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Lions vs. 49ers: Last-minute thoughts and final score prediction

Lions vs. 49ers: Last-minute thoughts and final score prediction for the NFC Championship game

We’ve made it to the NFC Championship game! For just the second time in the Super Bowl era, the Detroit Lions are playing with a Super Bowl appearance on the line.

Sunday night’s game against the top-seeded 49ers in San Francisco figures to be a great one. As I anxiously mull about on Saturday night before an early-morning trip to the Senior Bowl in Mobile, here’s what I’m thinking about the matchup between the Lions and 49ers and how the game might play out.

Why I think the Lions will win

Jared Goff is playing some seriously inspired football. His confidence and mastery of the Lions offense is exemplary, and Goff’s play has risen when the stakes have gotten higher. He’s got big-game experience from his Rams days, and he won’t be fazed by playing a team he’s seen many times over the years.
The 49ers defensive front is designed to get pressure on the QB, not stop the run. Not that Javon Hargrave, Arik Armstead, Nick Bosa, et al, aren’t capable against the run, but it’s not their forte. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs have both been among the NFL leaders in yardage on first-down carries and red zone success rate. Moreover, the Niners aren’t used to a team sticking to the run even when San Francisco holds a lead. Detroit won’t abandon it and that can be very effective.
The Lions played a stylistically similar type of opponent last week, notably on defense. Tampa Bay and San Francisco do a lot of the same things defensively from the same base formations. The Lions won’t have to adjust the game plan of attack to accommodate a divergent style of defense. Meanwhile, the 49ers defense faced the Packers, who do a lot more deep throwing and quarterback movement than Detroit does. They’ll need to do more to adapt to the more diverse weaponry, power/gap run scheme and superior offensive line the Lions are bringing to the table.
Aidan Hutchinson is riding a heater, and he will primarily match up against 49ers right tackle Colton McKivitz. That’s the weakest right tackle in pass protection he’s faced in weeks. With Brock Purdy vulnerable to making mistakes under pressure, if Hutchinson stays hot, the Lions pass defense could get chances to make plays. They’ve been better at making those than the Packers defense that couldn’t corral Purdy’s mistakes last week.
Dan Campbell told his team in the locker room after last week’s win (paraphrasing here) that they’re too young to know they’re not supposed to keep winning. There’s no pressure on them. For the 49ers, there is considerable pressure to not lose the NFC Championship game for the third year in a row. Campbell knows how to coach that plucky underdog type of team, whereas I don’t trust Kyle Shanahan to wear the front-runner hat all that comfortably.

What worries me about the 49ers

They’re the No. 1 seed because they’re a very well-rounded team. Top five scoring offense. Top five scoring defense. They don’t need one unit to thrive to win. Detroit doesn’t need that either, but the 49ers have more margin for error built in.
Brock Purdy throws the most accurate deep ball (over 20 air yards) in the league, completing 70 percent of his deep downfield passes per SIS. He pulls that off in part because he’s got several targets who can get open deep, from Brandon Aiyuk to Deebo Samuel, George Kittle to Jauan Jennings. The Lions pass defense is infamously terrible at covering the deeper throws against inferior quarterbacks to Purdy with fewer quality options.
The injury situation on the Lions offensive line could be a lot worse, but it’s still suboptimal to face the 49ers rush without starting left guard Jonah Jackson and with Frank Ragnow nursing injuries to more body parts than a trainer learns exist on the first day of med school. As good as Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta and the run game are all playing, it all functions because the offensive line is great. Kayode Awosika was rough in pass protection in relief of Jackson last week, and there is zero depth behind anyone else. There could be some negative blocking impact from losing TE Brock Wright, too.
The fact I made it this far in talking about how good the 49ers are and didn’t even mention Christian McCaffrey, the NFL’s best all-around running back, is telling. Detroit’s decline in tackling of late must end, or else McCaffrey will prove why he deserves more MVP consideration.

Final score prediction

I think the 7-point line favoring the 49ers is way too high. I think the Lions would win about 46 of 100 matchups between these two current teams in San Francisco. Here’s hoping it’s one of the 46! But I can’t in good faith pick against the NFC’s top team at home with how good they are on both sides of the ball. 49ers 32, Lions 28.

