SANTA CLARA, Calif. – If there was any question about whether Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell would play ahead of the playoffs or rest his starters, he answered immediately by going full throttle with his top players Monday night.

In a rematch of the 2023 NFC Championship Game, the Lions got revenge, winning 40-34 after the San Francisco 49ers denied Detroit its first-ever Super Bowl appearance last season.

Detroit hadn’t won a road game in San Francisco since 1975 and lost 14 straight times – including the postseason – but overcame a 21-13 first-half deficit to end its road drought against the 49ers.

The Lions also finish the regular season with a perfect road record of 8-0 – the longest road winning streak in franchise history.

QB breakdown: Lions quarterback Jared Goff held his own in prime-time pressure moments. All three of Goff’s touchdowns came on either third or fourth down. He now has 17 touchdowns and zero interceptions on third and fourth downs this season. He also finished the game with 303 yards against the 49ers, completing 26 of 34 passes.

Promising trend: WR Jameson Williams scored a receiving touchdown for the third straight game. Against the 49ers, he scored a 3-yard rushing touchdown and a 41-yard reception touchdown in the first half. Williams also had multiple touchdowns in last season’s NFC Championship with the 49ers. He is now 33 yards away from the first 1,000-yard receiving season of his career.

Worrying trend: Detroit’s defense. San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy distinguished the Lions defense with his accuracy and precise style of play, especially in the first half. The 49ers scored a touchdown on their first three possessions, with Purdy also completing two 40-yard passes in the game. Against tougher competition, like the Minnesota Vikings this week, this could be a big problem. –Eric Woodyard

Next game: vs. Minnesota Vikings (8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday)

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In a rematch in the NFC Championship Game that was supposed to be a battle of the NFC titans, the 49ers and Lions went into decidedly different directions heading into Monday’s matchup.

Concluding the 49ers, Nick Bosa summed it up on Thursday: “They’re doing great, and we had a bad year.”

Entering Monday’s kickoff, neither the 49ers nor the Lions really had much wiggle room, as San Francisco was eliminated from postseason contention last week and Detroit’s season finale against Minnesota is all that matters for the NFC’s top seed.

That didn’t stop the Niners from pushing the equally injured Lions to the brink in an entertaining offensive shootout, as they were down to a running back and a left tackle on the fourth line and were missing key starters across the roster.

There are no such things as moral victories in the NFL, but Monday’s loss was ample proof that the Niners still have a lot to fight for and their faith in coach Kyle Shanahan has not wavered. These are things that can be helpful as they head into an offseason that holds a lot of uncertainty and could bring a lot of changes.

In practical terms, Monday’s loss is better for the 6-10 Niners because it secures them the final spot in 2025 and maintains their chances of remaining at No. 11 in the next NFL draft.

That’s some small consolation in a lost season the 49ers didn’t expect, but if nothing else they can take solace in the fact that the 2024 nightmare is almost over.

Describe the game in two words: All insults. It’s no surprise that the highly dynamic Lions moved the ball up and down the field, but the 49ers’ offense hasn’t done much of that this season. The Niners and Lions combined to score touchdowns on their first five possessions, and neither team threw an incomplete pass until the end of the second quarter. At the end of the night, they combined for 74 points and 914 yards.

Most surprising performance: 49ers rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall has been largely quiet since his big performance in Week 10 at Tampa Bay, recording six catches for 58 yards in the following six games. But Pearsall played a prominent role Monday night, finishing the game with eight receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown. He is the first 49ers rookie since Deebo Samuel Sr. in 2019 to have 100 receiving yards and a score in a game.

QB breakdown: Purdy was perfect, at least statistically speaking, for most of the first three quarters Monday night against the Lions. With a “perfect” passer rating of 158.3 with 4:19 left in the third quarter, Purdy threw Pearsall into the waiting arms of Lions safety Kerby Joseph for the first turnover of the game. It put a damper on an otherwise stellar performance from Purdy, who finished 27 of 35 for 377 yards (a career high) with three touchdowns and a rushing score. In the final two minutes of the game, Purdy left with an apparent elbow injury. He said after the game that he would have an MRI on Tuesday.

Worrying trend: 49ers kicker Jake Moody’s problems – of which there have been many – have largely been limited to the away season this season. He hadn’t missed a single field goal or extra point attempt at Levi’s Stadium. Until Monday evening. He missed two field goals from over 50 yards (51 and 58). Moody was drafted in the third round because he should be able to convert those kicks. He also missed an extra point at the end of the fourth quarter. Since Week 10, he is 10 of 18 field goal attempts, a conversion rate of 55.6%. Add kicker to the list of positions the 49ers need to take a closer look at in the offseason. – Nick Wagoner

Next game: at the Arizona Cardinals (4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday)