Detroit (13-2) at San Francisco (6-9)
Monday, 8:15 p.m. EST, ESPN/ABC
BetMGM NFL odds: Lions by 3 1/2.
Against the spread: Lions 10-5; 49ers 5-10.
Series record: 49ers lead 40-28-1.
Last meeting: 49ers beat Lions 34-31 in NFC title game in Santa Clara, Calif., on Jan. 28, 2024.
Last week: Lions beat the Bears 44-42; 49ers lost to the Dolphins 29-17.
Lions offense: overall (2), rush (6), pass (2), scoring (1).
Lions defense: overall (18), rush (4), pass (27), scoring (7).
49ers offense: overall (8), rush (10), pass (7), scoring (16).
49ers defense: overall (2), rush (15), pass (3), scoring (19)
Turnover differential: Lions plus-9; 49ers minus-5.
Lions player to watch
RB Jahmyr Gibbs. He had 154 yards of offense last week, carrying a heavier load with David Montgomery out with a knee injury. Gibbs has 70 yards from scrimmage in every game, the first NFL player to do that in the first 15 games of a season since David Johnson in 2016.
49ers player to watch
WR Deebo Samuel had a throwback game last week when he had seven catches for 96 yards and his first TD since Week 6 and also added 25 yards rushing for a season-high 121 yards from scrimmage. Samuel had been held to 116 yards from scrimmage the previous five games and might need more performances such as last week to show the Niners he's worth bringing back next season.
Key matchup
Lions downfield passing vs. 49ers secondary. Detroit is tied for the NFL lead with 57 passes that have gained at least 20 yards as the Lions offense relies heavily on big plays. San Francisco has done a good job of limiting those, allowing a league-low 31 big pass plays.
Key injuries
Guard Graham Glasgow, inactive with a knee injury at Chicago, is expected to return to the lineup for Detroit. ... Lions LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin may play for the first time since he had a neck injury Nov. 3 against Green Bay. ... RB Isaac Guerendo is expected back for the 49ers after missing a game with a hamstring injury. ... San Francisco will be missing its top two LTs with Trent Williams (ankle) and Jaylon Moore (quadriceps) both sidelined. ... The Niners are also without their top two LGs with Aaron Banks (knee) and Ben Bartch (ankle) also hurt. ... LB Dre Greenlaw is not expected to play for San Francisco with a sore calf.
Series notes
The Lions blew a 17-point lead and lost the NFC title game against the 49ers last season. ... San Francisco has won 12 of the past 13 meetings with the only loss coming in 2015. ... Detroit hasn't won a road game in the series since Sept. 25, 1995, at Candlestick Park. ... Goff has lost his past five starts against San Francisco with seven TD passes and five INTs in those games.
Stats and stuff
The Lions will earn top seeding in the NFC with a win at San Francisco and a victory against Minnesota in Week 18 at home. Detroit also clinches that with a win and a Vikings loss Sunday to Green Bay. ... Detroit has won a franchise-record 13 games, breaking a tie with last year’s team and the 1991 squad. ... The Lions are the NFL’s only undefeated team on the road and they’ve won a franchise-record seven games as visitors. ... Detroit’s win at Chicago extended its run of avoiding consecutive losses that goes back to the first half of the 2022 season. ... Goff, who is from the Bay Area and starred at California, is the only player in NFL history to throw for 300 yards or more with a 100-plus passer rating 30 times through nine seasons. ... Detroit's WR Amon-Ra St. Brown has joined Brandon Marshall and Michael Thomas as the three players in league history to have at least 100 catches in three of their first four seasons. ... Sam LaPorta has 16 career TD receptions for the Lions, trailing the total of just two tight ends in their first two NFL seasons: Rob Gronkowski, who had 27, and Hall of Famer Mike Ditka, who 17. ... San Francisco was eliminated from playoff contention last week and will have its first losing season since going 6-10 in 2020. ... The 49ers are 0-43 under coach Kyle Shanahan after falling behind by eight or more points in the fourth quarter in the regular season or playoffs. They are the only team in the NFL without a win in that scenario since Shanahan was hired in 2017. ... After allowing touchdowns on 13 consecutive red zone drives over a four-week span, the 49ers have held the opposition to one TD on six trips the past two games. ... San Francisco K Jake Moody has missed seven FGs this season and his 76.7% conversion rate is tied for 26th. ... Niners TE George Kittle had eight catches for 106 yards and needs 33 more yards for his fourth 1,000-yard season. ... San Francisco LB Fred Warner is one of two players with at least 115 tackles in seven straight seasons. ... Niners DE Leonard Floyd needs 1 1/2 sacks to reach double digits for the third time in his career. ... San Francisco ranks third best in the league with 6.6 yards allowed per pass attempt.
Fantasy tip
Guerendo should be back in the lineup for San Francisco and get the bulk of the work out of the backfield. He had 203 yards from scrimmage and two TDs in the past two games he played.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
The Associated Press
