.7% vs. 48.1%).
▶ Jauan Jennings, WR: It’s All-Pro tight end George Kittle leading the 49ers in receiving yards (967), but Jennings leads the way for wide receivers specifically. His 856 yards are by far a career-best number, smashing his previous high of 416 that he set in 2022. Jennings has brought down 16 of his 27 contested-catch opportunities (59.3%), the 15th-best rate among the 33 pass-catchers who have been given at least 10 chances for a catch in traffic.
▶ Nick Bosa, DE: Seven sacks aren’t an eye-popping stat for someone like Bosa, but the sixth-year pass rusher has still turned in a solid season in spite of the team floundering around him. Bosa has logged 60 pressures in 12 games, and his pass-rush win rate of 19.4% ranks No. 7 among all defenders (for some perspective on how dominant Hutchinson was before getting hurt, his win rate currently sits at 38.3%).
Facts and figures
▶ Rookie cornerback Renardo Green has notched nine pass deflections this season, tied for the seventh-most among first-year players in the NFL. Green has earned an overall defensive grade of 72.2 from Pro Football Focus, which paces all San Francisco defensive backs; safety George Odum (70.5) is close behind, as is cornerback Deommodore Lenoir (69.7).
▶ The 49ers offense has logged 5,486 yards this season, while the defense has surrendered 4,564. That’s a net difference of 922, the fourth-highest total in the league behind the Philadelphia Eagles (1,337), Baltimore Ravens (1,285) and Lions (1,046). As one would expect when hearing those numbers and glancing at San Francisco’s record, the 49ers have struggled in the red zone. They’ve scored a touchdown on just 51.8% of their trips inside the 20-yard line, good for 25th in the NFL, and have given up a touchdown on 65.3% of their defensive trips, good for 29th.
@rich_silva18
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