Detroit Zoo’s Wishing Tree sending up wish for Lions Super Bowl win
Detroit Zoo’s Wishing Tree will send your worldly wishes up for consideration during Wild Lights exhibit. The tree is interviewed by Georgea Kovanis.
The Detroit Lions are on the road for the final time in the 2024 NFL regular season in an NFC championship game rematch in Week 17 on Monday Night Football.
The Lions (14-2) took down the San Francisco 49ers (6-10) 40-34 at Levi’s Stadium in a high-scoring win. Detroit got a win on the same field where their 2023 season came to an abrupt end one game short of the Super Bowl in the 2023 NFC championship game.
Detroit trailed 21-13 at halftime, but scored on every possession in the second half to walk out of Santa Clara with their 14th win of the season. Quarterback Jared Goff completed 26 of 34 passes for 303 yards and three touchdowns, Jameson Williams scored twice on the ground and through the air, and Jahmyr Gibbs had 163 total yards and a touchdown.
The game did not matter much for the Lions’ 2024 playoff hopes. After the Minnesota Vikings beat the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, the Lions could not improve their playoff standing on Monday against the 49ers, outside of gaining a tiebreaker edge in case of a tie in Week 18. With a win or tie against the Vikings next Sunday night, the Lions can clinch the No. 1 seed and NFC North title.
The Lions went undefeated on the road for the second time in franchise history and now set up the first regular-season meeting between 14-win teams in Week 18 at Ford Field. The Lions also tied the NFL record with their sixth 40-point performance.
Check out the recap from Lions-49ers on Monday Night Football below.
Lions vs 49ers live updates, game highlights
The 49ers had one final answer. Brock Purdy got knocked out of the game on a hit from Brian Branch as he was throwing, and Josh Dobbs replaced him. Dobbs led San Francisco down the field with short completions against Detroit’s blitz before finishing the job himself with a rushing touchdown.
Jahmyr Gibbs put an explosive cap on the Lions’ 14th win of the season. The second-year running back got a hand-off behind the right side and broke through a hole created by Penei Sewell and Tim Patrick and used his speed to race down the sidelines. Detroit is up to 441 yards of offense and had no punts with just one failed fourth down. Jake Bates missed his second extra point of the game.
Just like he did before, Kerby Joseph pulled in an interception a play after his safety duo was flagged. This time, Brian Branch picked up an unnecessary roughness penalty for shoving Jauan Jennings after the whistle, but Joseph jumped in front of a dig route intended for Ricky Pearsall on the next play. The Lions took over at their own 38 with a chance to salt the game away. Joseph is up to nine interceptions on the year and two tonight.
The Lions avoided an immediate turnover with a 19-yard completion to Sam LaPorta on fourth-and-3 from their own 45. But Detroit struck out on the next set of downs with back-to-back incompletions trying to target Jameson Williams on swing passes to the flat. Bates hit the 42-yard kick for his second make of the night.
The Lions got another small break from the 49ers special teams with a hooked 58-yard field goal from Jake Moody, who has missed both of his attempts from over 50 yards tonight. San Francisco reached the edge of field goal range with an 18-yard completion to George Kittle, but Brock Purdy had three straight incompletions after that, including an Amik Robertson deflected pass on third down.
The Lions turned the interception into a touchdown to take their first lead of the game. Detroit started at the San Francisco 43-yard line and steadily moved the ball to inside the 10-yard line before facing a fourth down. This time the Lions were successful after Jared Goff hit St. Brown wide open on a hinge route on the goal line for a 4-yard score.
Kerby Joseph now has eight interceptions on the season. Brock Purdy was trying to layer in a pass over the middle, but overthrew the target and landed it directly in the chest of Joseph, who was playing centerfield. The Lions gained back an extra possession with its first forced stop of the game late in the third quarter. The interception a play after Joseph made a diving play on a ball, but it was nullified due to pass interference against Brian Branch.
