San Francisco sf.gif - 1920 Bytes 19
Detroit 13


SCORING

San Francisco 19Detroit 13
 Final1234T
 49ers1033319
 Lions037313
  
November 12, 2006Ford Field-Attendance: 60,707 (65,000) Time: 3:07
Scoring Summary
 FIRST QUARTERSFDET
 SF TD 11:23 Frank Gore rush to the left for 61 yards for a touchdown.60
 SF PAT 11:23 Joe Nedney extra point attempt is good.70
 SF FG 1:36 Joe Nedney 28 yard field goal attempt is good.100
 SECOND QUARTERSFDET
 SF FG 9:46 Joe Nedney 23 yard field goal attempt is good.130
 DET FG 0:18 Jason Hanson 25 yard field goal attempt is good.133
 THIRD QUARTERSFDET
 SF FG 10:55 Joe Nedney 23 yard field goal attempt is good.163
 DET TD 3:40 Jon Kitna pass completion to the left to Dan Campbell for 8 yards for a touchdown.169
 DET PAT 3:40 Jason Hanson extra point attempt is good.1610
 FOURTH QUARTERSFDET
 SF FG 12:29 Joe Nedney 47 yard field goal attempt is good.1910
 DET FG 7:57 Jason Hanson 33 yard field goal attempt is good.1913

Statistics
 San Francisco Passing
 C/ATTYDSAVGTDINT
 A. Smith14/201366.800
 A. Battle0/1000
 Team14/211366.500
 Detroit Passing
 C/ATTYDSAVGTDINT
 J. Kitna19/302026.711
 Team19/302026.711
 San Francisco Rushing
 CARYDSAVGTDLG
 F. Gore221597.2161
 M. Hicks9202.205
 A. Smith8151.907
 M. Robinson540.807
 Team441984.5161
 Detroit Rushing
 CARYDSAVGTDLG
 K. Jones13443.4013
 J. Kitna4276.8013
 Team17714.2013
 San Francisco Receiving
 RECYDSAVGTDLG
 A. Battle6559.2019
 M. Hicks2189.0012
 E. Johnson273.505
 F. Gore2147.007
 A. Bryant24221.0023
 Team14/211366.500
 Detroit Receiving
 RECYDSAVGTDLG
 K. Jones9717.9023
 R. Williams58116.2022
 M. Furrey2136.507
 D. Campbell23216.0124
 M. Pollard155.005
 Team19/302026.711
 San Francisco Tackles
 TKLSOLASTSK-YD
 B. Moore9722-19
 K. Lewis6510-0
 W. Harris6420-0
 D. Smith5320-0
 M. Roman4310-0
 J. Ulbrich3300-0
 R. Fields2200-0
 B. Young2200-0
 S. Davis3210-0
 S. Spencer2201-3
 M. Oliver2110-0
 J. Jennings1100-0
 M. Hicks1100-0
 C. Williams1100-0
 M. Douglas3120-0
 M. Hudson1100-0
 B. Jennings1100-0
 B. Gilmore1100-0
 A. Adams1010-0
 Team5441133-22
 Detroit Tackles
 TKLSOLASTSK-YD
 K. Kennedy14680-0
 T. Holt10550-0
 C. Redding5502-10
 M. Bell5411-9
 S. Wilson5410-0
 D. Bly3300-0
 F. Bryant4310-0
 J. DeVries5320-0
 K. Edwards2200-0
 P. Lenon5230-0
 D. Raiola2200-0
 A. Harris1100-0
 E. Drummond1100-0
 E. Sims8170-0
 B. Stokes1100-0
 A. Lewis2110-0
 T. Jackson1100-0
 B. Bailey2110-0
 J. McGraw1100-0
 K. Smith1100-0
 Team7848303-19
 San Francisco Interceptions
 INTYDSAVGLGTD
 K. Lewis12424.0240
 Team12424.0240
 Detroit Interceptions
 INTYDSAVGLGTD
 Team000
 San Francisco Punting
 TOTYDSAVG-20
 A. Lee310635.31
 Team 310635.31
 Detroit Punting
 TOTYDSAVG-20
 N. Harris312140.32
 Team 312140.32
 San Francisco Punt Returns
 TOTYDSAVGLGTD
 B. Williams12220
 Team12220
 Detroit Punt Returns
 TOTYDSAVGLGTD
 E. Drummond216880
 Team216880
 San Francisco Kickoff Returns
 TOTYDSAVGLGTD
 B. Williams49022.5260
 Team49022.5260
 Detroit Kickoff Returns
 TOTYDSAVGLGTD
 E. Drummond614624.3360
 Team614624.3360
 San Francisco Fumbles
 FUMLOSTRECYDS
 A. Smith1100
 Team1100
 Detroit Fumbles
 FUMLOSTRECYDS
 J. Kitna1100
 R. Williams1100
 K. Jones1100
 Team3300
 San Francisco Missed Field Goals
 YDS/MFG
 NONE        -
 Detroit Missed Field Goals
 YDS/MFG
 NONE        -

