49ers vs. Lions as it happened: Reaction, analysis of SF's 40-34 loss

SANTA CLARA — Jake Moody’s confidence is at an all-time low after the toughest outing of his NFL career in the 49ers' 40-34 loss to the Detroit Lions on Monday night at Levi's Stadium.

Kyle Shanahan gave Moody a vote of confidence before the game but after the second-year pro missed two field goals, an extra point and botched an on-side kick attempt, the coach confirmed he is evaluating his options.

“We already are, we're evaluating all positions,” Shanahan said after the game. “I was just, earlier in the week, I was saying some of the things that he's gone through this year, which are facts, just him coming back from that injury and everything. Today wasn't a great day, by no means.”

Moody was 13 of 14 on field goal attempts before suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 5, and after he missed three games, his accuracy has faltered, as he has converted only 10 of his 18 attempts in eight games since.

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SANTA CLARA — There was no opportunity to play spoiler on Monday, but the 49ers were up against a Detroit Lions team that sits atop the NFC.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said nothing about the team’s approach changed with the 49ers already eliminated from NFL playoff contention.

“Try to approach it the same way we approach every game, try our hardest to win and try to play our best,” Shanahan said following the 49ers’ 40-34 loss to the Lions at Levi's Stadium.

“I thought the guys played real hard. I thought they competed and had every chance to beat a real good football team there.”

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The 49ers walked off the Levi's Stadium field with a loss to the Detroit Lions on Monday, and a potentially serious injury to quarterback Brock Purdy.

The star signal-caller left the game late in the fourth quarter of San Francisco's 40-34 defeat after getting injured on a sack, and coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters after the game that Purdy is dealing with "nerve stuff" in his right elbow. Shanahan was non-committal on Purdy's Week 18 status and said the quarterback will undergo more imaging Tuesday.

Purdy's throwing elbow is the same that underwent surgery last year after the quarterback tore his UCL in the 2023 NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

After the game, he told reporters his elbow "didn't feel the best" and his arm felt like it was on fire, but that early UCL tests were negative.

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SANTA CLARA — Unlike the last time these teams met, there essentially was nothing at stake Monday night at Levi’s Stadium.

But the 49ers and Detroit Lions put on a show worthy of, well, an NFC Championship Game.

Brock Purdy, who made all the plays for the 49ers in the postseason matchup, threw two costly interceptions in the second half that overshadowed a career-high 377 passing yards.

The Lions took home a 40-34 victory and now can turn their full attention to the more important matters in front of them.

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Former 49ers and current Lions cornerback Emmanuel Moseley is sharing his Super Bowl experiences with his new team in order to help Detroit make a deep playoff run this season.

Moseley started for San Francisco in Super Bowl LIV against the Kansas City Chiefs and sees the similarities between that squad and the current Detroit roster.

“I think we [were] kind [of] in a similar boat, similar record,” Moseley told the Detroit Free Press's Dave Birkett. “I think our record is a little bit better [now] than what ours [was in San Francisco], I think we lost three games that year, but similar in everything. Similar locker room and the main thing I learned was just take it one game at a time. Don't even think about the Super Bowl cause if you think about it, think about it, think about it, there’s a good chance you're going to be out because you're not thinking about the game next.”

The 28-year-old signed with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2018 and still is grateful to the organization for taking a chance on him.

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SANTA CLARA -- Undrafted rookie center Drake Nugent likely is to make his NFL debut on "Monday Night Football."

The 49ers elevated the former Stanford standout to be in uniform for when San Francisco faces the Detroit Lions at Levi’s Stadium.

The 49ers on Monday placed guard Aaron Banks on injured reserve and activated rookie linebacker Tatum Bethune off of it.

Bethune, a seventh-round draft pick from Florida State, was sidelined for the 49ers' past five games after sustaining a sprained knee in the Week 11 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

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Star 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is recovering from right ACL and MCL tears he suffered earlier this season.

San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan offered a promising update on Aiyuk’s rehab progress in speaking to reporters on Saturday.

“Yeah, he's plugging along with that,” Shanahan said. “The rehab guys I don't see too much of. They come in early in the morning and they're usually out of here before we get off the practice field. But he went to L.A. for surgery, did the rehab there for a while, but he's been back here like the last month or so going through his process, working hard. It's a long process, but he's on track.”

Aiyuk being “on track,” as Shanahan said, is good news for the playoff-eliminated 49ers.

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Veteran cornerback Amik Robertson's decision to sign with the Detroit Lions last offseason is paying off.