Lions vs. Bears: How to watch, listen or stream the Week 11 game

The first of two NFC North games in five days in Ford Field kicks off on Sunday with a visit from the Chicago Bears.

Detroit Lions (7-2) vs. Chicago Bears (3-7)

Sunday, November 19th

Ford Field, Detroit, 1 p.m. ET

Watch

This game will be broadcast regionally on FOX. Adam Amin and Mark Schlereth will be on the call. Markets in yellow on the map below (courtesy 506 Sports) will get the game on their local FOX affiliates.

Listen

The game will be broadcast over the Detroit Lions radio affiliate network. Dan Miller handles the play-by-play, with Lomas Brown as the color analyst and T.J. Lang reporting from the sidelines.

The flagship station is 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit. The full list of affiliates can be found here.

On Sirius XM, the Lions broadcast feed is available on channel 812.

Stream

The NFL+ app (subscription required) is the league’s own network to view the game via a streaming device.

FUBO TV (subscription required) is another option.

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Ranking the 14 best gameday environments in the SEC

Ranking the SEC schools based on the best game day experiences.

The SEC is home to some of the coolest game day traditions and toughest environments in all of college football. Whether you find yourself in Death Valley for a night game or at the Grove trying to pass the hours, traditions run deep in the south. I would recommend any person reading this article to go to an SEC game, even if you’re not a fan of any of the schools, but to just soak up the experience as each place has something very unique about it.

The things that make this conference so great are the vast differences in experiences that you will have at each respective University. The conference plays host to some of the most amazing game-day experiences in all of college football.

The list I have comprised includes everything from the tailgating scene to the actual environment of the game, but with nothing to do with the quality of teams. Below, Roll Tide Wire ranks the 14 best game-day environments in the SEC:

Packers elevate K Ramiz Ahmed, RB Tyler Goodson from practice squad to gameday roster for Week 17

The Packers elevated K Ramiz Ahmed and RB Tyler Goodson from the practice squad to the gameday roster for Week 17 against the Vikings.

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The Green Bay Packers elevated kicker Ramiz Ahmed and running back Tyler Goodson from the practice squad to the gameday roster for Week 17. The move was announced Saturday, making Ahmed and Goodson available for Matt LaFleur and the Packers for Sunday’s showdown with the Minnesota Vikings.

Ahmed was previously elevated to the gameday roster for Week 10 against the Cowboys. He handled kickoffs for Mason Crosby, who was battling a back injury at the time.

The idea is probably similar this time around. Ahmed is likely to be used on kickoffs, where his strong leg will provide an opportunity to get the football into the end zone and avoid returns from Kene Nwangwu of the Vikings.

Of Crosby’s 62 kickoffs this season, 50 have been returned. The weather doesn’t help. Of his last 32 kickoffs, 29 have been returned. The 38-year-old just doesn’t have the leg strength to consistently kick the ball out of range of the returner, especially in colder temps.

Ahmed played six snaps (all on kickoffs) and had one assisted tackle during the Packers’ win over the Cowboys. Three of his six kickoffs were returned.

Nwangwu is among the league leaders in kickoff return yardage and kickoff return average, and he’s the only player in the NFL with more than one kickoff return touchdown over the last two seasons.

Although the Packers have covered kicks well this season, a touchback is the safest option against a great returner.

In Goodson, the Packers will have another running back who can handle carries and possibly help in the return game as an emergency option. This is the first elevation to the gameday roster for the undrafted rookie from Iowa.

All teams are allowed to elevate up to two players from the practice squad each week. An individual player can only be elevated from the practice squad three times per season, so Ahmed now has one more elevation available this season. Goodson has two. On Monday, Ahmed and Goodson will revert back to the practice squad.

Elevations by week

Week 1: WR Juwann Winfree, S Micah Abernathy
Week 2: RB Patrick Taylor
Week 3: WR Juwann Winfree
Week 4: CB Kiondre Thomas
Week 5: None
Week 6: WR Juwann Winfree
Week 7: OLB La’Darius Hamilton
Week 8: S Innis Gaines, OLB Kobe Jones
Week 9: None
Week 10: OLB La’Darius Hamilton, K Ramiz Ahmed
Week 11: OLB La’Darius Hamilton
Week 12: RB Patrick Taylor, S Innis Gaines
Week 13: S Micah Abernathy, RB Patrick Taylor
Week 17: K Ramiz Ahmed, RB Tyler Goodson

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Lions vs. Jets: Last-minute thoughts and game prediction

Wishing a happy football Sunday to you all! If you’re like me and living in Michigan, stay warm.