Team Stat Comparison
 SFDET
 1st Downs17 16 
   3rd down efficiency10-19 3-9 
   4th down efficiency0-0 0-1 
 Total Yards315 251 
 Passing117 180 
   Comp-Att14-21 19-30 
   Yards per pass4.9 5.5 
 Rushing198 71 
   Rushing Attempts44 17 
   Yards per rush4.5 4.2 
 Penalties5-51 5-40 
 Sacks against3-19 3-22 
   Turnovers
     Fumbles-lost1-1 3-3 
     Interceptions thrown
 Possession38:49 21:11 

RECAP:

The San Francisco 49ers backed up their talk and prevented the Detroit Lions from doing the same.

San Francisco kept Detroit in the game with missed opportunities, then made just enough plays for a rare two-game winning streak and its first road win.

Frank Gore set a franchise record with 148 yards rushing in the first half and scored on a 61-yard run before leaving with a concussion, and Joe Nedney made all four of his field-goal attempts to give the 49ers a 19-13 victory Sunday.

Keith Lewis intercepted Jon Kitna's pass at the 49ers 2 with 2 1/2 minutes left and San Francisco (4-5) picked up the one first down it needed to seal the game, winning consecutive games for the second time since 2003.

''A lot of the talk for us this week was to create a streak and to win on the road, two things we haven't had,'' San Francisco coach Mike Nolan said. ''I'd like to think it's a turning point.''

The Lions (2-7) had a chance to win consecutive games for the first time in nearly 26 months and the third time since 2001, when Matt Millen took control of the franchise. Despite the lack of success, some players were bold enough to talk about winning four in a row after beating Atlanta by 16 points last week.

''Yes, it is a setback,'' said wide receiver Roy Williams, who has confidently talked about putting together an extended winning streak. ''I think we came out a little flat. I don't think we were into this ballgame.

''I don't know if it's because it was San Francisco, and not an Atlanta Falcons team.''

Gore finished with career-high 159 yards rushing, leaving the game when he stumbled to the sideline late in the third quarter after catching a pass.

''He got his bell rung,'' Nolan said. ''It's a mild concussion.''

San Francisco's Alex Smith was 14-of-20 for 136 yards with a fumble. Arnaz Battle caught six passes for 55 yards, and converted a third-and-4 on the final drive to allow the 49ers to run out the clock.

''It was big,'' said Smith, who avoided a sack on the play before delivering a crisp pass on an out route. ''It was nice that our coaches had the confidence to call that play with the game on the line.''

Jon Kitna was 19-of-30 for 202 yards with a touchdown, interception and fumble. Kevin Jones accounted for 115 yards rushing and receiving, and Williams was limited to 81 yards receiving.

The 49ers entered the game giving up an NFL-high 30 points a game - and an average of 40 in their previous three road games - but they shut down Detroit's Mike Martz-directed offense a week after limiting Minnesota to three points.

San Francisco led 13-3 at halftime after scoring on three of its first four drives, wishing it had a bigger lead after outgaining Detroit 247-102 and recovering a fumble without giving up a turnover.

''The feeling was we had done a lot better than the scoreboard showed,'' Smith said.

