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The NFL playoffs are right around the corner, with the NFL regular season entering Week 17. The last game of Week 17 is the Monday Night Football matchup between the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco 49ers. The seasons for these two teams have gone in many different directions, but that does not mean this game won’t be good. We will recap each team’s Week 16 matchup, preview the Monday Night Football game, and make a pick.
After losing their Week 15 matchup, the Lions bounced back in a big way, beating the Bears 34-17 on the road. The knock on this Lions team has been that they struggle outside once the weather turns, especially Jared Goff.
However, they proved that to be wrong, as Goff was rolling. He went 23-for-32 for 336 yards and 3 touchdowns. It was Goff’s best game of his career against the Bears, and he silenced some of his critics.
The rushing attack did not skip a beat either, even without running back David Montgomery, who is out with an MCL injury. Jahmyr Gibbs was outstanding, carrying the ball 23 times for 109 yards and a touchdown, his 15th touchdown of the season.
With Goff excelling in the passing game, his pass-catchers were happy as well. WR Jamison Williams had a monster day, catching an 82-yard touchdown and finishing with 5 catches for 143 yards. WR Amon-Ra St. Brown chipped in with 6 catches for 70 yards and a touchdown. TE Sam LaPorta caught the other touchdown. This Lions offense keeps rolling.
The 49ers’ season continued trending in the wrong direction in Week 16, losing to the Miami Dolphins 29-17. This team has dealt with injuries all season, which has sent their season into a downward spiral.
QB Brock Purdy did not have a bad day by any means, even in the loss. He threw for 313 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 1 interception. Purdy continued to make a case for a massive contract extension with the 49ers.
With injuries to RBs Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell, and Issac Gurendo, the 49ers were down to just Patrick Taylor in the running back room. He didn’t get anything going on the ground, seeing just eight carries for 24 yards.
The 49ers’ pass-catchers had a solid day. TE George Kittle continued his terrific season, catching eight passes for 106 yards. WR Deebo Samuel, who has had a down year, caught one of Purdy’s touchdowns and finished with seven catches for 96 yards. It was good to see Samuel have a big day, even in the loss.
We know at this point in the season that the Detroit Lions are a better football team than the 49ers. However, we know that on any given Sunday or Monday, anything can happen in the NFL. Plus, the 49ers still have one of the best coaches in the NFL, Kyle Shanahan. The Lions also need to hold off the Minnesota Vikings from jumping ahead of them for the division and conference lead. That makes for an enticing matchup, even in a lost season for the 49ers.
While looking into this matchup, one thing stuck out to me. The 49ers defense has been a solid group this season but can be attacked on the ground. They are middle-of-the-pack in rushing yards allowed to the running back position. However, they have allowed 15 rushing touchdowns to opposing running backs, the second most in the NFL.
With David Montgomery out, we know Jahmyr Gibbs has taken over as the bell cow in the backfield after seeing 23 carries against the Bears. Gibbs has also scored a touchdown in back-to-back games. With that said, our Lions @ 49ers pick is Jahmyr Gibbs to score a touchdown.
Dylan has had a love for sports since he was a kid. Four years ago, he decided to dive into the sports content-creating industry specializing in Fantasy Football, NFL and NBA. He has since had his work published on sites that include Fantasy Alarm, Fansided, and Fantasy Six Pack.