Maiocco’s 49ers Report Card: Team grades in MNF loss to Lions originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

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

Coach Kyle Shanahan said nothing about the team’s approach, which has changed since the 49ers have already been eliminated from the NFL playoffs.

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

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

But the 49ers did what they’ve done all year. They made crucial mistakes in every phase of the game.

There is no consolation prize.

And there are no good marks for teams that lose – even if the team they lost to has the best record in the NFC (14-2) and with the No. 1 seed on the line against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 18 plays.

Here’s the report from the 49ers’ Week 17 game against the Lions:

Rushing offense

The 49ers averaged a respectable 4.2 yards on the ground, but were unable to gain consistent yards and only ran the ball 18 times.

Their two rushing touchdowns came on quarterback scrambles and off-pass plays. Brock Purdy rushed for a 9-yard score in the first half and backup Joshua Dobbs had a 7-yard touchdown run late in the game.

Isaac Guerendo gained a team-high 34 yards on nine rushing attempts.

Grade: C-minus

Passing attack

The 49ers’ passing game was really, really good…until it wasn’t.

Purdy had a perfect pass rate for much of the game. Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall played his best game and tight end George Kittle also had a great performance.

Pearsall set career highs with eight catches for 141 yards and one touchdown. Kittle had eight receptions for 112 yards.

But Purdy’s night ended with two costly interceptions in the second half. Lions safety Kerby Joseph picked him twice in crucial situations.

Purdy still managed to complete 27 of 35 passes for a career-high 377 yards. He had three touchdowns and two interceptions before leaving the game late with an elbow injury.

Grade: B-minus

Rushing defense

The 49ers’ run defense had no answer for Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.

Gibbs opened the game with a 30-yard touchdown run with three minutes left.

The 49ers had too many missed tackles as Detroit rushed for 152 yards on 33 carries.

Grade: D

Appropriate defense

Lions quarterback Jared Goff dismantled the 49ers’ defense, completing 26 of 34 passes for 303 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.

It wasn’t just one receiver who had success against the 49ers, as six different players caught passes. Jameson Williams had five catches for 77 yards and a touchdown.

Amon-Ra St. Brown had eight catches for 60 yards and a touchdown, and tight end Sam LaPorta had six catches for 64 yards and a touchdown.

Nick Bosa provided the only pressure on Goff, as he recorded both of the 49ers’ sacks on the day.

Grade: D

Special teams

Yes, there is a lot more to special teams than just the placekicker. But for the 49ers, it was all about Jake Moody.

While Lions kicker Jake Bates made his shots from 57 and 42 yards, Moody had a lot of trouble.

Moody missed a 51-yard attempt on the right side at the end of the first half. Then he missed a 58-yarder to left.

Moody also missed an extra point attempt late in the game and couldn’t even block an inbounds onside kick attempt.

The Lions missed two extra points as Jordan Elliott blocked one of the attempts in the first half.

Grade: D

Coaching

The 49ers totaled 475 yards of offense and the passing game was dynamic for much of the contest.

The 49ers’ game plan was working until Purdy missed a pass and was deceived in coverage – plays that led to two interceptions in the second half.

Defensively, the 49ers had no answer to the Lions’ offense. And it didn’t help that they had a few broken coverages too.

Grade: D-plus

In total

The 49ers were poised for a rise in contention and were playing at the end of one of their toughest games of the 2024 NFL season.

In the end it was the same old story.

The 49ers made too many mistakes, special teams mistakes, turnovers and didn’t find the defensive answers at the right time.

And the result was exactly what everyone has seen all season – another loss in a game that got away from them in the fourth quarter.

Grade: D-plus