The 49ers had much of the same against a tough opponent on Monday night.
The San Francisco 49ers suffered a 40-34 loss to the Detroit Lions on Monday night in a game that was much of the same for the Niners once again.
It was a strong offensive start for San Francisco, who scored touchdowns on each of their first three drives, but faltered in the second half with costly interceptions.
Defensively, the 49ers allowed 40 points for the first time this season, as Nick Sorensen’s unit got just one stop all game long, which came on a turnover on downs at the San Francisco eight-yard line.
Here is our instant reaction to the 49ers’ 40-34 loss to the Lions on Monday.
Offense
The first half was exactly what the 49ers needed to show offensively. They came out firing with a strong passing game, their strong suit, and got three quick touchdowns on their first three possessions.
Not only did the 49ers start out fast in the passing game, but they did so with a focus on their top options: George Kittle and Ricky Pearsall.
Both players had eight catches and over 100 yards in the loss on Monday, while Jauan Jennings also had seven catches for 67 yards on 10 targets.
Those three receivers took 28 of the team’s 36 targets, with running back Isaac Guerendo being next with four catches for 65 yards. It was a pass-heavy day, especially as the 49ers found themselves trailing and in unfavorable situations late, but the passing game was what was working.
Isaac Guerendo had just 34 yards on nine carries, which were the only rushes for a running back in the game.
Brock Purdy had his best half of the season to start the game, but his two ugly turnovers proved costly at a time when head coach Kyle Shanahan was fully reliant on the passing game to generate offense.
The ups and downs represented what this season has been for both Purdy and the offense as they’ve failed to be consistent for four quarters, especially struggling late in games.
Offensively, you can’t blame the 49ers much here since they scored 34 points, but this game would’ve been a win if Brock Purdy hadn’t thrown the two ugly interceptions in the second half. On a similar note, San Francisco probably wouldn’t compete in this one if Purdy wasn’t on his A game in the first half, delivering three touchdowns on 14/16 passing for 200 yards with a perfect passer rating.
Purdy’s elbow injury will be the headline, as he exited late in the fourth quarter after taking a hit in what could very well be his final game of the year.
Defense
While the offense had its moments, the defense was awful on Monday night against one of the best offenses in the league.
Detroit had eight true possessions in this game. They scored five touchdowns, kicked one field goal, and had a turnover on downs deep in San Francisco territory.
Overall, they generated 439 yards of offense, controlling the game with 30+ rushes, while Jared Goff was efficient with 303 passing yards and three touchdowns.
San Francisco has struggled to consistently generate turnovers this season, one year after ranking among the league’s best in that category, and they haven’t gotten a single one over the past three games.
While there were a few explosives and a couple of nice stuffs, San Francisco still allowed 6.5 yards per carry to Jahmyr Gibbs and had no answer for the passing game, with Detroit consistently looking to pick on cornerback Isaac Yiadom with Charvarius Ward out.
Nonetheless, it was a forgettable defensive performance, with Nick Bosa being the only player to generate any form of pressure on the day up front and the Lions dicing up San Francisco’s coverage all day long.