Detroit would get the ball early in the second half. Unsurprisingly, they scored. Amon Ra-St. Brown caught a 13-yard pass to start the drive. On third down, Green had perfect coverage, but better offense beats better defense. Jameson Williams got a perfect throw from Goff. Allen Robinson then hit Isaac Yiadom for a 21-yard gain. Sam LaPorta then hit Yiadom in the end zone, which also enabled the two-point conversion.

That made it 21:21. And if you thought the scoring would stop there, then you weren’t paying attention.

Jauan Jennings joined the group with a 13-yard gain to open the drive. Ricky Pearsall then followed up with a 39-yard reception. Pearsall became the Niners’ first rookie with 100 receiving yards and a touchdown in a game since Deebo Samuel in 2019. Speaking of Deebo, he ran in a shovel pass for five yards, bringing the 49ers back to within seven yards, 28-21.

The Lions looked like they would score again after starting the drive with a 28-yarder. Dee Winters was injured in the game. This has been a problem for the young linebacker all season. Nick Bosa saved this unit with a sack on third down and forced a long field goal. In contrast to Jake Moody, the Lions kicker scored from 57 yards to make it 28:24.

After Kittle interfered with a defensive pass, Purdy airmailed a throw over the middle to Pearsall. Kirby Joseph returned the ball to the San Francisco 43-yard line. It was a pass over Purdy that we’ve become accustomed to this season. The 49ers could have taken control of the game, but instead they gave Detroit exactly what they needed.

Thanks to a missed tackle by Hufanga, the Lions gained nine yards on the first play. They would end up inside the 49ers’ 5-yard line. Bosa, who had been the only defender to exert pressure up to this point, played third and on goal. But a coverage break between Green and Deommodore Lenoir left a receiver wide open, giving Detroit a 31-28 lead.