- WHERE: Levi's Stadium (Santa Clara, Calif.)
- WHEN: 8:15 p.m. ET | ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+, NFL+
Eleven months after their last, dramatic postseason meeting, in the NFC Championship Game, the Lions and 49ers will face off again in the final Monday Night Football matchup of the 2024 regular season.
Detroit (13-2) will visit San Francisco (6-9) to round out Week 17’s slate of games, though the circumstances are a bit different from those surrounding last January’s matchup.
The Lions have clinched their second straight playoff berth behind their No. 1 scoring offense and entered the weekend with a chance to earn themselves the No. 1 seed in the conference with a win Monday night -- until the Vikings beat the Packers on Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the 49ers come into Monday with nothing but pride and the chance to play spoiler motivating them, as they were eliminated from postseason contention last week after a frustrating 2024 campaign featuring significant injuries that took away any chance to try and return to the Super Bowl.
For what it’s worth, in the last four instances of rematches one season between NFC Championship game opponents, the loser of the first game has won the second -- three of those were by San Francisco.
There’s history and storylines aplenty in the final Monday night game of the 2024 season, with the potential for big implications for the coming playoffs.
Here are four things to watch for when the Lions visit the 49ers on Monday night on ESPN and NFL+:
1) Will defensive injuries finally take a toll? The Lions have clinched a playoff berth, set a franchise record for wins and are knocking on the door of the No. 1 seed, despite coming into Week 17 with the highest number of defensive players on injured reserve (14). They’ve been playing without multiple key starters for weeks now and continuing to win, and it’s no less impressive as the weeks go on. But despite the wins and the continued energy shown from the defense and the coaches, the data shows that they have been struggling a bit more with the last few injuries. In Weeks 1-13, Detroit allowed 16.9 points per game -- top-five in the NFL -- along with 320.3 total yards per game. In the last three weeks, those numbers have ballooned up to 32.0 PPG allowed and 413.0 total yards per game, nowhere near the previous level of play as reserves and late-season signings took the lead. The offense’s continued prowess has largely covered up these issues (aside from a 48-42 barnburner loss to the Bills), but as things move to the postseason and the Lions get set to play only the best of the best, there might not be as much room for error anymore. Last week’s 17-point allowance to the Bears was a promising sign, and another low-scoring evening for the Niners would be another indication that this defense could be able to lock in in January.
2) O-line injuries could make or break S.F. If there’s any team that truly understands the amount of injuries the Lions are navigating, it’s the 49ers, though their turbulence has seemed to have a much bigger impact through the course of the season. From offensive skill players like Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk to defensive stalwarts like Dre Greenlaw, multiple star players have missed significant time and their absences have been a large part of the team’s overall struggles. If there’s one area that will be specifically affected by injuries this week, it’s the offensive line. Star left tackle Trent Williams went on injured reserve this week with the ankle injury that kept him out for the last five games. His backup Jaylon Moore (quad) also went on IR, and coach Kyle Shanahan said left guard Aaron Banks (MCL; ruled out) is also done for the year, joining Jon Feliciano and Ben Bartch, who were placed on IR earlier in the year. Spencer Burford (calf) was also ruled out and Colton McKivitz (knee) is questionable, leaving the latter's availability in doubt. That leaves center Jake Brendel and right guard Dominick Puni as the only confirmed remaining healthy starters, with the rest of the line expected to be filled up by players who have limited to no experience starting games. That doesn’t bode well for the 49ers’ chances of protecting Brock Purdy or clearing lanes for ball-carriers, setting a hard path to a win. Injuries have been a problem all over, but this seems like a particular worry for San Francisco on Monday, even with the depleted Lions pass rush’s issues getting to the quarterback (tied for 23rd in the league).
3) Niners offense needs big game from key players. Brock Purdy and Co. will host the Lions likely needing to play at their best to keep up against their opponent’s high-scoring offense. That will require a couple key players needing to step up. San Francisco’s top two running backs are all out, leaving Isaac Guerendo as the presumptive lead back on Monday. But even he’s not at full strength, battling foot and hamstring ailments. Niners fans will be happy to hear he was given no injury designation heading into Monday, especially as Patrick Taylor and Israel Abanikanda are next up on the depth chart and have a combined 74 yards between them this season. Guerendo, and any other RB who gets snaps, has the tall task of breaking through the Lions’ No. 4-ranked rush defense in order to get things moving on the ground. As for the pass game, Purdy will need to see production from Deebo Samuel, who was struggling with drops and a perceived lack of usage through the middle of the season, averaging 20.2 receiving yards per game from Week 11-15 before a big game last week. Samuel had 96 yards on seven receptions against the Dolphins, including his first receiving touchdown since Week 6. For the wideout who hasn’t looked near his previous form for most of the season, Monday affords another chance to get back on the horse against the Lions’ injury-plagued and 27th-ranked pass defense to help his team to an upset. Needless to say, the 49ers will need to be firing on all cylinders Monday.
4) Lions’ newly-solo RB up for the task. For most of the season, the Lions’ 1-2 punch of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery pounded opposing defenses with their complementary styles, setting records as one of the best RB duos in NFL chronicle. Gibbs specifically has shined, leading the team with 209 carries for 1,156 yards, and ranking third in the league in scrimmage touchdowns (15),even while splitting duties and officially starting only two games. But with Montgomery suffering a knee injury two weeks ago that will keep him out until the playoffs, if he returns at all, the rush game is now squarely on the shoulders of Gibbs. The 22-year-old rose to the occasion last week in the solo role with 109 yards and a touchdowns on the ground, plus 45 receiving yards. In fact, in his four career games without Montgomery, Gibbs has averaged 24.0 touches for 137.8 scrimmage yards and has three total touchdowns, auguring well for the young back’s ability to adjust to the different game plan going forward. Now Gibbs will face a fortuitous matchup in the 49ers’ recently struggling rush defense, which has allowed 142 and 166 rush yards to opponents the last two weeks.
