• WHERE: Levi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, California)
• WHEN: 8:15 p.m. ET | ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+, NFL+

Eleven months after their last dramatic postseason meeting in the NFC Championship Game, the Lions and 49ers will face off again in the finals Monday Night Football 2024 regular season matchup.

Detroit (13-2) will visit San Francisco (6-9) to round out the Week 17 slate of games, although the circumstances are slightly different than last January’s matchup.

The Lions have secured their second straight playoff berth behind their No. 1-ranked offense and have a chance to secure the No. 1 seed in the conference. If the Vikings lose to the Packers on Sunday and Detroit emerges with a win over San Francisco, it will be their first win since the conferences were founded in 1970.

Meanwhile, the 49ers enter Monday with nothing but pride and the opportunity to play spoilsport, motivating them since they were eliminated from postseason contention last week after a frustrating 2024 season with significant injuries hampering any chance of returning had taken the Super Bowl.

By the way, in the last four season rematches between NFC Championship opponents, the loser of the first game has won the second – three of which came against San Francisco.

There’s plenty of history and storylines in the final Monday night game of the 2024 season, with the potential for big implications for the playoffs ahead.

Here are four things to watch for when the Lions visit the 49ers on Monday night on ESPN and NFL+:

1) Will defensive injuries finally take their toll? The Lions have secured a playoff spot, set a franchise record for wins and are knocking on the door of the No. 1 seed despite entering Week 17 with the highest number of defensive players on injured reserve (14). They have been playing without several key players for weeks now and continue to win, and that doesn’t get any less impressive as the weeks go by. But despite the wins and the continued energy of the defense and coaches, the data shows they have struggled a bit more over the last few injuries. In Weeks 1-13, Detroit allowed 16.9 points per game – top 5 in the NFL – along with 320.3 total yards per game. Over the past three weeks, those numbers have increased to 32.0 PPG allowed and 413.0 total yards per game, which is nowhere near previous play levels as reserves and late-season signings took over. The continued strength of the offense has largely glossed over these issues (aside from a 48-42 loss to the Bills), but as things get into the postseason and the Lions will only be playing against the best of the best, that may no longer be the case the case there will be a lot of room for error. The Bears getting 17 points last week was a promising sign, and another weak night for the Niners would be another indication that this defense might be able to make an impact in January.

2) O-line injuries can make or break SF If there’s one team that truly understands how many injuries the Lions are dealing with, it’s the 49ers, although their turmoil over the course of the season has seemingly had a much larger impact. Of offensive skills like players Christian McCaffrey And Brandon Aiyuk to defensive stalwarts like Dre GreenlawSeveral star players missed significant time and their absences were a large part of the team’s overall problems. If there’s one area that will be particularly affected by injuries this week, it’s the offensive line. Star left tackle Trent Williams was placed on injured reserve this week due to the ankle injury that has kept him out of the last five games. His backup Jaylon Moore (Quad) also went on IR, and coach Kyle Shanahan said he was at left guard Aaron Banks (MCL; excluded) is also done for the year, joining Jon Feliciano And Ben Bartchwhich were placed on IR earlier this year. Spencer Burford (Calf) was also excluded and Colton McKivitz (Knee) is questionable, so the availability of the latter is questionable. That leaves the middle Jake Brendel and right guard Dominick Puni as the only confirmed healthy starters remaining, while the rest of the lineup is expected to be filled with players with limited or no starting experience. That doesn’t bode well for the 49ers’ protection chances Brock Purdy or clearing lanes for ball carriers and paving the way to victory. Injuries have been a problem everywhere, but this appears to be a particular problem for San Francisco on Monday, even as the Lions’ weakened pass rush struggles to get to the quarterback (which ranks 23rd in the league).

3) The Niners offense requires big play from key players. Brock Purdy and Co. will host the Lions, who will likely have to do their best to keep up with their opponent’s high-scoring offense. For this to happen, some key players need to be strengthened. San Francisco’s two best running backs are all out and leaving Isaac Guerendo as a suspected clue on Monday. But even he is not at full strength and is struggling with foot and thigh problems. Niners fans will be happy to hear that he wasn’t placed on injured status until Monday, especially Patrick Taylor And Israel Abanikanda are next on the depth chart and have a combined 74 yards receiving this season. Guerendo and any other RB who gets snaps will have the big task of breaking through the Lions’ No. 4 rush defense to get things going on the ground. As for the passing game, Purdy will have to wait and see how he performs Deebo Samuelwho struggled with drops and a perceived lack of effort midway through the season and averaged 20.2 receiving yards per game from Weeks 11-15 before a big game last week. Samuel rushed for 96 yards on seven receptions against the Dolphins, including his first touchdown since Week 6. The wideout, who hasn’t come close to his previous form for most of the season, will have another chance to get back on track on Monday against the Dolphins Horse to come The Lions’ injury-plagued and 27th-ranked pass defense helped his team pull off a surprise. Needless to say, the 49ers need to be firing on all cylinders on Monday.

4) The Lions’ new solo RB is ready for the job. For most of the season, the Lions went one-two Jahmyr Gibbs And David Montgomery Beat opposing defenses with their complementary styles and set records as one of the best RB duos in NFL history. Gibbs in particular shined, leading the team with 209 carries for 1,156 yards and ranking third in the league in scrimmage touchdowns (15), despite splitting duties and officially starting only two games. But with Montgomery suffering a knee injury two weeks ago that will sideline him until the playoffs, if he returns at all, the rush game now falls squarely on Gibbs’ shoulders. The 22-year-old met that challenge last week in a solo role with 109 yards and a touchdown on the ground along with 45 receiving yards. In fact, in his four career games without Montgomery, Gibbs has averaged 24.0 touchdowns for 137.8 scrimmage yards and three total touchdowns, which bodes well for the young defender’s ability to adapt to changing game plans going forward. Now Gibbs faces a lucky duel in the 49ers’ recently struggling rush defense, which has allowed opponents 142 and 166 rush yards respectively in the last two weeks.