The 26 year old, prior to Detroit's prime-time matchup with the 49ers on Monday night at Levi's Stadium, revealed to the Detroit Free Press' Dave Birkett that he turned down a potentially more lucrative contract offer from San Francisco in free agency to sign with Detroit.

“Robertson, whose rooting interest in the Lions stemmed from his friendship with cornerback Kindle Vildor, told the Free Press this week the Lions reached out to him on the first day of free agency,” Birkett wrote. “When he and the team didn’t reach an immediate deal, he fielded other offers — including one potentially more lucrative from the 49ers. Robertson told his agent he wasn’t ready to sign with the 49ers that first night; he preferred to be in Detroit, and by the next morning, the two sides had agreed to a two-year, $9.25 million contract.”

Robertson’s choice has worked out so far this season, as the Lions are 13-2 heading into a critical "Monday Night Football" game against San Francisco. Detroit is in contention for the NFC's No.1 seed and needs a win to keep pace with the 14-2 Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North. If Detroit is unable to win the NFC North, it would drop to the No. 5 seed and have to go on the road for a first-round playoff game.

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The 49ers' final game of the 2024 NFL season officially is set.

After Sunday's slate of Week 17 games, the NFL announced dates and times for the Week 18 matchups, including San Francisco's season finale against Arizona at State Farm Stadium.

The 49ers will close out their season against the Cardinals on Sunday, Jan. 5, at 1:25 p.m. PT. Here is the full Week 18 schedule:

Both San Francisco and Arizona have been eliminated from playoff contention, and the outcome of Sunday's game will have no impact on the playoff picture in either conference, with multiple teams still fighting to secure either a wild-card spot or an NFC South division title.

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The playoff field is just about set. However, it wouldn’t be the final week of the NFL season without a little bit of drama.

Five teams are fighting for two playoff spots.

For the final time this season ...

Here is where the 49ers sit in the latest power rankings heading into Week 18 of the 2024 season after a 40-34 loss to the Detroit Lions at Levi’s Stadium.

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Cornerback Charvarius Ward will not be available for the 49ers’ game Monday night against the Detroit Lions.

The 49ers on Sunday downgraded his status to out for the team’s Week 17 game at Levi’s Stadium.

San Francisco initially listed Ward as questionable due to personal reasons.

When asked on Saturday if the reason for Ward’s absence from practice was “good news,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed.

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The 49ers' 2024 NFL season didn't go as planned, but that doesn't mean the mindset in the locker room has changed at all.

San Francisco has two games remaining with only pride and honor to play for after officially being eliminated from playoff contention, something new for the vets who've been around the 49ers organization for a while after being a part of four NFC Championship Games in the last five seasons.

So even when things haven't gone their way this year, several leaders on the team have made sure to still stick to the standards and principles the team has instilled for so long to set an example for the younger players.

“Oh, I think it's always important," Kyle Shanahan told reporters Saturday. "You don't just say a standard. It takes a while to be that standard. And that's from work we've put in here over the years and having the right guys who've done that and guys who have battled throughout this year they get to see every day.

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The 2025 NFL Draft order has undergone some changes after a busy few days of games during the holiday week.

The 49ers remain in the No. 11 overall spot after their "Monday Night Football" loss to the Detroit Lions, another NFC West matchup reshuffled the draft order.

The Cardinals' 13-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday dropped Arizona from the No. 15 overall pick to the No. 12 spot, just one behind San Francisco. However, after losses by the Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, Arizona now holds the No. 14 overall pick.

The highest pick the 49ers potentially could land in the 2025 draft would be the No. 11 overall pick.

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SANTA CLARA — The 49ers are set to head into their "Monday Night Football" contest with the Detroit Lions a little worse for the wear, especially at offensive line.

Trent Williams (ankle), Jaylon Moore (quad), Ben Bartch (ankle) and Jon Feliciano (knee) have already been placed on injured reserve. They will be joined by Aaron Banks (knee) prior to Monday's game. Neither Colton McKivitz (knee) or Spencer Burford (calf) were on the field during Saturday's short practice but are listed as questionable for the game.

The team has signed several linemen to the group who likely will be contributing on Monday night, including tackles Charlie Heck and Austen Pleasants, along with center/guard Matt Hennessy.

In more positive news for the offense, Kyle Juszczyk returned to the practice field Saturday after missing Friday’s session with an illness. Isaac Guerendo, who missed Week 16 with a hamstring injury, has been limited all week and is listed as questionable for the game.