Hopefully the Lions can provide some heat and excitement for the fans today. It’s an outdoor game in New York against a good Jets team, perhaps the biggest challenge of the four games left on the schedule.

New York is 7-6 and is there largely because of a stiff, smartly coordinated defense. The Jets allow just 4.8 yards per play, a figure that ties them with the 49ers for second in the league (the Eagles are the best). Their defensive front is very good even with Quinnen Williams hobbled (he’s questionable).

This is a game where the Lions offensive line will be challenged. Detroit is back at full strength with right guard Evan Brown (hopefully) back at full strength. New York wins defensively by creating pressure without blitzing and by stopping the run without devoting extra help in the box. If the Lions are going to find success on offense, it’ll be because left tackle Taylor Decker–who hasn’t allowed a pressure or committed a penalty in three of his last four games–and the line did more than just hold up against John Franklin-Myers and the Jets impressive front.

Key matchup: Red zone

The Lions have been cruising in the red zone on both sides of the ball recently. The offense has been very effective at converting red zone possessions into touchdowns. The defense has gone from the worst in the league over the first seven games to 16th in the last six in the same category.

That will need to carry over into today’s game. The Lions defense cannot give up touchdowns to Zach Wilson when he guides the Jets into the red zone. On the flip side, Jared Goff has to stay sharp and hit those red zone shots to Brock Wright, Amon-Ra St. Brown and D’Andre Swift. Touchdowns over field goals.

New York’s own red zone defense is pretty good for the season, but they’ve been lousy lately; the last five opposing incursions into the Jets red zone have resulted in touchdowns. Opponents not named the Bears or Patriots have scored TDs on 14 of their last 16 red zone trips. No team is better at converting red zone possessions into touchdowns than these Lions.

Weather

This game is outdoors and that’s a variable that doesn’t help the Lions. The weather doesn’t seem bad. Gametime forecasts indicate the temp should be in the high 30s but mostly sunny and with mild (5-10 mph) winds.

Those sorts of conditions shouldn’t impact Jared Goff too much. His accuracy on intermediate routes has been great recently and this level of wind and cold doesn’t seem to be an issue. The deep throws, where Goff isn’t very accurate to begin with, might be more problematic. It would help if the Lions can get the ground game going; neither Jamaal Williams nor D’Andre Swift played well last week. They’ll need to be better at following the block and maybe breaking a tackle or two to keep Goff from having to throw deeper routes to move the ball.

Zach Wilson

The Jets young quarterback is the ultimate X-factor in this game. Benched after consistent poor play, Wilson now gets a shot at redeeming himself in front of a skeptical home fan base and with teammates who openly cheered his benching.

The Lions have to be careful here. Wilson does have athletic talent, and he’s got better receivers than Lions fans might want to acknowledge. Garrett Wilson is a budding star and should be a front-runner for Offensive Rookie of the Year, while TE Tyler Conklin is a reliable weapon over the middle. Rookie Bam Knight is the kind of runner who can give the Lions problems, a guy who attacks north/south and has good balance through contact.

Wilson could very well have a career day, taking full advantage of what might be his last chance to save himself in New York despite this being just his second season. But the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft has repeatedly proven he just doesn’t make good decisions and cannot reliably string together good plays. The key for the Lions is to weather the outbursts where Wilson reminds you that he’s got talent and take advantage when he reminds you why he wasn’t even the No. 2 behind Mike White when coach Robert Saleh popularly pulled the plug on him.

Prediction

I’ll be straight here–I like the matchup for Detroit. As long as the run game can be a net neutral, and the Lions defense can make that happen, I like the Lions a lot.

Detroit has the better quarterback. They have the better weapons. They have a decided advantage in the red zone. They even have the better kicker in Michael Badgley, should it come to that. New York has a very good young defense that will be a very real challenge, but I think Goff and the Lions offense rises to the challenge.

