The 49ers face the Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round on 1983-12-31 at Candlestick Park. The postseason matchup is the calendar's home test of the divisional posture the regular season built.
The offensive line, the running back rotation, and the receiver room project the kind of game-script the staff has been working through across the bye-week preparation.[1][2]
The Divisional Round matchup against the Detroit Lions is the kind of postseason game where the staff has been pointing toward since the regular season closed. The 49ers' calendar carries through to the Divisional Round bracket with the Detroit Lions as the kind of opponent that defines the postseason script. Win and the bracket continues. The Sunday's biggest unknown is the front rotation against the Detroit Lions' offensive line.
Around the bracket the Divisional Round produces the kind of matchups the wire copy has been writing into across the conference's postseason slate. The 49ers' game is one of the most-anticipated postseason windows. The conference reading list this week is the postseason slate's full set of Divisional Round bracket games.
The opposite-conference bracket carries through to its own conference matchup.
Across the regular season the 49ers tracked the kind of pace that anchored the conference seeding into the Divisional Round. The starting quarterback's passing line came through. The lead back's rushing workload was the staff's projected call. The Detroit Lions are tracking their own postseason posture. Vegas opens the lines accordingly. A figure to follow: the front rotation's pass-rush production against the Detroit Lions.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 10-6 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 9-7 | W1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 7-9 | L1 |
| Houston Oilers | 2-14 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 12-4 | W5 |
| Buffalo Bills | 8-8 | L2 |
| New England Patriots | 8-8 | L1 |
| Baltimore Colts | 7-9 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 7-9 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Raiders | 12-4 | W1 |
| Denver Broncos | 9-7 | L1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 9-7 | W2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 6-10 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 6-10 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 10-6 | W3 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 9-7 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 8-8 | L1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7-9 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lions | 9-7 | W1 |
| Chicago Bears | 8-8 | W2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 8-8 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8-8 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2-14 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Redskins | 14-2 | W9 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 12-4 | L2 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 8-7-1 | W3 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5-11 | L2 |
| New York Giants | 3-12-1 | L4 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Lions | Eddie Murray 37 yard field goal | 3-0 |
| 49ers | Roger Craig 1 yard rush (Ray Wersching kick) | 3-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Wendell Tyler 1 yard rush (Ray Wersching kick) | 3-14 |
| Lions | Eddie Murray 21 yard field goal | 6-14 |
| Lions | Eddie Murray 54 yard field goal | 9-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Ray Wersching 19 yard field goal | 9-17 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Lions | Billy Sims 11 yard rush (Eddie Murray kick) | 16-17 |
| Lions | Billy Sims 3 yard rush (Eddie Murray kick) | 23-17 |
| 49ers | Freddie Solomon 14 yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick) | 23-24 |
The 49ers won the Divisional Round 24-23 against the Detroit Lions on 1983-12-31. Joe Montana went 18 of 31 for 201 yards with 1 touchdowns and 1 interceptions. Wendell Tyler ran for 74 on 17 carries with 1 touchdown. Russ Francis caught 4 for 75. On the Detroit Lions' side Gary Danielson went 24 of 38 for 236 yards with 0 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Billy Sims ran for 114 on 20 carries with 2 touchdowns.[1][2]
The 49ers won the Divisional Round 24-23 against the Detroit Lions on 1983-12-31. Joe Montana went 18 of 31 for 201 yards with 1 touchdowns and 1 interceptions. Wendell Tyler ran for 74 on 17 carries with 1 touchdown. Russ Francis caught 4 for 75.
The Sunday's outcome maps to the kind of postseason game-script the staff has been projecting since the regular season closed. The offensive line's pocket time on the dropbacks produced the kind of pass-protection the playbook calls. The defensive unit's pressure produced the kind of takeaway the unit has been generating across the calendar's back half. The Divisional Round's afternoon ends with the projected outcome.
The week of preparation produced the kind of game-plan continuity the staff has been pointing toward. The closing-drive coverage was the kind of stop the unit has been generating.
