The San Francisco 49ers suffered a heartbreaking 40-34 defeat to the Detroit Lions in their Week 17 matchup on "Monday Night Football." Despite being eliminated from playoff contention, the 49ers played with pride in their final home game of the 2024 season at Levi's® Stadium. In a contest that featured big plays and plenty of momentum swings, San Francisco fought until the end, but ultimately fell short.
Here are six takeaways from the Lions-49ers game:
Starting Out Hot
San Francisco came out firing on all cylinders. Deebo Samuel Sr. set the tone with a 37-yard kick return to start the game, putting the Niners at their own 39-yard line. Quarterback Brock Purdy quickly found Chris Conley and George Kittle, and with contributions from Samuel and Isaac Guerendo in the run game, the 49ers drove into the red zone. Rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall capped off the drive with a three-yard touchdown reception.
On Detroit's ensuing possession, the Lions answered with a touchdown of their own, but the 49ers defense made a big play. Defensive lineman Jordan Elliott blocked Lions kicker Jake Bates' extra point attempt and linebacker Fred Warner scooped up the ball to keep the 49ers ahead in the first quarter with the score at 7-6.
Ricky Comes in Clutch
The first-round pick showed off his slick skills and had an impressive night, making several key catches that led to scoring drives. Pearsall recorded two highlight plays in the second quarter, first hauling in a one-handed, 14-yard pass on third-and-four to keep the drive alive. That play set up fullback Kyle Juszczyk's nine-yard touchdown reception.
Later, with 7:45 left in the first half, Pearsall made a huge 40-yard grab from Purdy, bringing the Niners into Lions territory. Purdy capped off the drive by scrambling up the middle for a nine-yard touchdown run, giving San Francisco a 21-13 lead at halftime.
Kittle Hits 1,000 Yards
The People's Tight End shined on "Monday Night Football," recording 112 receiving yards on the night. Kittle reached a significant milestone with 1,079 receiving yards on the year, marking his fourth career season with over 1,000 yards. He becomes the first tight end in franchise history to achieve this feat and joins an elite list of five tight ends in NFL history to post four 1,000-yard seasons.
Kittle now trails only wide receivers Jerry Rice (12 seasons) and Terrell Owens (five seasons) in the 49ers 1,000-yard season record book.
Bosa Dominates
Defensive lineman Nick Bosa was a disruptive force all night. He sacked Lions quarterback Jared Goff twice and registered four quarterback hits.
Bosa's relentless pressure helped stifle Detroit's offense and he finished the game with eight tackles, four of which were for a loss.
Dobbs Steps In
Quarterback Joshua Dobbs took over for Purdy with less than two minutes left in the contest. Purdy was sacked at Detroit's 42-yard line by defensive back Brian Branch and Purdy was injured during the play.
Dobbs closed out the matchup with three completions for 35 yards, seven rushing yards and a touchdown.
Injuries of the Game
- LB Dee Winters briefly exited the game in the second quarter, but returned before the second half.
- DL Nick Bosa was briefly evaluated for a concussion but was cleared and returned to action before the end of the first half.
- QB Brock Purdy exited with less than two minutes left in the contest, injured from a -7 yard sack. Following the contest, head coach Kyle Shanahan shared that the QB suffered an injury to his right elbow, "just got hit on his elbow, maybe some nerve stuff."
- LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles suffered a calf injury, did not return to action.
- DL Leonard Floyd suffered a right shoulder injury in the third quarter, did not return to action.
