The 49ers are coming off of a 24-14 defeat against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Lions are coming off of a 35-27 victory against the New Orleans Saints.
The 49ers' game in Detroit will be the team's final road trip of the season. WR Anquan Boldin is only one catch away from his 1,000th career reception. Only 12 other receivers in NFL history, led by former 49ers great Jerry Rice (1,549), have accomplished that. Boldin has 13,097 career yards (17th all-time) and 73 touchdowns. Last week against the Bengals, he registered eight receptions for 74 yards and one touchdown, marking his third touchdown of the season and 73rd of his career.
On offense, FB Bruce Miller found the end zone for his first career touchdown run from one-yard out. QB Blaine Gabbert's outing was disappointing. He completed 30 of his 50 passes for 295 yards and a touchdown, but also threw three interceptions. Two of the picks came after targets to TE Vance McDonald, who bobbled both balls and bounced them right into the arms of Cincinnati defenders.
The offense managed to convert just two of their 14 third down attempts last week and rank last in the league with just 14.4 points per game.
Corey Lemonier, Jerome Simpson, Marcus Martin, Michael Wilhoite, Chris Davis, Shaun Draughn, Brandon Thomas inactive for #49ers
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) December 27, 2015
On defense, the 49ers registered four sacks on Bengals QB AJ McCarron. LB Ahmad Brooks had a sack and has 5 on the season and 46 for his career. DB Jimmie Ward and S Eric Reid each brought down McCarron for the first sack of their careers while NT Ian Williams recorded his first sack of the season and second of his career. Williams recovered a Bengals RB Jeremy Hill fumble for his first career fumble recovery just one week after recording his first career forced fumble.
LB NaVorro Bowman had his highest Pro Football Focus rating (+5.8) of his career against the Bengals. This week, he learned that he would join 49ers LT Joe Staley at the Pro Bowl. It is Bowman's third career selection and Staley's fifth straight.
| SF W15 Top Performers | DET W15 Top Performers |
| LB NaVorro Bowman (+5.8) | LT Riley Reiff (+3.0) |
| DE Quinton Dial (+5.7) | CB Quandre Diggs (+2.6) |
| NT Ian Williams (+5.2) | QB Matthew Stafford (+2.5) |
| CB Jimmie Ward (+4.7) | CB Darius Slay (+2.0) |
| LB Ahmad Brooks (+3.2) | WR Golden Tate (+2.0) |
Long eliminated from playoff contention, the Lions are playing much better than at the start of the season. They have won four of their last six. A lot of that is due to the play of QB Matthew Stafford, who on Monday against the Saints, went 22 of 25 for 254 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Over the past four weeks, Stafford has a 116.6 passer rating and has thrown 12 touchdowns in his last five.
While the Lions have averaged only 84.4 yards rushing per game, they have averaged 115.8 over the past five weeks. The Lions are 4-2 when they rush for more than 100 yards.
#49ers have allowed 446+ yards in 5 of 7 road games. They entered '15 having allowed 446+ in 5 of past 54 road games.
— Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) December 26, 2015
The 49ers will be without two key offensive lineman against the Lions. LG Alex Boone and the player that was filling in for him against the Cincinnati Bengals, OL Marcus Martin, have been ruled out. RB Shaun Draughn, who was injured on Sunday, has also been ruled out with a knee injury. Kendall Gaskins, newly signed DuJuan Harris, and recently promoted Jarryd Hayne are the remaining healthy running backs currently on the roster. LB Michael Wilhoite will also miss Sunday's game.
Television: The game will be televised on FOX (Check 506 Sports to see if it is local)
Bay Area Radio: KGO 810 & The Bone 107.7 (Other radio affiliates)
Spanish Radio: KTRB 860
Australian Radio: Triple M
Last Meeting: 9/16/12, 49ers win 27-19, at SF
Current Streak: Won 9
Betting: The Lions are 10.5 point favorites
NFL Fan Picks: 80% pick the Lions to win according to Yahoo! Sports
49ers Schedule: View full schedule
Lions News: Lions news at Problitz.com
Follow Game Online: NFL.com's Game Center
Discuss: Niner Talk forum
Injury Report
| Pos | Player | Injury | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | |||
| LG | Alex Boone | Knee | IR |
| RB | Shaun Draughn | Knee | Out |
| OL | Marcus Martin | Concussion | Out |
| LB | Michael Wilhoite | Ankle | Out |
| DT | Arik Armstead | Shoulder | Probable |
| LB | NaVorro Bowman | Shoulder, finger | Probable |
| CB | Tramaine Brock | Hamstring | Probable |
| LB | Ahmad Brooks | Shoulder, back | Probable |
| DT | Quinton Dial | Shoulder | Probable |
| LB | Eli Harold | Shoulder, hamstring | Probable |
| CB | Dontae Johnson | Ankle | Probable |
| LB | Aaron Lynch | Concussion | Probable |
| G | Erik Pears | Knee | Probable |
| WR | Torrey Smith | Back, foot | Probable |
| T | Joe Staley | Knee | Probable |
| S | Jaquiski Tartt | Knee | Probable |
| Detroit Lions | |||
| CB | Dwight Bentley | Illness | Questionable |
| LB | Josh Bynes | Foot | Questionable |
| WR | Calvin Johnson | Ankle | Questionable |
| DT | Haloti Ngata | Neck | Questionable |
| T | Michael Ola | Knee | Questionable |
| S | Glover Quin | Concussion | Questionable |
| DT | Caraun Reid | Ankle | Questionable |
| G | Larry Warford | Quadricep | Questionable |
Game Averages (Rank)
| 49ers | Lions | |
|---|---|---|
|
14.4 (32nd)
|
Offense Pts
|
21.6 (20th)
|
|
291.4 (32nd)
|
Offense Yds
|
344.8 (19th)
|
|
197.5 (30th)
|
Offense Pass
|
260.4 (9th)
|
|
93.9 (24th)
|
Offense Rush
|
84.4 (31st)
|
|
24.2 (18th)
|
Defense Pts Allowed
|
25.9 (28th)
|
|
390.3 (27th)
|
Defense Yds Allowed
|
352.1 (18th)
|
|
261.7 (26th)
|
Defense Pass Allowed
|
239.6 (12th)
|
|
128.6 (27th)
|
Defense Rush Allowed
|
112.6 (19th)
|
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