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It's no secret that 2024 hasn't been a great year for the 49ers.

After a heartbreaking loss in Super Bowl LVIII back in February, San Francisco has underperformed massively this season and is eliminated from NFL playoff contention entering Week 17.

But, as coach Kyle Shanahan stated on this week's episode of NBC Sports Bay Area's "49ers Game Plan," that doesn't mean his team has nothing to play for in their home season finale against the NFC-leading Detroit Lions.

"I want to end it by beating Detroit," Shanahan told NBC Sports Bay Area's Greg Papa. "This year hasn't been a successful year for us. We'd like to finish it ... as strong as possible. not getting into the playoffs has been a huge disappointment for us, and we've had to deal with that."

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With NFL playoff hopes out the window for the 49ers, the Faithful still have something to look forward to during the final two games of the season.

That includes the development of San Francisco's young players, such as rising rookie running back Isaac Guerendo. The 24-year-old missed last week's game against the Miami Dolphins due to hamstring and foot injuries.

But all signs are pointing to Guerendo suiting up and taking the field Monday night against the Detroit Lions at Levi's Stadium, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Saturday, citing sources.

One day after San Francisco's Week 16 loss to Miami, coach Kyle Shanahan expressed optimism about the likelihood of Guerendo practicing throughout the week.

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The 49ers were penalized 11 times for 90 yards in their Week 16 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

In addition, the NFL levied fines against three 49ers players on plays -- including a touchdown -- that did not draw penalty flags in their 29-17 loss to the Dolphins. 

“No matter what's going on, when you have penalties like that, you don't deserve to win,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game.

Linebacker Fred Warner and defensive tackle Jordan Elliott were fined for hip-drop tackles, the NFL announced Saturday.

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The rematch of the NFC Championship Game will look nothing like last season’s NFC Championship Game.

The 49ers rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit for a 34-31 victory on Jan. 28 at Levi's Stadium to advance to the Super Bowl.

This season, they are among the most-injured teams in the NFL. But that's all they have in common. These teams are heading in opposite directions.

The Detroit Lions have 19 players on injured reserve, while the 49ers have 15 players on the injured list and at least another couple who will not be available for the game Monday night.

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The 49ers face the tall task of slowing down the Detroit Lions' explosive offense when the two teams meet on "Monday Night Football" at Levi's Stadium.

Coach Kyle Shanahan, a highly respected offensive mind in his own right, is well aware of the challenge facing San Francisco's defense when they take the field against Detroit on Monday.

Shanahan explained what makes the Lions' offense so dangerous during an interview with Greg Papa on NBC Sports Bay Area's "49ers Game Plan."

"You know, it starts with their [O-line]," Shanahan told Papa. "I mean, that's really what is special.

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SANTA CLARA — Tight end George Kittle has one season remaining on his contract with the 49ers, and that might be all he needs to reach a couple of his goals.

But he made it clear he does not want his time with the 49ers to end there.

Kittle on Friday said he wants to eclipse Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens to rank No. 2 on the 49ers’ all-time lists of receptions and yards receiving.

“I don’t think I’ll ever catch Jerry Rice on anything,” Kittle said. “But that’s totally fine. I’m OK with that. I don’t want to play that long.”

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The Detroit Lions will seek revenge against the 49ers on “Monday Night Football” at Levi’s Stadium.

San Francisco, of course, beat Detroit, 34-31, in last season’s NFC Championship Game on the same gridiron to reach Super Bowl LVIII -- an eventual loss to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in an overtime thriller. 

On Friday, 49ers president of football operations and general manager John Lynch explained to KNBR’s Greg Silver and Derek Papa that he understands the Lions probably have anticipated this game all season since their previous one ended on Jan. 28.

“Let’s go have a good one against Detroit. If you hear [Lions coach] Dan Campbell talk, they’re not leaving anything behind in Detroit,” Lynch told Silver and Papa. “I’m sure they have a bad taste for what happened out here in the [2023] NFC Championship [Game]. So, we got to be up to that challenge.”

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SANTA CLARA — The depleted 49ers offensive line took another hit during practice this week.

Right tackle Colton McKivitz, who was limited in practice on Thursday, did not practice on Friday due to a knee injury. His availability for the 49ers' game Monday night against the Detroit Lions is in question.

The 49ers figure to send a patchwork offensive line onto the field to face the Lions (13-2) in a game featuring the two teams that met in the NFC Championship Game in January.

