
Detroit Lions v San Francisco ( Detroit Lions, Josh Mandujano)
For a while the Detroit Lions defense couldn't stop an unstoppable San Francisco offense in a Monday night game.
But the fortunes of the Lions finally turned around with two interceptions by Kerby Joseph and a finely tuned offense that kept scoring to eventually give the team a 40-34 victory.
Quarterback Jared Goff was 26-for-34 for 303 yards and three touchdowns. Not bad.
How concerning was the porous Detroit defense?
Detroit Free Press columnist Carlos Monarrez writes:
In a word: Very. The 49ers had scored more than 17 points just once in their past six games before Monday, because they were missing big pieces on offense, such as running back Christian McCaffrey, receiver Brandon Aiyuk and linemen Trent Williams and Aaron Banks. Even without those four, the Niners made Swiss cheese out of the Lions’ own injury-depleted defense.
Linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin, in his return from injured reserve, was awful in coverage, but rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold also had a bad game and the pass rush rarely affected 49ers QB Brock Purdy. Safety Kerby Joseph was outstanding and got his eighth and ninth interceptions and set up touchdowns. Yes, the Niners were playing for pride in their home finale. But this game underscored how far the Lions’ defense has fallen at exactly the wrong time and should lead to a few sleepless nights for fans heading into Sunday’s showdown with the Minnesota Vikings, and then the playoffs after that.