The 49ers had chances to go ahead big in the third quarter because Detroit had two turnovers on its first three plays, but they came away with only a field goal and a 13-point lead.

Smith's fumble midway through the third quarter set up a score that helped the Lions get back in the game. Kitna lofted an 8-yard pass to Dan Campbell to make it 16-10.

Gore then caught a 7-yard pass, wobbled off the field and didn't return. The 49ers drove down the field to set up Nedney's fourth field goal, a key score because it made Detroit go for a TD instead of kicking a tying field goal late in the game.

Jason Hanson made a field goal on the ensuing drive, making it 19-13 in a game marred by missed opportunities by both teams.

Gore started his day with a big run. On one of Gore's many draws, he squirted away from a few Lions on the left side and cut across the field for a 61-yard TD.

''I saw a lot of missed tackles,'' Nolan said.

After Jones fumbled, Nedney's 28-yard kick gave the 49ers a 10-0 lead.

San Francisco added to its cushion early in the second quarter with another field goal by Nedney two plays after Smith threw directly at cornerback Stanley Wilson, who likely would've scored had he simply caught the ball.

''There's really no excuse,'' Wilson said. ''I've got to have that play for my team to help us win.''

Detroit coach Rod Marinelli was disappointed in how his team began the game, lacking an emotional edge.

''I'm not a sugar-coater,'' Marinelli said. ''I'm going to take the film and put it right in their faces. I'm not going to put it all on them - we didn't teach them well enough - but I'm going to tell them the truth.''

News

OK.We've seen enough. End the charade. The Lions have said all season that they are truly a good team stuck with a bad team's record, like if they just said it enough, the standings might change. That fight is over. The winner, by ninth-round knockout, is Reality.

sflions.jpg - 85978 Bytes

The truth is that Reality was way ahead on points on all the judges' cards. This just makes it official: lowly San Francisco 19, Lions 13, at Ford Field.

A good team, huh? What kind of "good team" loses to the 49ers at home? The 49ers had lost 17 of their last 19 road games.

The Lions battled to the end of this game. Unfortunately, they started battling in the third quarter. Did we mention that their season was on the line?

The Lions entered this game with a 2-6 record, and only in their mixed-up, muddled-up, shook-up world would this be cause for excitement. But the Lions had just beaten a decent Atlanta team, and they were staring at three straight winnable games, starting with this one. Win all three, and the Lions would at least be a story: 5-6 and rising. They couldn't even get the first one.

kitnasf.jpg - 101783 Bytes

After the game Roy Williams sat in his locker, with his head in his left hand, wearing only his game pants. No shirt, no shoes, no hope.

He sat there until one of the Lions' media-relations reps came over to let him know the cameras were on him. Normally, that would make Williams perk up. He is a reporter's dream. All season, through all the losses, Williams has insisted the Lions were close. But if they looked close to anything Sunday, it was the top pick in the draft, and even Williams knew it.

"We played terrible," Williams said. "We deserved to lose."

And: "I don't think we were into this ballgame."

What gave it away? Was it the third-and-16 play, when the 49ers handed the ball to Frank Gore and the Lions reacted like Gore had been quarantined? Nobody wanted to touch him. Gore ran 61 yards for a touchdown.

Or was it that San Francisco ran for 137 yards even if you didn't count the 61-yarder? Or was it the Lions' four turnovers?

Somehow, the Lions almost won anyway. The 49ers let them hang around. But this would have been a stolen win, largely undeserved -- nobody should stumble around for more than half a game and win anyway.

Williams was right: They deserved to lose. Now they need to go 6-1 the rest of the way to avoid another losing season, and not even Williams would make such heady predictions Sunday.

This will be the Lions' sixth straight losing season. Even in their long losing history, the Lions have only had one other stretch that was so miserable. And that was in the late 1980s and early 1990s, before free agency brought extreme parity to the league, which makes this six-year run even more pathetic.

marinellisf.jpg - 98608 Bytes

Pretty soon, even Matt Millen will be holding a "Fire Millen" sign. And the Fords, impressed with his wit, will give him a contract extension.