Lions 23, Jets 20

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Packers elevate RB Patrick Taylor, S Innis Gaines from practice squad to gameday roster for Week 12

The Packers elevated RB Patrick Taylor and S Innis Gaines from the practice squad to the gameday roster for Week 12 against the Eagles.

The Green Bay Packers elevated running back Patrick Taylor and safety Innis Gaines from the practice squad to the gameday roster for Week 12. The move was announced Saturday, making Taylor and Gaines available for Matt LaFleur and the Packers for Sunday night’s showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles.

This will be the second practice squad elevation for both Taylor and Gaines.

The Packers previously elevated Taylor for Week 2 against the Chicago Bears and Gaines for Week 8 against the Buffalo Bills.

Taylor was released from the 53-man roster on Wednesday and signed back to the practice squad on Friday, and his elevation will give the Packers a third running back option behind Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon and a special teams option for Rich Bisaccia.

Gaines played nine special teams snaps against the Bills. He will be one of seven safeties on the gameday roster for Week 12.

All teams are allowed to elevate up to two players from the practice squad each week. An individual player can only be elevated from the practice squad three times per season, so Taylor and Gaines now have one more elevation available this season. On Friday, both will revert back to the practice squad.

Elevations by week

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Packers elevate OLB La’Darius Hamilton from practice squad to gameday roster for Week 11

The Packers elevated OLB La’Darius Hamilton from the practice squad to the gameday roster for Week 11 against the Titans.

The Green Bay Packers elevated outside linebacker La’Darius Hamilton from the practice squad to the gameday roster for Week 11. The move was announced Thursday, making Hamilton available for Matt LaFleur and the Packers for Thursday night’s showdown with the Tennessee Titans.

This will be the third and final practice squad elevation for Hamilton.

The Packers previously elevated Hamilton for games against the Buffalo Bills in Week 8 and Dallas Cowboys in Week 10.

Overall, Hamilton has played 19 snaps on defense and 21 on special teams this season.

The Packers need the depth at outside linebacker behind Preston Smith, Jonathan Garvin and JJ Enagbare. Rashan Gary is on injured reserve, and Tipa Galeai hasn’t been activated to the 53-man roster.

Unlike last week, the Packers did not elevate kicker Ramiz Ahmed, suggesting Mason Crosby is back to full health after dealing with a short-term back injury. Ahmed handled kickoffs last week against the Cowboys.

The Packers also didn’t need to elevate a wide receiver from the practice squad after activating veteran Randall Cobb from injured reserve on Thursday. The team didn’t bring up Dede Westbrook, who was signed to the practice squad on Tuesday, so Keisean Nixon is expected to be the punt returner in place of Amari Rodgers.

All teams are allowed to elevate up to two players from the practice squad each week. An individual player can only be elevated from the practice squad three times per season, so Hamilton has no more elevations available this season. On Friday, Hamilton will revert back to the practice squad.

Elevations by week

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Packers elevate OLB La’Darius Hamilton, K Ramiz Ahmed from practice squad to gameday roster for Week 10

The Packers elevated OLB La’Darius Hamilton and K Ramiz Ahmed from the practice squad to the gameday roster for Week 10 against the Cowboys.

The Green Bay Packers elevated outside linebacker La’Darius Hamilton and kicker Ramiz Ahmed from the practice squad to the gameday roster for Week 10. The move was announced Saturday, making Hamilton and Ahmed available for Matt LaFleur and the Packers for Sunday’s showdown with the Dallas Cowboys.

Injuries likely necessitated both elevations.

Hamilton, who was previously elevated in Week 8 against the Bills, will provide depth at outside linebacker after the Packers lost Rashan Gary to a season-ending injury in Detroit. The Packers didn’t activate Tipa Galeai from injured reserve to the 53-man roster, so Hamilton could play important snaps as a top backup on Sunday.

In Buffalo, Hamilton played 14 snaps on defense and 11 more on special teams.

At kicker, veteran Mason Crosby popped up on the injury report this week with a back injury, but he wasn’t given an injury designation and is expected to play. Ahmed, who has been in Green Bay since Aug. 14, would provide insurance in case the injury flares up in-game on Sunday. It’s also possible Ahmed will handle kickoffs to lessen the kicking workload for Crosby.

