It was a rough start for the San Francisco 49ers as the Detroit Lions offense came out strong with a fast run game to open the first quarter.
It was a different story for San Francisco. On the first snap for the 49ers offense, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo fumbled the ball on a snap in the pocket with a misconnection between the quarterback and center, Alex Mack, later recovered by Lions linebacker Jamie Collins.
This early misstep did not set the 49ers back, as San Francisco's first round draft pick took the spotlight in the next possession. Trey Lance completed his first NFL touchdown with a slant route, 5-yard pass to Trent Sherfield, putting the first points of the game on the board.
From that moment on, the 49ers capitalized on every possession they had in the first half, making it the highest scoring first half the 49ers have ever had under head coach Kyle Shanahan.
The Lions answered back and tied-up the game in the second quarter with tight end T.J. Hockenson receiving a 6-yard pass from quarterback Jared Goff for a touchdown. Following the scoring drive, the 49ers defense held both the Lions rushing and passing game, allowing only a field goal for the rest of the half.
In the next two possessions, running backs Elijah Mitchell and JaMycal Hasty rushed for two more touchdowns, regaining the lead and making the score 21-10.
San Francisco's defense also celebrated in the red zone, where linebacker Dre Greenlaw intercepted a pass intended for Hockenson, the first interception for the linebacker since the 2019 season, and ran it home for a 39-yard touchdown.
The 49ers first incompletion of the game didn't come until under a minute on the clock in the first half, and San Francisco entered halftime with a 31-10 lead over the Lions.
