Jared Goff and Lions top 49ers in ‘MNF’ victory with eyes on NFC crown: Key takeaways

By Colton Pouncy, Matt Barrows and Alex Andrejev

In fact, the Detroit Lions brought “everything,” despite a battered defense, to Monday night win 40-34 over the San Francisco 49ers to improve to 14-2 and carry momentum into next week’s critical game against the Minnesota Vikings for first place in the NFC.

While neither team was playing for the postseason, with the Lions already locked up and the 49ers out of playoff contention, there was still plenty of pride on the line when Detroit aimed to avenge their loss in last season’s NFC Championship Game.

The Lions faced a formidable Niners offense as receiver Ricky Pearsall had a standout night while running back Isaac Guerendo led San Francisco’s running game. Quarterback Brock Purdy started hot, connecting with Pearsall and Kyle Juszczyk for touchdowns, and even scored a touchdown in the second quarter to give San Francisco a 21-13 lead at the half.

But Purdy also threw two interceptions and missed the final minutes. was hit in the right elbow. Team doctors examined his elbow on the sideline, and Purdy said after the game that he would undergo an MRI on Monday. Reserve Joshua Dobbs closed out the game and scored on a 7-yard run, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit.

Brock Purdy said initial tests on his UCL (elbow ligament) were fine, but his arm felt “on fire” after he was fired and hit from behind. He said he will have an MRI tomorrow to get a better idea of ​​the severity of the problem.

– Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) December 31, 2024

The Lions’ offense, on the other hand, never looked confused, as quarterback Jared Goff threw for 303 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Detroit also rushed for 152 yards, with running back Jahmyr Gibbs leading the way with 18 carries for 117 yards and a touchdown.

“We flew here. We prepare this way. We went out to win,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said after the game. “And that’s ultimately what it came to, and yes, you do, you cross your fingers that no one gets hurt.”

Another explosive night for the Lions offense

The Lions’ recipe for success this postseason will be outscoring their opponents. High level analysis, I know, but that’s where they are. Their defense isn’t what it once was, so the pressure will be on the offense to win shootouts like the one we saw Monday night.

The good news is that Detroit has the horses to do it. Goff was excellent again, leading an offense that needs his best stuff week in and week out. In the last four games, he has thrown for 1,416 yards, 14 touchdowns and just one interception. The Lions recorded 441 yards of offense and 40 points. To the defense’s credit, only 13 points were allowed in the second half, six of them in the final minute of the half. It’s not pretty, but the Lions will take it. — Colton Pouncy, Lions writer

THE COMPLICATED @LEONES! JAM TOUCH FROM THE SIDE!

: #DETvsSF on ESPN/ABC
: Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/bfns6bNZf4

—NFL (@NFL) December 31, 2024

Detroit needs more defense for Sunday’s matchup

The Lions’ 14 wins are the most they have had in the regular season in franchise history. And yet, they’ll play Minnesota in Week 18 to crown the NFC North winner and the conference’s No. 1 seed. There is a lot at stake in a regular season game.

Detroit’s shaky defense was good enough Monday night, but will have to improve against Sam Darnold, Justin Jefferson and company next week. The focus will be on that unit when “Sunday Night Football” comes to Detroit for the biggest game of the year. — jumper

Purdy-Pearsall connection sees progress, not perfection

It was a prolific, though certainly not perfect, outing for Purdy and Pearsall on Monday, with the rookie receiver catching eight passes for 141 yards, both season highs. Their connection was in question earlier this season when Pearsall went through a three-game catchless streak. The two, however, have spent more time after practice in recent weeks building a connection that may have been missing after Pearsall missed a large portion of training camp with an injury and the start of the regular season recovering from a gunshot wound to the chest.

It wasn’t a perfect day for the duo. Purdy overthrew Pearsall in the third quarter and telegraphed a pass to him in the fourth quarter. The throws led to Purdy’s 11th and 12th interceptions in a 15-start season. He pitched 11 in 16 starts last year. — Matt Barrows, 49ers writer

Jake Moody fails despite recent endorsement

Four days after 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan gave Moody a strong and lengthy endorsement, the kicker missed both of his field goal attempts. The first, from 51 meters, was not close and went wide to the right. The second, from 58 yards, was also off the line, this one to the left. He also missed an extra point.

On Thursday, Shanahan said Moody, who missed for 41 yards at Miami in Week 16, was “made of the right stuff” and “has all the tools to be a great kicker in this league.” When answering multiple questions about the kicker, Shanahan sounded like he was endorsing Moody to be the kicker next season.

Moody, however, has already missed nine kicks this season after missing four last year. Until Monday, all of his missed shots had been away from home. — tumuli

Required reading

(Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)