The Lions drove down the field again, but a third-down sack stopped Detroit and forced a long field goal attempt from Jake Bates, which he hit with distance to spare. Jahmyr Gibbs had a 9-yard run and Sam LaPorta had a 28-yard catch to reach field goal range.
The Lions have no answers for the 49ers tonight. Brock Purdy started the drive with a 13-yard completion to Jauan Jennings, followed by a 39-yard pass to Ricky Pearsall on a blown coverage. Then, George Kittle broke a host of tackles for 22 yards before Samuel scored on a 5-yard pitch-pass.
The Lions have knotted things up to start the second half. Detroit drove 66 yards in 10 plays and found the end zone with a tight-window pass to Sam LaPorta, who made a catch through traffic. Jared Goff rolled out of the pocket to hit Tim Patrick to convert the two-point conversion to tie it at 21. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Allen Robinson all had catches for first downs on the drive.
The Lions escaped trailing by two possessions at halftime thanks to a missed 51-yard field goal from former Michigan kicker Jake Moody on the final play of the half. The Lions could not slow down San Francisco again, but the 49ers had to settle for the kick and failed. The 49ers outgained Detroit 260-211 and had a defensive stop on fourth down.
The 49ers came up with the first defensive stop of the game. The Lions faced a fourth-and-3 from San Francisco’s 8-yard line and kept the offense on the field, but Jared Goff couldn’t connect with Sam LaPorta in the back of the end zone for a turnover on downs. The drive started with a 19-yard catch and run by Jahmyr Gibbs and 9-yard run from Craig Reynolds. The Lions picked up one more first down with 14 yards to St. Brown, but had three short runs before the failed fourth down to end the drive.
The 49ers continue to score at will on the Lions. After two 9-yard gains to start the drive, the Lions couldn’t get home with a blitz and Purdy hit a wide-open Ricky Pearsall for 40 yards down the sideline after losing Terrion Arnold in single coverage. Two plays later, Purdy kept it himself on a scramble up the middle and dove in for a 9-yard touchdown.
The tricks are back!
On third-and-12 from the San Francisco 42-yard line, Jared Goff hit Amon-Ra St. Brown on a short in route, and before he hit the ground, he flipped it up to Jameson Williams and the speedster took off untouched for a 42-yard touchdown and his second scoring celebration of the first half. Jahmyr Gibbs had three more carries for 28 yards on the drive, plus a 10-yard catch to make up for a holding call on Penei Sewell.
Detroit’s defense has put up no resistance so far. Brock Purdy completed all four passes on the drive for 51 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown to their fullback on a play-action in the red zone. Detroit had no answer for slowing down the 49ers’ play-action attack.
The Lions pulled out a little single-wing offense to reach the end zone. On third-and-goal from the three, the Lions lined Jahmyr Gibbs offset with trips to the left and put Jameson Williams in motion right before he cut back, received a pitch left and ran in for a touchdown. Williams also started the 2023 NFC championship game with a rushing touchdown on a reverse.
Gibbs had three carries for 32 yards on the drive, including a 21-yard gain into San Francisco territory. Craig Reynolds put the offense in the red zone with a 26-yard catch and run. San Francisco blocked Jake Bates’ extra point.
The Lions deferred after winning the coin toss and San Francisco’s offense marched right down the field for the opening touchdown. The 49ers ran it eight times for 27 yards and Brock Purdy completed three passes to Chris Conley, George Kittle and Ricky Pearsall, who created separation from Brian Branch in the corner of the end zone for the touchdown. The play before, Jauan Jennings and Kerby Joseph were both flagged for unnecessary roughness. Jennings held a block too long around Terrion Arnold’s neck, and Joseph launched Jennings over the short wall where the players were in retaliation.
As expected, the Lions are rolling with their starters even though the game has muted stakes. The Lions spent all week preparing with their starters and have not been ones to rest players if they are available under Dan Campbell.
