Detroit Lions’ Monday Night Football win sets the stage for a historic Week 18 showdown
By Kevin Dotson, CNN
(CNN) — The offensive juggernaut that is the Detroit Lions kept rolling along with a 40-34 win against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday in a rematch of the 2023 NFC Championship game.
The win moves the Lions back to the top of the NFC heap heading into the final week of the regular season, but Monday night’s contest was anything but a walk in the park for Detroit.
The 49ers got off to a hot start, scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions of the game and taking an eight-point lead into halftime at 21-13.
The Lions started the second half with a touchdown drive and two-point conversion to tie the game at 21, but the Niners answered right back with another TD to reclaim the lead.
A pair of interceptions from Lions safety Kirby Joseph swung the momentum firmly in Detroit’s favor, and the Lions’ high-powered offense kept piling up the points on the way to their 14th win of the season.
Joseph now leads the NFL with nine interceptions on the season, two more than the next closest player.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff notched his sixth 300-yard passing game of the season and tossed three touchdown passes to set a new career-high with 33 TD passes on the season.
Detroit running back Jahmyr Gibbs had a game-high 117 rushing yards, highlighted by a 30-yard touchdown run that showcased his blazing speed and put the game out of reach for the Lions.
While Detroit is enjoying arguably the best season in the franchise’s near-100-year history, there is still cause for concern in the Motor City as the postseason approaches.
The Lions may have scored an NFL-best 533 points on the season, but the team’s injury-plagued defense has been exploited in recent weeks. Detroit’s opponents have averaged 30 points per game over their past five contests.
San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy had a career-best 377 yards passing on Monday as the 49ers’ offense moved the ball up and down the field with ease and actually outgained Detroit in the game.
The other elephant in the room takes the form of the Minnesota Vikings.
Despite having already won more games in a season than any other Lions team, Detroit still hasn’t clinched their division.
The Vikings boast a matching 14-2 record, and the two teams are set to meet in Week 18 with the NFC North title, a bye week, and homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs going to the winner.
Whichever team loses Sunday’s showdown drops to the NFC’s fifth seed and will have to start the playoffs on the road. The loser will also make dubious history by becoming the NFL’s first-ever 14-win wild card team.
Recent history favors the Lions, who handed Minnesota its first loss of the season back in October thanks to a field goal by Jake Bates with 15 seconds remaining.
Much to the delight of football fans, the NFL announced Sunday that the pivotal Week 18 clash will be played in primetime as the final game of the 2024 regular season.
The Lions will be the home team Sunday for an 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff at Ford Field in Detroit.
The-CNN-Wire
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