When a team loses so much, only a few losses can really be termed "disappointing." This was one of them. The Lions just lost to a team that is supposed to be just as lousy as they are -- and at home.

The only news the 49ers make anymore is the off-the-field kind. They recently announced that they will move out of their city. Would it kill the Lions to match the offer?

The Lions were embarrassed Sunday, in every sense of the word. Williams tried to dig out some of his signature optimism Sunday -- he wondered what would have happened if Jon Kitna had thrown to him on the Lions' final offensive play, or if he had somehow made a spectacular Willie Mays-style catch in the end zone. But Williams sounded like he was rationalizing, and he knew it.

"I hate to live in an 'if' world," he said.

Sorry, Roy. You were drafted into an "if" world.

If the Lions beat San Francisco ...

If they finally win two in a row ...

If they luck into a franchise quarterback ...

If Matt Millen resigns ...

Scott's Game Commentary:

"I can only hope this is a signs of good things to come, but we have been teased quite a bit in the past several years by the honolulu blue and silver." That is what I said last week in my commentary on the Falcons game and sure enough...the SAME OLD LIONS returned! I'm sorry for the delay in my commentary but i've become so apathetic toward the Lions these days I was in no mood to write how I really feel about the honolulu blue and silver. For crying out loud: SAN FRANCISCO??? This was a team that got butchered in just about every road game this year! Chicago was up by 40 in the first half alone against San Francisco! Chalk up another wasted season and all I can say is this better spell the end to the absolute worst GM in the history of the NFL, let alone all sports. The Defense that did a great job holding the Falcons in check had no answer for Frank Gore, who set a franchise record with 148 yards rushing in the first half and scored on a 61-yard run after the Lions forgot how to tackle! That alone was a sign the demons of the past several years had returned in full force. The biggest disappointment was the Offens. San Francisco has one of the worst Defenses in the NFL yet the Offense could only get one touchdown??? When you turn the ball over four times, what do you expect? The bottom line is for the sixth consecutive season, the Lions will finish with a dismal record and until the Fords can see the light and fire Millen - the Lions will continue to be the laughing stock of the NFL!

Grades:

*Offense: --- F. What a difference a week makes. Nothing like going from a near perfect performance to flunking in a week! Yes, the Offense flunked miserably! They could only put up 13 points against a porous SF defense? Kitna, Williams and Jones - who were stellar last week were the complete opposite against the 49ers! They committed a total of four turnovers and could not get any consistency flowing. The offensive line took a giant step back. As crappy as the Offense had played, they still had a chance to pull out a victory and it was looking good until Kitna threw an interception late in the fourth quarter. The Lions and their Offense got what they deserved - an embarrassing loss at home to the San Francisco 49ers - a team just as pathetic as the Lions the past few years.

*Defense: --- C-. The Defense had no answer for Frank Gore in the 1st half and gave an effort like they did against the Jets. Still, the biggest blunder came when Stanley Wilson flat out dropped an interception when the Lions were down 10 at the 49ers 12 yard line. That could have been a game changing play, but what do you expect for a back up player. Still, the Defense was not the reason the Lions lost the game. They only gave up one big play for a touchdown and held strong most of the game. Too bad they could not create more turnovers.

*Special Teams: --- B-. Eddie Drummond had a few good returns and Jason Hanson had two field goals. Coverage was good and Nick Harris punted the ball half way decent.

*Coaching: --- D. How can Marinelli not have his team ready to play San Francisco after they dominated Atlanta? His decision not to kick a field goal and going for the 4th down was too risky and he got burned. Marinelli has to stop saying the Lions are a good team - they are not!

*Overall: --- F. Leave it to the honolulu blue and silver to not figure out how to win back to back games for the first time in years. Everthing they gained last week by beating Atlanta was thrown straight down the toilet against San Francisco. Sorry, but you need to beat the bad teams if you ever want to improve. Although I said last week the Lions should win their next three, I now am revising that statement and say they could very well easily lose to the worst team in the NFL - Arizona and against Joey Blue Skies. If the Lions finish with less than five wins, I cannot see for the life of me how Millen deserves to keep his job!

*Click HERE to go back to my LIONS page!!