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

The Detroit Lions Technically, he didn’t have to win Monday night’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, which raises the question of whether head coach Dan Campbell would give up his starting role at some point in that game.

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

The Lions defeated the 49ers40-34, with the starters playing on both sides of the ball throughout the game.

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Detroit still remembers what happened at Levi’s Stadium in January when Detroit blew a huge first-half lead in the NFC Championship Game. So there was a little revenge in this game, even though the 49ers were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.

Jared Goff scored three touchdowns and went 26 of 34 for 303 yards, another outstanding performance for the Lions. He found Sam LaPorta and Amon-Ra St. Brown, but the Lions’ best touchdown by far was another lateral play that worked perfectly.

Earlier this season, it was St. Brown who returned the win against Jahmyr Gibbs Arizona Cardinals. Well, the same concept was used when St. Brown intercepted Goff’s quick slant shot, but speedy Jameson Williams got behind him and brought the ball to the house on a 41-yard run.

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At this point the score was 14-13 as Brock Purdy and the 49ers offense were working well early in this game.

Purdy orchestrated three consecutive touchdown drives against Detroit to open the game, including a score to rookie Ricky Pearsall on the game’s opening drive. Then on the next drive it took just six plays to find Kyle Juszczyk from nine yards out, and the third touchdown was a nine-yard scramble by Purdy to make the score 21-13.

However, the second half saw a dominance by the Lions that has been felt by many teams 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 into pay dirt and reclaimed the lead at 28-21.

This back-and-forth would only get out of hand when one team forced the play, and that’s exactly what Aaron Glenn’s Lions defense did after a Jake Bates field goal made it 28-24.

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

Then came St. Brown’s touchdown, a four-yard catch, for the Lions, who made it four-and-goal to take a 31-28 lead. On the following drives, Jake Moody missed the field goal from 58 yards, followed by another interception by Joseph, giving him nine scores for the year.

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

Purdy ended up getting injured on the final 49ers drive of the game, but backup Josh Dobbs added a scramble touchdown run to make the score 40-34. But the onside kick attempt to keep the game alive was recovered by Detroit.

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Looking deeper into the stats, St. Brown led the Lions with eight catches for 60 yards, while LaPorta finished with 64 yards on six catches.

Without the two interceptions, Purdy would have had a brilliant performance, going 27-of-35 for 377 yards and three touchdowns. Pearsall had a game-high 141 receiving yards on eight catches, while George Kittle matched his eight receptions for 112 yards. Jauan Jennings also finished the game with 67 yards on seven catches.

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