The 49ers this week placed 11-time Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams and his backup, Jaylon Moore, on injured reserve. Neither will be available for the final two games of the season.

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SANTA CLARA — For the first time since the 2020 NFL season, the 49ers head into their final two games having already been eliminated from playoff contention.

Only outside the building is there talk of star players needing to protect themselves from injury by not playing in the game. In the 49ers' locker room, there is not even a hint of less pressure or effort to prepare for a Monday night visit from the Detroit Lions, especially from coach Kyle Shanahan. 

“Got to tell them welcome to the reality of the world,” Shanahan said when asked how he is directing his team. “I think that's a credit to some of the situations we've been in here the last few years. But that's not the only reason you play. This is your job, you're putting on a 49er uniform.” 

Shanahan believes the 49ers' approach to the game has not changed since discovering that their playoff hopes were over just prior to kickoff of their Week 16 loss to the Dolphins. The writing already was on the wall after San Francisco's loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 15.

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SANTA CLARA — Guard Aaron Banks might have already played his final game as a member of the 49ers.

But he is not allowing his mind to go there, yet.

“That’s a real situation about what’s to come,” Banks told NBC Sports Bay Area. “I’ll cross that bridge when it’s time to cross that bridge.”

Banks sustained a partially torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. He will not play in either of the 49ers’ final two games of the season.

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SANTA CLARA — The 2024 NFL season has been a challenging campaign for the 49ers, and that includes second-year kicker Jake Moody.

Moody has made 23 of his 30 field goal attempts or a 76.7 percent success rate, which is a significant drop from his 84 percent conversion rate in 2023 after completing 21 of 25 of his attempts as a rookie.

Coach Kyle Shanahan still has confidence in his kicker but understands the misses are concerning.

“I still feel the same about him, that I believe he is going to be our guy,” Shanahan said on Thursday. "Everyone has got to perform and do things like that and I think he has had a tough year. I think before his high ankle sprain, I think he was like, missed one, I think he was 12 of 13 before that.”

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Kyle Shanahan believes that quarterback Brock Purdy will benefit from all the adversity the 49ers have faced during the 2024 NFL season.

Shanahan explained Purdy’s progress during what has been a frustrating and uneven 2024 campaign for San Francisco and its third-year quarterback.

“He's in a more challenging situation this year,” Shanahan told reporters on Thursday. “He's got two more weeks of it. I think it's going to end up being really good for him in the long run. I thought he played at such a high level in some situations last year that some were good and easier, but then some were tough. Just like even both playoff games, some of the situations we were in and him leading us back to end up winning both of those and go to the Super Bowl.

“I think this year just having a number of his guys down and things like that has been harder on him but usually that stuff can make you better. I think he's fought through it all year. He’s got two more weeks to fight through it and hopefully we can still improve in these two weeks and then get to the film in the offseason.”

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Nick Bosa cleared the air on his recent encounter with Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel.

To sum it up, it was just another run-in with his former coach.

"Yeah, just an awkward Mike McDaniel moment," Bosa told reporters Thursday.

Bosa and the 49ers paid a visit to McDaniel's new home in Miami for a Week 16 matchup after the coach spent five seasons in San Francisco under 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. After the Dolphins secured the 29-17 victory, McDaniel approached several 49ers players, including Bosa.

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The 49ers have placed Trent Williams on injured reserve, officially ending his season, the team announced Thursday.

In place of the 11-time Pro Bowl left tackle, San Francisco has signed Matt Hennessy to a two-year contract. Hennessy has played in 45 career games with 22 starts, including four games for the Atlanta Falcons this season.

Williams has been dealing with a lingering ankle injury and has not played since Week 11. Given the 49ers are out of playoff contention, it’s unsurprising that they’re shutting down starters with two games left to play.

The lineman signed a revised contract extension with San Francisco at the start of the season but has struggled with consistency with the rest of the team. Expectations were high that the 49ers would return to the Super Bowl, but the team never sustained any momentum. Sloppy play, blown leads, and injuries halted any chances of making it back to the playoffs.

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SANTA CLARA — The 49ers are headed into their final two games of the season with a roster that looks quite a bit different than the same time just one year ago.

On Thursday, Kyle Shanahan shared that while Dre Greenlaw has not formally been placed on injured reserve, the linebacker’s brief 2024 season has come to an end due to a calf strain that likely was related to his recovery from offseason Achilles surgery.