As expected, running back David Montgomery is out as he rehabs from an MCL injury. Bridgewater, who signed with the Lions this week after spending the fall as a championship-winning high school coach, is out and listed as the team’s emergency third quarterback. He would only play if both Jared Goff and Hendon Hooker get hurt. The rest of the inactives include offensive linemen Colby Sorsdal, Giovanni Manu, Kayode Awosika and defensive linemen Jonah Williams and Brodric Martin.
Reeves-Maybin, 29, had been on injured reserve with a neck injury. He missed the past seven games after getting injured against Green Bay in Week 9. He was given a two-year extension in February, with a reported $2.5 million signing bonus and a maximum value of $8 million, making him the highest-paid core special teams player in NFL history.
The San Francisco 49ers will wear throwbacks with gold helmets, red jerseys and white pants. The Detroit Lions will wear their road white jerseys and pants with silver helmets and Honolulu Blue accents all around.
What channel is Lions vs 49ers on Monday Night Football?
TV channel: ABC, ESPN.
Streaming live: On ESPN+.
Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1) in Detroit (find all Lions radio affiliates).
Watch Lions-49ers live on ESPN+
Lions vs 49ers start time
Date: Monday, Dec. 30.
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET.
Where: Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
Who is announcing Lions vs 49ers game
Play-by-play: Joe Buck.Analyst: Troy Aikman.Sideline reporter: Lisa Salters.Westwood One Radio: Jason Benetti, Kurt Warner.
Lions vs 49ers predictions
Carlos Monarrez: What was supposed to be an epic showdown is sure to turn into an epic beatdown. Maybe not quite to the level we saw in Dallas, but close enough. The Niners were losing close games with Christian McCaffrey and now that he’s out of the season, they’re getting trucked by teams such as the Dolphins. In the final Monday night game of the season, Ben Johnson is sure to pull out some trickery that will haunt the dreams of defensive coordinators the Lions might face in the playoffs. The pick: Lions 42, 49ers 17.
Lions vs 49ers betting odds
Spread: Lions (-3½).Over/under: 50 points.Moneyline: Lions (-200), 49ers (+165).
Game lines are provided by BetMGM.
Lions vs 49ers injury report
Lions: The Lions are relatively healthy for Week 17. Of the members on the active roster, only running back David Montgomery is unavailable as he continues to nurse a left knee injury. But they have nearly two dozen players on injured reserve, mostly on defense.
49ers: They are without offensive linemen Aaron Banks and Spencer Burford, linebacker Dre Greenlaw and defensive lineman Robert Beal on top of their lengthy IR list including running back Christian McCaffrey, receiver Brandon Aiyuk and offensive tackle Trent Williams.
Lions vs 49ers weather
It will be partly cloudy and around 53 degrees at kickoff at the outdoor Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Light breeze, with wind gusts up to 10 mph.
Detroit Lions 2024 schedule
Sunday, Sept. 8: Los Angeles Rams, W 26-20 (1-0)
Sunday, Sept. 15: Tampa Bay, L 20-16 (1-1)
Sunday, Sept. 22: at Arizona, W 20-13 (2-1)
Monday, Sept. 30: Seattle, W 42-29 (3-1)
Oct. 6: Bye
Sunday, Oct. 13: at Dallas, W 47-9 (4-1)
Sunday, Oct. 20: at Minnesota, W 31-29 (5-1)
Sunday, Oct. 27: Tennessee, W 52-14 (6-1)
Sunday, Nov. 3: at Green Bay, W 24-14 (7-1)
Sunday, Nov. 10: at Houston, W 26-23 (8-1)
Sunday, Nov. 17: Jacksonville, W 52-6 (9-1)
Sunday, Nov. 24: at Indianapolis, W 24-6 (10-1)
Thursday, Nov. 28: Chicago, W 23-20 (11-1)
Thursday, Dec. 5: Green Bay, W 34-31 (12-1)
Sunday, Dec. 15: Buffalo, L 48-42 (12-2)
Sunday, Dec. 22: at Chicago, W 34-17 (13-2)
Monday, Dec. 30: at San Francisco, 8:15
Sunday, Jan. 5: Minnesota, 8:20
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