49ers 24, Detroit Lions 23. Margin: plus 1. The Divisional Round's box score reads: Joe Montana went 18 of 31 for 201 yards with 1 touchdowns and 1 interceptions. Wendell Tyler ran for 74 on 17 carries with 1 touchdown. Russ Francis caught 4 for 75. On the Detroit Lions' side: Gary Danielson went 24 of 38 for 236 yards with 0 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Billy Sims ran for 114 on 20 carries with 2 touchdowns.
A 24-23 Divisional Round home win over the Detroit Lions. The 49ers' postseason bracket continues to shape across the kind of game-script the staff has been projecting.
How it unfolded
Joe Montana went 18 of 31 for 201 yards with 1 touchdowns and 1 interceptions. Wendell Tyler ran for 74 on 17 carries with 1 touchdown. Russ Francis caught 4 for 75. The Sunday's offensive output produced the kind of full-sixty pace the playbook has been working through across the bye-week preparation. On the defensive side Gary Danielson went 24 of 38 for 236 yards with 0 touchdowns and 5 interceptions for the Detroit Lions, and Billy Sims ran for 114 on 20 carries with 2 touchdowns.
The turning point
The in-game adjustment that, in postseason play, decided the closing two quarters. The defensive front's pressure on the third-down dropbacks produced the kind of pass-rush volume the unit has been generating across the calendar's back half.
By the numbers
Joe Montana went 18 of 31 for 201 yards with 1 touchdowns and 1 interceptions. The lead-back rotation: Wendell Tyler ran for 74 on 17 carries with 1 touchdown. Receiver room: Russ Francis caught 4 for 75.
Personnel watch
The rotation produced the kind of full-sixty effort the staff has been projecting. The offensive line's pocket time was the kind that, in postseason play, anchors the bye-week preparation. The receiver room's distribution carried the offense's production.
What it means
| SF | Opp | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 22 | 20 |
| Total Yards | 412 | 291 |
| Turnovers | 5 | 2 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 24/38 | 18/31 |
| Pass yards | 236 | 201 |
| Pass TD | 0 | 1 |
| Interceptions | 5 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 2 | 2 |
| Sack yards lost | 12 | 13 |
| Net pass yards | 224 | 188 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 35 | 27 |
| Rush yards | 188 | 103 |
| Rush TD | 2 | 2 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 2 | 2 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 1 |
| Penalties | 7 | 5 |
| Penalty yards | 63 | 25 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Joe Montana #16 | 18/31 | 201 | 1 | 1 | 74.8 |
| DET | |||||
| Gary Danielson | 24/38 | 236 | 0 | 5 | 41 |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Wendell Tyler #26 | 17 | 74 | 1 | 11 |
| Joe Montana #16 | 3 | 16 | 0 | 15 |
| Roger Craig #33 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 3 |
| DET | ||||
| Billy Sims | 20 | 114 | 2 | 56 |
| James Jones | 10 | 33 | 0 | 7 |
| Leonard Thompson | 1 | 24 | 0 | 24 |
| Gary Danielson | 4 | 17 | 0 | 6 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Russ Francis #81 | 4 | 75 | 0 | 27 |
| Roger Craig #33 | 7 | 61 | 0 | 14 |
| Mike Wilson #85 | 1 | 26 | 0 | 26 |
| Freddie Solomon #88 | 2 | 16 | 1 | 14 |
| Wendell Tyler #26 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 10 |
| Eason Ramson | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Jeff Moore | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| DET | ||||
| Leonard Thompson | 6 | 74 | 0 | 20 |
| Jeff Chadwick | 5 | 58 | 0 | 16 |
| James Jones | 5 | 44 | 0 | 17 |
| Freddie Scott | 3 | 29 | 0 | 13 |
| Billy Sims | 4 | 26 | 0 | 11 |
| Ulysses Norris | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Find or start the canonical thread for this game on r/49ers. The thread title is deterministic so anyone running this Rewatch lands on the same place.
Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 1983 Divisional Round - Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers - Game Thread