The Packers did not elevate a receiver from the practice squad or sign Juwann Winfree, possibly suggesting that Amari Rodgers will be available to play. He is currently questionable after being added to the injury report with a new lower-leg injury on Friday. Romeo Doubs has already been ruled out, leaving the Packers with Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins, Christian Watson and Samori Toure as the team’s four healthy receivers.

All teams are allowed to elevate up to two players from the practice squad each week. An individual player can only be elevated from the practice squad three times per season, so Hamilton has only one more elevation and Ahmed has two more elevations available this season. On Monday, both will revert back to the practice squad.

Elevations by week

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Packers elevate S Innis Gaines, OLB Kobe Jones from practice squad to gameday roster for Week 8

The Packers elevated S Innis Gaines and OLB Kobe Jones from the practice squad to the gameday roster for Week 8 against the Bills.

The Green Bay Packers elevated safety Innis Gaines and outside linebacker Kobe Jones from the practice squad to the gameday roster for Week 8. The move was announced Saturday, making Gaines and Jones available for Matt LaFleur and the Packers for Sunday’s showdown with the Buffalo Bills.

This is the first time the Packers have used both available elevations from the practice squad since Week 1.

Gaines and Jones will both be expected to contribute on special teams, while Jones could play meaningful snaps as a backup edge rusher. Last week, La’Darius Hamilton was elevated to the gameday roster and ended up playing 14 snaps on defense and another 11 on special teams.

This is the first elevation of the 2022 season for both Gaines and Jones.

While Rashan Gary is questionable because of a concussion, he practiced in full on Friday and all indications point to him playing Sunday. Jones is an obvious safeguard against Gary’s availability.

Also, Tipa Galeai remains on injured reserve, so the Packers need the body type of an edge rusher on special teams.

The Packers did not elevate a receiver from the practice squad or sign Juwann Winfree, possibly suggesting that rookie Christian Watson will be available to play on Sunday night as well. He is currently questionable after missing the last two games with a hamstring injury.

Jones would make his NFL debut if he plays on Sunday. Gaines, an undrafted free agent from TCU, played in one game for the Packers last season, producing one tackle over five special teams snaps.

All teams are allowed to elevate up to two players from the practice squad each week. An individual player can only be elevated from the practice squad three times per season, so both Gaines and Jones now have only two more elevations available this season. On Monday, both will revert back to the practice squad.

Elevations by week

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Packers elevate OLB La’Darius Hamilton from practice squad to gameday roster for Week 7

The Packers elevated outside linebacker La’Darius Hamilton from the practice squad to the gameday roster for Week 7 against the Commanders.

The Green Bay Packers elevated outside linebacker La’Darius Hamilton from the practice squad to the gameday roster for Week 7. The move was announced Saturday, making Hamilton available for Matt LaFleur and the Packers for Sunday’s showdown with the Washington Commanders.

The Packers will now have five outside linebackers available for Sunday: Hamilton, Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, Jonathan Garvin and rookie Kingsley Enagbare. While Gary is dealing with a toe injury, Hamilton’s elevation could be based primarily on contributions to the special teams.

Hamilton (6-2, 260) played in five games for the Packers last season. He was on the field for 64 snaps on defense (three pressures, two stops) and six more on special teams.

This is Hamilton’s first elevation of the 2022 season.

The Packers did not elevate a receiver from the practice squad after activating Sammy Watkins from injured reserve. Juwann Winfree has been elevated three times and is out of available elevations, but Travis Fulgham was an option if the Packers felt they needed extra depth at receiver.

With Tipa Galeai on injured reserve, defensive coordinator Joe Barry and special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia clearly wanted more help at edge rusher.

All teams are allowed to elevate up to two players from the practice squad each week. An individual player can only be elevated from the practice squad three times per season, so Hamilton now has only two more elevations available this season. On Monday, he will revert back to the practice squad.

Elevations by week

Week 1: WR Juwann Winfree, S Micah Abernathy
Week 2: RB Patrick Taylor
Week 3: WR Juwann Winfree
Week 4: CB Kiondre Thomas
Week 5: None
Week 6: WR Juwann Winfree
Week 7: OLB La’Darius Hamilton

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