In a rematch of last season’s NFC championship game, the 49ers lost 40-34 to the Lions in front of a national TV audience.
Though the matchup did not affect either team’s postseason prospects – San Francisco was eliminated last week, and Detroit’s game against Minnesota next week would have decided the NFC’s top seed regardless of the result – the teams battled with playoff-level intensity.
Brock Purdy had an up-and-down day before leaving the game late in the fourth quarter with an elbow injury, completing 27 of 35 passes for 377 yards and three touchdowns, but also throwing two second half interceptions to Kerby Joseph on passes intended for first round pick Ricky Pearsall.
The 49ers rookie receiver went over the century mark for the first time in his career, with Pearsall catching eight passes for 141 yards and one touchdown. Fellow first-year player Isaac Guerendo led the 49ers with 34 rushing yards.
It wasn’t a day to remember for the San Francisco defense, with the Lions running up 439 yards of offense and not punting once. But Nick Bosa had a productive and disruptive Monday night and bagged two sacks.
Special teams left much to be desired for San Francisco after Jake Moody missed two kicks from 50-plus yards in addition to an extra point attempt. The second-year kicker is now 23-32 on the season.
Bay Area native Jared Goff shined in his return to the Bay Area. The Marin Catholic alum threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns as the Lions improved to 14-2.
Here’s what the 49ers had to say after the loss:
Kyle Shanahan
On Brock Purdy’s injury:
We’ll probably check on it tomorrow. We’re not exactly sure.
On his level of concern that the injury could be long term:
I wouldn’t think so, and I’m just speculating here. I know when people hear about Brock’s elbow and stuff, just like me they (think of the injury) from a couple of years ago. But talking to the doctors, he just got hit in the right spot, and when you get hit there, your nerves go and you can’t feel much.
On Brock Purdy’s performance:
It seemed like he had a really good night except for those two picks, and they were two tough ones. It seemed like he was playing at a high level.
(On those two picks) the ball just sailed on him. It sailed on the first one the one versus man coverage.
On Purdy’s second interception:
I think he though the safety was playing deeper than he was, and i think the safety read his eyes and teed off on it. It looked like cover three, but I think it was a Tampa Two player.
On Dobbs possibly being the starter against Arizona:
I’ll look into that when I start thinking about Arizona tomorrow. With some of our O-line issues and knowing how the game could be, where it could turn into a scrambling type day, I thought Dobbs would give us the best chance for that reason. He did a hell of a job coming in on that drive.
On the team’s overall performance:
We try to approach this game the same way we approach every game. We try our hardest to win and try to play our best. I thought the guys played real hard and competed, and had every chance to beat a real good football team there. Not everything was perfect, and we weren’t able to slow them down enough on defense. It’s a real good offense, but I thought we should’ve slowed them down more.
We had to win it in a shootout, and our difference was our two turnovers, and once that happened, that’s why you end up losing by one score.
On Ricky Pearsall’s big game:
He had better stats tonight so that’s how it looks for receivers. When the ball came his way he did a good job and had some good catches and had some big plays. It doesn’t always work that way for wideouts but when it came his way he did a good job of beating man coverage well and caught the all real well too.
On Jake Moody and whether the team needs to evaluate the kicker position:
We already are, and we’re evaluating all positions. Early in the week I was talking bout some of the things he’s been through this year which are facts with him coming back from injury, and today was not a great day by no means. Missing a 51-yard field goal, and the 58-yard field goal, that’s just a got to have it situation and I’m not going to be too hard on him for that far of a kick. But I know he’s capable of making it, and it looked like he got the distance and just missed it. On the extra point, I don’t know how the snap and the hold were and we’ll look at it when we see the tape. Got to make that extra point.
On the lack of forced turnovers by the defense:
Its extremely tough to win when you don’t get the ball like that. It didn’t seem like we had many opportunities today, and you have to create your own opportunities. This last month, we created a few opportunities and we just didn’t come down with them. Today I didn’t see too many opportunities.
On the team’s young players playing well and building momentum into next season:
I think everything is connected good or bad, it can lead to to good things the next year. We’re going through this, and we are by no means happy with what we’re going through, but I fully expect us to get better for going through this. It could’ve gone worse going through this today, and I expect us to learn a lot from going through this stuff and I expect for this to make us a better team next year. When this season is over, I can’t wait to get started figuring out how to do that.
Brock Purdy
On his elbow injury:
Nothing right now. We’re going to get a MRI tomorrow and see.
It doesn’t feel the best, but I’ll leave it at that.
In the moment, it felt heavy. Tomorrow, we’ll have an answer.
On what happened on the play that knocked him out of the game:
On that sack, I got hit on the backside and basically my arm was on fire kind of thing. I tried throwing a couple on the sideline and i couldn’t, so at that point. It has nothing to do with tapping out of the game or anything like that. I love my teammates and go to the very end for them and this fanbase and everybody. That’s what hurts me.
On if it feels similar to the elbow injury that he sustained in the 2022 playoffs as a rookie:
A little bit. We did some test for UCL stuff, and I’m good in that regard. We have to get imaging tomorrow and see the whole thing.
On his two interceptions:
On the first one it got away from me and I left it too high for Ricky. On the second one, I saw the linebacker suck in and I thought I was going to have some space for Ricky. And sure enough there was a safety there in a disguised coverage. He jumped it.
On how much he wants to play the last game of the season:
One-hundred percent. If we’ve got a game, a regular season game that we have an opportunity to suit up and we’re healthy, then yes. For my guys, for this organization. I want to finish the season with our guys.
On possibly sitting out to stay healthy going into next season:
I don’t even know if that’s a thing in the NFL. Obviously in college going into the draft and such. But we’re here at the professional level, and its as good as it gets. Why wouldn’t I play for my team and try to get some momentum going for the our guys and make a statement to everybody here that I’m a competitor and want to be out on the field any chance I get.