Detroit Lions use starters to outlast San Francisco 49ers

Entering the "Monday Night Football" standoff against the San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell weighed whether he ought to rest or play the starters.

After cautious thought, he chosen to go with his beat folks in a rematch of the 2023 NFC Championship Amusement as the Lions gotten away Levi's Stadium with a 40-34 win over the San Francisco 49ers whereas dodging any major injuries.

"Yeah, it was on my intellect, and I thought a parcel approximately it. I thought almost it driving up to the amusement, I thought around it final night," Campbell said. "I told the staff, but I finished up settling on the right thing to do was to play these folks since we owed it to the team.

"It was fair one of those positions we were in. It's difficult to say who you're going to sit and it's not reasonable to inquire folks to play that hadn't been arranged to play," he said. "So, better believe it, that was extreme, and I think the greatest thing is there were things we needed to do way better than we did final week and we did. We cleaned a parcel of things up offensively."

Campbell said the Lions were playing to win, in spite of the fact that the amusement didn't have playoff suggestions. Be that as it may, their pride was on the line after blowing a 17-point halftime lead to the same group final postseason to drop one diversion modest of coming to the Super Bowl.

That misfortune still stings for those who endured a vanquish that day.

"I truly needed that get-back," said Lions security Kerby Joseph, who wrapped up with two interceptor. "I feel like we came in here final year and they beat us, so I still had that chip on my bear from final year. Like they say in the media, this amusement didn't truly cruel much, but this amusement implied a parcel. I feel like we were so near, and we came up brief so the feeling fair to come back out here to San Fran and come back and get a win. I know we begun off moderate on defense, but we were able to finish."

Lions quarterback Jared Goff agreed.

And in his California homecoming, he tossed for 303 passing yards whereas completing 26-of-34 passes with 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.

Campbell made it clear that the starters were playing so Goff entered with a mentality to compete, saying he "put [the thought of sitting out] to bed lovely early on in the week." He tossed for three touchdowns for the seventh amusement this season, tying Matthew Stafford (2011) for the most in a season in Lions history."I'm beyond any doubt that's intense for him, but I think that's the as it were way we know," Goff said of Campbell playing the starters. "It's fair go and discover a way to win and the group we were playing in San Francisco. This is what finished our season final year and there were a parcel of folks on this group that were there final year that needed to get one back on them, indeed in spite of the fact that, in a parcel of ways, it was insignificant for them and good for nothing for us but they were prideful out there, as well. They were attempting to beat us as well and it was a fun game."

Detroit presently plans to confront the Minnesota Vikings at domestic on Sunday night with the NFC North Division title and the NFC's No. 1 seed on the line.

For Campbell, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Detroit is one of five groups since seeding started in 1975 that has never been a No. 1 seed, along with the Cardinals, Texans, Buccaneers, and Jets.

"This is what you're in it for, man. Eventually, this is it," Campbell said. "I cruel, you couldn't type in a superior situation. You couldn't come up with this. The reality that both groups are sitting at 14-2 and it's for the division and the 1 seed. It fair doesn't get any way better than that. It's like this is tall tale stuff. And so, it talks for itself. Our folks are energized."