Detroit Lions quarterback Jerod Goff (16) throws a pass against the San Francisco 49ers defense at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara on Monday Night Football Dec 30, 2024 (AP News photo)
By Barbara Mason
In a high stakes game for the Detroit Lions (14-2), the San Francisco 49ers (6-10) were looking to tack on another win over the Lions. They led for all of the first half but two Brock Purdy interceptions turned the tide in this game.
San Francisco dictated the play in the first half; the Lions did not have a single stop in the first two quarters. Going into the second half this game was tight .
The final was 40-34 in favor of the playoff bound Lions. It was a rough night for San Francisco kicker Jake Moody who missed two field goals and one extra point attempt.
Game recap: San Francisco got a hot start scoring first and taking a 7-0 lead. At 8:37 Brock Purdy hit Ricky Pearsall for three yards and a touchdown. Jake Moody kicked the extra point and San Francisco was off and running.
At 3:42 the Lions answered. Jameson Williams rushed for three yards scoring the touchdown. The Jake Bates extra point attempt was blocked and the 49ers continued to lead going into the second quarter 7-6.
San Francisco extended their lead in the second quarter. Brock Purdy threw his second touchdown pass finding Kyle Juszczyk for nine yards. The Moody extra kick was good giving the 49ers a 14-13 lead.
Detroit kept pace moving the ball downfield with some razzle dazzle plays finishing the drive with a Jared Goff one yard pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown. The extra point was good and the 49ers were clinging to a 14-6 lead.
The Lions scored their second touchdown of the game continuing to trail by one point 13-14. San Francisco extended that lead at 6:13. The fifth touchdown of the game was a nine yard rush from Brock Purdy and he had his third touchdown of the game.
The extra point was good and San Francisco had a 21-13 lead in this see-saw game. This was the first game this season to start off with five touchdowns in the first half and there was still a lot of time left on the clock.
The Lions went back on offense in this fast-paced first half of football looking to make this a one-point game going into halftime. Deep in San Francisco territory the Lions went on a 4th and 3 and failed.
The 49ers had their first defensive stop of the game with 1:13 left in the half. Speedster Isaac Guerendo caught back to back passes on San Francisco’s final drive of the half putting together a perfect two minute drive looking for at least a field goal before the half. Jake Moody attempted a 51 yard field goal which failed and the score was 21-13 after the first two quarters. Detroit would start the second half still looking for their first stop of the game.
The Lions had the first possession in the third quarter. They wasted no time tying up this game. Quarterback Jared Goff found Sam LaPorta for six yards and the touchdown. The two point conversion was good and this game was all tied up at 21.
The 49ers went back to work driving downfield culminating in a Deebo Samuel catch, a five yard pass from Purdy taking back the lead 28-21. The craziness had continued in the third quarter of this marathon opening with two second half touchdowns.
The Lions stalled in their next possession and had to settle for the field goal. San Francisco had their second stop of the game. Lions kicker Jake Bates kicked a 57 yard field goal and the 49ers held onto a 28-24 lead.
With 4:25 left in the third quarter the 49ers would be looking for more. It didn’t turn out so good for Brock Purdy when he threw the first interception of the game and the Lions were back in business at the San Francisco 43 yard line.
Detroit would go for it on fourth and goal and this time came away with the touchdown taking the lead 31-28. Goff connected with Amon-Ra St. Brown for four yards and the extra point was good.
San Francisco had a nice drive to start the fourth quarter but it stalled out and the attempted 58 Yd field goal failed as Jake Moody continued to struggle. The Lions extended their lead driving deep into San Francisco territory but could not reach the end zone.
They settled for a Jake Bates 42 yard field goal and a 34-28 lead with 10:29 left in the game. Detroit finally got to Brock Purdy for their first sack of the game on their next possession. The San Francisco drive sputtered thanks to several penalties but came to a screeching halt when Brock Purdy threw his second interception of the game.
The Lions had given up a lot of yards but had the two takeaways that may have turned out to be the deciding factor in this game. Detroit took the pick back down into the end zone for their fifth touchdown of the game and a 40-28 lead.
Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 30 yards and the score. The Lions would finish off the game with a second Purdy sack. With 43 ticks left on the clock the 49ers would score one last touchdown. Joshua Dobbs rushed for seven yards and the final score of the game. The final was 40-34 in favor of Detroit.
Brock Purdy finished the game with 377 passing yards and three touchdowns going 27 of 35. It was the two interceptions that turned the tide for the 49ers. Ricky Pearsall had a great game with eight receptions, 141 yards and one touchdown. George Kittle also had eight receptions for 112 yards. San Francisco finished with 412 receiving yards. It was rough going for Jake Moody who missed a 51 and 58 yard field goal and an extra point.
Detroit quarterback Jared Goff finished the game with 303 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Jahmyr Gibbs had 117 receiving yards and one touchdown. Jameson Williams had a rushing and a receiving touchdown for the Lions. They will now head into a division showdown to close out the regular season taking on the Minnesota Vikings Sunday night at 5:20 PM.
Game notes: Monday night the 49ers took on the Lions at Levi’s Stadium. While there will be no playoffs for the 49ers this year they would love to put a bit of a wrench in the playoff plans of the Lions but it wasn’t in the cards as the Lions spoiled the 49ers half 21-13 half time lead with a second half comeback.
The Minnesota Vikings are fighting Detroit for the top spot in the NFC North. Monday night’s game was an important one for the Lions who are seeking the number one seed and kept pace with the Vikings.
San Francisco will finish the season off against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on Sunday. Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 1:25 PM.
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