It may not have been the ideal NFC Championship Game rematch, but the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers delivered an entertaining affair to conclude Week 17.
Detroit moved to 14-2 with a 40-34 road win in San Francisco, which fell to 6-10, on Monday Night Football.
San Francisco jumped to a 21-13 lead at halftime after Detroit's defense couldn't provide any answers to Brock Purdy's hot start, which helped lead to a career-high 377 passing yards by the final whistle.
However, the roles had reversed in the second as Purdy came back down to earth with turnovers, and Detroit kept its momentum heading into a decisive Week 18 finale against the Minnesota Vikings that will determine the NFC North winner and the conference's No. 1 seed.
Let's analyze the Monday night finale further with winners and losers:
WINNER: Jared Goff, Lions
Goff continued his fine form outside of a dome environment. With the positive Levi's Stadium weather, Goff moved the ball steadily, completing 26 of 34 passes for 303 yards, three touchdowns and no picks. He was only sacked twice by Nick Bosa.
Though the 49ers fielded an injury-ravaged defense, their lineup still came out with a point to prove. Goff handled the pressure well after falling just short last season. Now he'll need to continue his excellent campaign at home against Minnesota.
LOSER: Jake Moody, 49ers
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Right after head coach Kyle Shanahan publicly backed Moody as his kicker, the sophomore third-round pick did not return the favor.
Moody's rough second season persisted under the lights, where he missed from 51 yards, 58 then later an extra point that would've made the score 40-35. His ensuing onside kick also went straight out of bounds.
Moody left seven points on the board. Detroit won by six.
At some point, the 49ers need to strongly consider moving on. He's cost the team quite a bit already, and with the margins needing to be in San Francisco's favor next season, a new kicker should be a priority.
WINNER: Kerby Joseph, Lions
As aforementioned, the tide turned in the second half when the first turnover was forced. Both turnovers of the game belonged to Purdy, and it was Lions star Joseph who hauled in both.
Joseph brought in his eighth and ninth interceptions of the season, making it 17 total since the 2022 season. He leads the league within that span, with the next closest defender being three picks away.
Both of Joseph's picks were pretty simple, as Purdy overthrew the first one then underthrew the second.
Kerby Joseph with his second INT of the night!
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LOSER: Kyle Shanahan, 49ers
One of Shanahan's biggest problems has been inconsistency, and that has exacerbated this season due to the number of injuries the team has faced. Several times this season, the 49ers have illustrated they can be the dominant past version of themselves. But then they completely flip and become a shell of that, unable to assemble a complete game.
Some of those woes showed again tonight. The offense hummed more through the air than it did all year, with the lack of Ricky Pearsall usage also coming to the forefront. Pearsall had a positive start after returning from being shot in the chest, then was barely targeted and dialogues emerged on whether the rookie first rounder was a bad pick.
Pearsall proved that isn't the case, as he broke out for eight catches on 10 targets for 141 yards and a score. Given Shanahan's history with early draft picks, Pearsall is one talent the head coach cannot afford to fumble.
WINNER: Lions' late conversions
Detroit loved converting its touchdowns late. Out of its five touchdowns on the night, four came on third downs and the other on a 4th-and-goal.
Perhaps the 49ers should've done better in ending drives, but that has been a recurring issue under first-year defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen, whether the conversions resulted in a touchdown or just a first down.
Detroit went 9 of 14 on third downs and 2 of 3 on fourth downs on the night.
