placeholder image

Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports


49ers win 30-27 in Week 2, hang on despite Lions’ fourth-quarter surge

Sep 16, 2018 at 4:27 PM--


Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Tot
DET 7 3 3 14 27
SF 3 10 14 3 30

The San Francisco 49ers pulled off their first win of 2018, knocking off the visiting Detroit Lions 30-27 in Week 2. Thanks to running back Matt Breida and a bounce-back Niners offense, San Francisco is now back to the .500 mark on the young season.


It wasn't always pretty, but the San Francisco 49ers managed to pull off their first win of the season by handling the visiting Detroit Lions 30-27 at Levi's Stadium on Sunday.

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and the Niners offense moved backwards in their first red-zone drive, back-to-back sacks that resulted in a 17-yard loss and a field goal from kicker Robbie Gould. And after going 1-of-4 in red-zone drives against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1, head coach Kyle Shanahan wasn't going to be happy about that particular appearance.

Overall, however, the Niners managed to go 2-of-5 in the red zone in Week 2. And Shanahan's play-calling efforts looked a bit more promising on San Francisco's second red-zone appearance, ending with a four-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kendrick Bourne early in the second quarter:


Bourne's touchdown made up for cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon's coverage gaffe earlier against Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay, who ran right by Witherspoon for a Detroit first-quarter touchdown. And Golladay was at least 10 yards down the field before Witherspoon even turned around.

The Lions pass attack figured to be the most potent thing coordinator Robert Saleh and the 49ers defense would face Sunday. Overall, quarterback Matthew Stafford tossed for 347 yards and three touchdowns against zero interceptions with a passer rating of 101.7.

Meanwhile, San Francisco held Detroit to a mere 98 yards rushing.

Tight end Garrett Celek managed to get on the score sheet in the second half, an 11-yard touchdown grab that continued the celebrated "Celek Time" moniker from a year ago.

But the biggest play from San Francisco's efforts was running back Matt Breida's 66-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter:


The Lions allowed New York Jets running back Isaiah Crowell to rush for 102 yards on 10 carries in Week 1. Breida's efforts in Week 2? A modest 138 yards on 11 carries and the touchdown.

Detroit made things interesting in the fourth quarter, exposing nickel cornerback K'Waun Williams for a 67-yard catch by wide receiver Golden Tate that eventually led to a Marvin Jones touchdown. And the Lions also managed a touchdown their following drive -- a 15-yard touchdown by tight end Michael Roberts, which whittled what was a 17-point 49ers fourth-quarter lead down to three points with just over three minutes remaining in regulation.

Despite some questionable offensive play calling by the 49ers in the fourth quarter, Shanahan and Co. managed to get into the win column for the first time in 2018.

This and That


Wide receiver Marquise Goodwin (quad) was listed as inactive for the contest, meaning rookie wideout Dante Pettis got the start opposite Pierre Garçon. Pettis suffered a minor injury late in the first half but was able to return to action.

Garoppolo was sacked six times during the game, and at least three of those were the direct result of him either not escaping the pocket or just by holding onto the ball for too long. Most of those woes evaporated in the second half, but Jimmy G's first-half pocket presence wasn't particularly good.

Lions cornerback Darius Slay suffered a concussion after a collision with fullback Kyle Juszczyk and had to exit the game.


DET Team Stats SF
25 First Downs 23
427 Total Yards 346
329 Pass Yards 156
98 Rush Yards 190
10 (105) Penalties (Yds) 9 (86)
1 Turnovers 0
5 (39) Punts (Avg) 5 (43)
30:26 Time of Pos. 29:34

Lions Player Stats
Passing Cmp/Att Yds TDs INTs
M. Stafford 34/53 347 3 0
Rushing Att Yds TDs Lg
K. Johnson 8 43 0 21
L. Blount 8 38 0 13
G. Tate 1 9 0 9
M. Stafford 1 8 0 8
Receiving Rec Yds TDs Lg
T. Riddick 9 47 0 10
G. Tate 7 109 0 67
K. Golladay 6 89 1 30
K. Johnson 5 23 0 8
M. Jones 4 54 1 19
M. Roberts 1 15 1 15
L. Willson 1 13 0 13
L. Blount 1 -3 0 -3
Fumbles Fum Lost Rec Yds
M. Stafford 1 1 0 0
Kicking FG Lg XP Pts
M. Prater 2/2 43 3/3 9
Punting No Avg I20 Lg
S. Martin 5 42.2 3 44
Kickoff Returns No Avg TDs Lg
J. Agnew 5 28 0 45
Punt Returns No Avg TDs Lg
J. Agnew 4 2 0 7
Defense T-A Sck INTs FF
J. Davis 5-1 2 0 0
C. Jones 5-1 1 0 0
T. Wilson 5-0 0 0 0
D. Slay 5-0 0 0 0
G. Quin 5-0 0 0 0
Q. Diggs 4-1 0 0 0
D. Hand 4-1 0 0 0
N. Lawson 4-0 0 0 0
D. Kennard 3-1 2 0 0
A. Robinson 2-2 0 0 0
T. Tabor 2-1 0 0 0
E. Harold 1-0 1 0 0
S. Williams 1-0 0 0 0
R. Jean Francois 0-1 0 0 0

