NFL Game Of The Week: San Francisco 49ers at Detroit Lions

The 49ers and Lions will open their seasons this week at Ford Field in Detroit, meeting for the first time since 2018. Much has changed since then for both organizations. A head coach fired, a Super Bowl nearly won, a franchise quarterback traded, a star DE lost to injury, a North Dakota State star drafted...and Lions coach Dan Campbell said "turds" in a press conference. These two squads were a combined 11-21 last season, but expectations are sky high. One teams has Super Bowl aspirations. Another has a new quarterback, a new head coach, and is hungry for their first playoff win since 1991. It's time to start the 2021 season. 

The Lions dealt quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Rams this offseason at Stafford's request. Staring down yet another rebuild, the 33 year old former 2009 first round pick wanted a fresh start, and he deserved it after throwing for 282 TDs and over 45,00 yards in a Detroit career that was very successful, save for zero postseason wins. 

The Lions Fired General Manger Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia after last year's 5-11 season and replaced them with Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell, their third GM and fourth head coach since 2009. Apparently even with all this change, Stafford was actually willing to stick around Detroit if they could only guarantee name tags for all new coaches and GMs. Alas, the team refused. Too bad, they had something special in the former Georgia product who will now get to run Sean McVay's offense and have a chance to finish his career with a winning team.  

The 49ers made big moves to grab Trey Lance at No. 3 in this year's the draft, but will start Jimmy Garoppolo under center on Sunday. What a time to be the 49ers. How many teams can say they have one quarterback who's taken them to a Super Bowl and is 24-9 as a starter, and another who is a first round pick with immense potential? None. 

Pundits and rabid Bay Area Sports fan have been screaming for Lance to get the keys right out of the gate, but 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan has taken a more measured if not secretive approach on how involved the rookie will be in the offense. Lance, for the record, is injured. The rookie QB suffered a "micro-chip" fracture on his right ring finger on 8/29 and only returned to throwing in practice on Wednesday. He is listed as questionable for Sunday. 

My second cousin in Florida who doesn't believe in vaccines thinks this "micro-chip" fracture is just a cover. In fact, he thinks there is an entire operation within the 49ers organization called Code Micro-Chip. According to him it's all a smokescreen to intimidate the Lions and new coach Campbell. He thinks Shanhan inserted a micro-chip in Lance's finger so he can transmit plays easier and that the rookie will be out on the first snap, while Garoppolo will be in as a tight end decoy. Also George Kittle is a robot made in a factory. 

Sorry, I won't listen or talk to my second cousin anymore. Scratch all that. Please stay calm Bay Area fans. Garropolo will start Sunday. We may see Lance in a few offensive packages. No micro-chips will be involved. Just Shanahan's trickery and maybe the rookie's running ability. The 49ers have all season, and the next, and the next after that, to develop Lance into a top-tier talent. And if that doesn't work then they institute Code Micro-Chip. 

Other reasons for the Lions to sweat: Nick Bosa, Jimmy Garoppolo and George Kittle are healthy after missing a combined 32 games last season. Bosa, The 2019 Defensive Rookie of the Year had nine sacks and 47 tackles in his first season, but suffered torn ACL in Week 2 of 2020. A fully healthy and lighter Bosa (he's now listed at 260) means trouble for the Rams offensive line and quarterback Jared Goff. Garropolo had a solid camp and appears to have used the drafting of Lance as motivation. Kittle as we know, is a robot. Whoever ends up under center for the 49ers will have a lot of offensive weapons to play with. Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Trent Sherfield and Raheem Mostert are just a few of the explosive targets at the 49ers' quarterback's disposal. 

The 49er defense looked strong during training camp. Bosa, Fred Warner and Javon Kinlaw are all back, along with Dee Ford, who missed 15 games in 2020. They'll be coming for that new guy in Detroit. No, not head coach Dan Campbell. No, not new defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. No, not even new offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn. The specific new guy I'm talking about is Jared Goff. 

Goff arrives in Detroit with 47 career TDs, over 14,00 passing yards, 42 wins as a starter and a Super Bowl appearance, all with Sean McVay's Rams. But doubts continue to surround Goff, and the days of sunny Los Angeles and McVay's high-powered offensive have given way to cloudy Detroit. Actually I don't know what the weather is there today. It might actually be a very nice day. Goff takes the reigns for a team that hasn't been to the playoffs since 2016 and hasn't won a division title since 1993. This will be one of the definitive years of Goff's career, and his chance to prove he can truly lift a team. 

Second year Running back De'Andre Swift (521 YDS/8 TDs) is an offensive threat Goff can count on to help with his transition. The second year back also had 46 catches for 357 years in his rookie year. Swift, who was hampered with a groin injury during training camp, appears to be fully healthy and scheduled to start on Sunday. Wide Receiver Quintez Cephus (20 catches/54 YDS/2 TDS in 2020) is part of a receiving corp that will have to find its identity following the departure of last year's leading receiver Marvin Jones Jr. to Jacksonville. 

The Lions struggled to stop offenses last season, ranking in the bottom half of just about every defensive category, including 31st in passing first downs allowed. They hope the additions of Michale Brockers, Alim McNeil and Levi Onrizuwikie will bolster heir defensive line. Linebacker Trey Flowers is also expected to healthy and ready to start the year after an injury plagued 2020 that limited him to just seven games. 

My prediction: The 49ers are the better team on both sides of the ball. Look for Garoppolo to throw three TDs and Lance to run for another. Jared Goff should elevate the Lions to something better than 5-11, but it won't all happen in Week 1. 

SF 31-14.