The San Francisco 49ers built a comfortable lead early in the fourth quarter, but ended up having to hold on to defeat the Detroit Lions, 30-27.
TheSan Francisco 49erswithstood a furious comeback by theDetroit Lionsin the fourth quarter to come away with a 30-27 victory. The 49ers evened their record at 1-1 while the Lions fell to 0-2.
Niners quarterbackJimmy Garoppolocompleted 18 passes out of 26 attempts for 206 yards and two touchdowns. He didn’t throw any interceptions, but was bailed out late in the fourth quarter by a defensive holding penalty away from the ball as his sideline pass was picked off.
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Detroit Lions quarterbackMatthew Stafford(33 for 52, 343 yards, no interceptions) kept mistakes to a minimum after throwing four picks in last week’s blowout loss. However, he missedMarvin Jones Jr.twice andKenny Golladayonce on deep throws.
The 49ers were up 30-13 early in the fourth quarter and looked like they were cruising to an easy victory. But then Stafford started hitting his receivers, including a 67-yard pass toGolden Tatethat set up a short touchdown pass to Jones, cutting the deficit to 30-20.
Three minutes later, Stafford took advantage of the 49ers suspect cornerback coverage to connect with tight endMichael Robertsin the end zone. The Niners were able to stop a last-second drive by the Lions to preserve the victory.
49ers offensive line solid
The 49ers offensive line was an area of concern following the injuries sustained against theMinnesota Vikings.
The 49ers right guard position was in question all week as bothMike PersonandJoshua Garnettwent down last week. But Person did indeed start the game.
Credit theSan Francisco 49ersO-line for controlling the line of scrimmage, and allowing the 49ers running back committee ofMatt BreidaandAlfred Morristo gain a combined 186 yards.
And notably, Person created the gap that sprung Breida for a 66-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
Garoppolo was sacked five times, but it’s hard to fault the offensive line for that. All of the sacks were either coverage sacks or Garoppolo simply holding the ball too long. He needs to listen to his internal clock that tells him when he’s out of time.
Niners red zone performance
The 49ers red zone performance improved this week, as they scored on all five opportunities with two touchdowns and three field goals inside the 20.
In the first quarter, the Niners had a first and goal situation. Garoppolo then took two consecutive sacks even though he had ample time to get rid of the ball. On that drive, the Niners had to settle for a field goal.
In the second quarter, the Niners had second and goal at the four yard line. Garoppolo hit wideoutKendrick Bourneon the weak side for a walk-in touchdown.
Later in the second quarter, the NinersElijah Leeforced a Matthew Stafford fumble that was recovered by the 49ers in the red zone. On third down Garoppolo once again took a sack, forcing the 49ers to settle for another Robbie Gould field goal.
On the second half opening kickoff, the Lions special teams broke down for the second week in a row, allowingDJ Reedto return the ball 91 yards. This red zone possession ended in a Garoppolo touchdown pass toGarrett Celek.
In the fourth quarter, the 49ers once again settled for a red zone field goal, which turned out to be the margin of victory.
Looking forward
Things don’t get any easier for the San Francisco 49ers. Next week they travel to Kansas City to face theKansas City Chiefs, who improved to 2-0 after Chiefs QBPatrick Mahomesthrew six touchdown passes in a 42-37 slugfest with thePittsburgh Steelers.
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