49ers Player Stats
Passing Cmp/Att Yds TDs INTs
J. Garoppolo 18/26 206 2 0
Rushing Att Yds TDs Lg
M. Breida 11 138 1 66
A. Morris 14 48 0 9
J. Garoppolo 3 4 0 5
Receiving Rec Yds TDs Lg
P. Garçon 4 57 0 20
M. Breida 3 21 0 9
K. Juszczyk 3 13 0 9
A. Morris 2 32 0 16
G. Kittle 2 22 0 17
G. Celek 2 22 1 11
D. Pettis 1 35 0 35
K. Bourne 1 4 1 4
Fumbles Fum Lost Rec Yds
J. Garoppolo 1 0 0 -3
D. Pettis 0 0 1 0
C. Marsh 0 0 0 0
Kicking FG Lg XP Pts
R. Gould 3/3 45 3/3 12
Punting No Avg I20 Lg
B. Pinion 5 45.4 3 59
Kickoff Returns No Avg TDs Lg
D. Reed 4 39 0 90
T. Taylor 1 15 0 15
Punt Returns No Avg TDs Lg
D. Pettis 2 7 0 14
Defense T-A Sck INTs FF
E. Lee 10-2 1 0 1
F. Warner 8-2 0 0 0
D. Buckner 5-0 1 0 0
J. Tartt 3-2 0 0 0
K. Williams 3-1 0 0 0
A. Witherspoon 3-1 0 0 0
A. Armstead 3-0 0 0 0
A. Colbert 3-0 0 0 0
R. Sherman 2-1 0 0 0
S. Thomas 2-0 0 0 0
M. Nzeocha 1-1 0 0 0
E. Mitchell 1-1 0 0 0
R. Blair 1-0 0 0 0
C. Marsh 0-1 0 0 0
  • Written by:
    Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.

Related News





Facebook Comments



More San Francisco 49ers News


placeholder image

49ers still favored to win Super Bowl 59 after first wave of free agency

By David Bonilla
Mar 20

After falling just short of championship glory in February, the San Francisco 49ers are eyeing another opportunity in Super Bowl 59, and oddsmakers are backing their ambitions. The latest defeat was the second unsuccessful Super Bowl trip of the Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch era. Now, the Niners own the best odds in the league (+550) to finally hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy once more. Super Bowl 59 will be held on Sunday, February 9, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The team that dashed the 49ers' championship dreams in February, the Kansas City Chiefs, boast the second-best odds (+600) in the NFL to win Super Bowl 59. Among the NFC West teams, the Los Angeles Rams have the next-best odds after the 49ers, with distant +3500 odds,


placeholder image

49ers' George Kittle, Charvarius Ward underwent surgeries; Dre Greenlaw aiming for Week 1 return

By David Bonilla
Mar 25

According to general manager John Lynch, San Francisco 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward wasn't the sole player to undergo core muscle surgery this offseason. Lynch disclosed to reporters at the NFL owners meetings on Monday that All-Pro tight end George Kittle also had the procedure. However, the silver lining is that both players are expected to be fully cleared for training camp, set to commence at the end of July. George Kittle and Charvarius Ward both had core muscle surgery this offseason and will be back, fully cleared, for


placeholder image

49ers' Dre Greenlaw shares rehab photo, aims for Week 1 return

By David Bonilla
4 hrs

Dre Greenlaw has his sights set on returning to the football field in Week 1 of the 2024 season. The San Francisco 49ers linebacker sustained a non-contact torn Achilles last month during the team's Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, dealing a significant blow to a team that fought into overtime in the NFL championship game. Greenlaw underwent surgery on February 15 and recently shared a photo on Instagram of his rehabilitation from the Achilles injury. #49ers Dre Greenlaw has begun the process of rehabbing from


placeholder image

49ers signing QB Josh Dobbs to a 1-year deal

By David Bonilla
Mar 18

The San Francisco 49ers are bolstering their quarterback room by adding a new player. According to his agent, Mike McCartney, the team is signing Josh Dobbs to a one-year deal. McCartney announced the news on social media, confirming the acquisition. Congrats @josh_dobbs1 agreeing to a 1 year deal with the @49ers— Mike McCartney (@MikeMcCartney7) March 18,


Latest

Trending News

Share 49ersWebzone