1:02 pm
September 12

49ers @ Lions

Who will WIN this matchup?

San Francisco 49ers (0-0)

@ Detroit Lions (0-0)

 

Current odds:

San Francisco 49ers: (-420)

Detroit Lions: (+320)

 

• The spread for the game is San Francisco by 8.5 points.

• The matchup pairs Goff, a San Francisco Bay Area product, against a former NFC West rival he faced eight times in the last five seasons, going 3-5 in those games. Goff is expected to go head-to-head for a fourth time with 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who survived a challenge from Trey Lance in the preseason to retain the starting job on a team with Super Bowl aspirations.

• Garoppolo has won all three previous duels with Goff, including a 34-31 shootout at home in Week 16 of the 2019 season that helped springboard the 49ers to a Super Bowl meeting with the Kansas City Chiefs. Shanahan hasn’t let the Lions know if they’ll be seeing Lance on Sunday. The No. 3 pick of the 2021 draft suffered a chipped bone in his right index finger in San Francisco’s final preseason game and has been only a limited participant in practice this week.

• The 49ers otherwise expect to be at full strength, with Garoppolo, running back Raheem Mostert, tight end George Kittle and defensive ends Nick Bosa and Dee Ford all given green lights to return from 2020 injuries that transformed the defending NFC champions into a 6-10, fourth-place club. One of the benefits of a last-place landing is a watered-down schedule the following year, which will result in the 49ers drawing five fellow fourth-place finishers this season, starting with the Lions and Philadelphia Eagles.

• The Lions’ defense ranked 28th in rushing yards allowed last season, 30th in passing yards and dead-last in total yards. Cornerback Jeff Okudah, the No. 3 pick of the 2020 draft, is healthy to start this season after having been able to start just six games last year due to injuries. And the Lions are hoping this year’s top pick, tackle Penei Sewell, helps keep the offense on the field longer … and that in turn flips time of possession after the club ranked just 29th in that category a year ago.

• The 49ers have won six of their last nine season openers. The last time they opened at Detroit, they won 30-27 in 1984 to begin a 15-1 regular season en route to a Super Bowl championship.

7/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
San Francisco 49ers
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