Left guard Aaron Banks is in a similar situation with a knee injury that will keep him away from the field for the remainder of the season, but the head coach believes the lineman will not need surgery as he looks forward to impending free agency. 

“If he does it will be minor,” Shanahan said on Thursday. “He will be good in a few weeks is what they said.” 

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SANTA CLARA — The 49ers and linebacker Dre Greenlaw appear to be in agreement on one topic.

Now, the 49ers hope to be able to come to terms with Greenlaw on a deal in the offseason.

Coach Kyle Shanahan on Thursday said Greenlaw will not play in the 49ers’ final two games of the regular season.

“He understood,” Shanahan said of Greenlaw.

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The 49ers already announced offensive lineman Jaylon Moore wouldn't play in the final two 2024 regular-season games, and on Wednesday, they made it official.

Moore was placed on injured reserve with a quad injury, ending his fourth NFL season.

The soon-to-be 27-year-old played in all 15 games this season, starting five of them.

To take Moore's spot, the 49ers signed offensive lineman Charlie Heck to a one-year contract. The 28-year-old had been on the Cardinals' practice squad and appeared in seven games for Arizona this season.

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The 49ers (6-9) have little to play for with two games remaining in the 2024 NFL season after officially being eliminated from playoff contention, but that won't alter the Detroit Lions' game plan for their Week 17 matchup.

On the other end of things for the Lions (13-2), the "Monday Night Football" tilt might not matter for Detroit's playoff seeding. The scenarios are endless, but there's only one mindset for Lions coach Dan Campbell entering Monday's contest: to win -- with their entire roster.

"I’ll make this easy for everybody that way all the critics can jump out and start attacking, but that way you don’t have to debate them anymore," Campbell said (h/t Detroit Free Press). "We’re bringing everything we got to this game and we are playing, I don’t care what it looks like and where it’s at and who’s this, who’s that.

"We’re going out to play and win this game, out on the West Coast. So there you go."

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Dre Greenlaw was on the field for four defensive plays before being sidelined with a calf injury in the 49ers' 29-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

On Monday, Kyle Shanahan shared that the linebacker potentially could miss the final two games of the 2024 NFL season, but a final decision has yet to be made. Greenlaw’s calf soreness is not occurring on the leg that underwent Achilles reconstruction, but rather the original leg that limited Greenlaw with Achilles tendinitis in 2023.

“My gut is most likely he will end up being shut down, but I got to wait to talk to Dre on that and still make sure how he is doing, because right now, we just have it as soreness,” Shanahan said. “That will definitely be a decision that I’ll leave up to Dre depending on what this health is.”

Shanahan and the 49ers want to be careful with their linebacker and prevent further injury, but also respectful to a player who has been a key contributor since being drafted in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Greenlaw, who is set to be a free agent in 2025, would like to show the league he is healthy enough to warrant a high-ticket, multi-year contract.

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The 49ers finished Sunday’s game with, in essence, third-string offensive linemen playing left tackle and left guard.

And things might be even worse for next week's game against the Detroit Lions.

But the 49ers’ issues on the offensive line will not change coach Kyle Shanahan’s plan for quarterback Brock Purdy, he said.

“People deal with that throughout the year on other weeks, too,” Shanahan said Monday on a conference call with Bay Area reporters.

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Not only did the 49ers leave Miami with a 29-17 loss to the Dolphins, but they also return to the Bay Area with even more injuries to an already battered roster.

Coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to the media via conference call Monday and shared that several offensive linemen will miss the final two games of the 2024 NFL season due to injuries. Jaylon Moore (quad), who had been filling in at left tackle, and right guard Aaron Banks (knee) both have injuries that are too severe to recover before the end of the season.

Trent Williams, who already has missed the past five games with an ankle injury, also will sit out the remainder of the campaign with the 49ers officially eliminated from NFL playoff contention.

“He won’t be playing in these next two games,” Shanahan said of the All-Pro left tackle. “Hasn’t improved enough to get him out there and we don’t see that happening enough in these two weeks, especially in the situation we are in.”

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The highly anticipated rematch of the recent NFC Championship Game is next.

However, the circumstances are far more different than most would've expected coming into the season.

The Lions have continued to build on their success from last season, reaching a 13-2 mark with the win count setting a franchise record. Despite recent injuries creating potential doubt on a Super Bowl run, Detroit has kept winning.

The reigning NFC champions 49ers have been decimated by injuries all season. Along with multiple blown double-digit leads that resulted in losses, San Francisco is at 6-9 and has been eliminated from NFC playoff contention with two games to go.

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