Lions take down 49ers as Dan Campbell’s ‘full throttle’ mindset saw starters play entire game

The Detroit Lions technically shouldn’t have won Monday night’s game with the San Francisco 49ers, raising the question of whether head coach Dan Campbell will pull his starters at some point in this game.

But as Campbell has shown us too many times in the past, he will never back down no matter the situation. And after he said it would be “full throttle” on the West Coast this week, he meant it.

The lions knocked down 49ers40-34, where the starters played the whole game on both sides.

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Detroit remembers well what happened in January at Levi’s Stadium, after blowing a big first-half lead in the NFC Championship Game. So there was a bit of revenge in this one despite the 49ers being mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.

Jared Goff went 26-of-34 for 303 yards on his way to three touchdowns in another stellar performance for the Lions. He found Sam LaPorta and Amon-Ra St. Brown, but by far the Lions’ best touchdown was another lateral play that worked to perfection.

Earlier this season, St. Brown returned it to Jahmyr Gibbs for a score against Arizona Cardinals. Well, the same concept was used when St. Brown caught a quick slant from Goff, but the speedy Jameson Williams got behind him and took the ball to the house 41 yards.

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At that point, the game was 14-13, as Brock Purdy and the 49ers offensive lineman were good to start this game.

Purdy orchestrated three straight touchdowns against Detroit to open it, including a game-opening strike to rookie Ricky Pearsall. He then needed just six plays on the next drive to find Kyle Juszczyk for nine yards, and the third touchdown was a nine-yard Purdy run to make it 21-13.

However, the second half saw the dominance of the Lions, which many teams have felt this season. It started with a quick opening drive that saw LaPorta get into the end zone from six yards out. But, once again, the 49ers answered with a touchdown of their own, as Deebo Samuel found his way to the paycheck to retake the lead, 28-21.

This back-and-forth battle only got derailed when one team forced the issue, which is exactly what Aaron Glenn’s Lions defense did after making it 28-24 on a Jake Bates field goal.

Kerby Joseph, who now leads the NFL in interceptions this season, took a throw from Purdy that flew over Pearsall’s head. And when Detroit makes a turnover, points usually follow.

Then came St. Brown’s touchdown, a four-yard catch, for the Lions, who scored on fourth down to take a 31-28 lead. On the ensuing drives, Jake Moody missed a 58-yard field goal, followed by another Joseph interception, giving him nine for the year.

That interception provided the nail in the coffin, as Gibbs, who rushed for 117 yards on just 18 carries, broke off a 30-yard touchdown run to power the Lions’ offensive attack.

Purdy was eventually injured on the 49ers’ final drive of the game, but backup Josh Dobbs contributed a scramble touchdown run to make it 40-34. But Detroit recovered the onside kick attempt to keep the game alive.

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Looking at the statistics in more detail, St. Brown led the Lions with eight receptions for 60 yards, while LaPorta finished with 64 yards on six catches.

Purdy would have had a brilliant performance if not for the two interceptions, as he went 27-for-35 for 377 yards with three touchdowns. Pearsall had a team-best 141 receiving yards on eight catches, while George Kittle matched his eight receptions for 112 yards. Jauan Jennings also finished with 67 yards on seven catches.

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