The Detroit Lions sought vengeance on Monday night for their last trip to San Francisco. When last the Lions and 49ers played in the Bay Area, the Niners rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat the Lions in the NFC Championship game.
The Week 17 game didn’t carry any of that weight, with the 49ers eliminated already at 6-9 and the outcome meaning nothing in the NFC playoff standings for 13-2 Detroit. Don’t tell that to Jared Goff or the Lions. They desperately wanted to win this game.
Mission accomplished. Vengeance secured in the form of a 40-34 win in a game with 10 total touchdowns. Goff was spectacular, completing 26-of-34 passes for 303 yards and three TDs with zero turnovers.
“Yeah, it was personal for us,” Goff told reporter Lisa Salters after the game. “These guys knocked us out last year on this field. We wanted to make a statement and win this game.
That’s just the way we are. We don’t know any other way and it starts with our head coach,” Goff continued, noting that Dan Campbell’s message all week was the importance of winning this game.
Campbell opened the week with a definitive statement that his team was playing to win, no matter what. His Lions had his back and delivered their eighth road win of the season. The game wasn’t always comfortable to watch, with the Lions defense making many mistakes early, but the team never faltered and delivered vengeance for their fearless leader.
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