The home schedule continues against the Detroit Lions on 1961-11-05 at Kezar Stadium. The 49ers' offensive line continues to anchor the calendar's identity heading into Week 8.
The roster's lead back rotation and receiver room project the kind of game-script the staff has been working through. The Detroit Lions arrive tracking their own divisional standing.[1]
The calendar's next matchup against the Detroit Lions is the kind of home game where the offensive line has the matchup the coaching staff has been pointing toward all week. The Sunday's biggest unknown is the front rotation against the Detroit Lions' offensive line. The week of preparation produced the kind of game-plan continuity the staff has been building toward.
Around the league Week 8 continues to shape the playoff race. The conference's projected leaders carry through the calendar with the kind of pace the wire copy has been writing into. The home matchup with the Detroit Lions is the calendar's sense-check on the 49ers' divisional posture. The Sunday-night and Monday-night games close the week with their own playoff implications.
Through 7 games the 49ers are tracking the kind of pace that, in calendar 1961, defines the divisional posture. The lead back's rushing workload is the staff's projected call. The receiver room's distribution is the offense's signature. The Detroit Lions are tracking their own standing. Vegas opens the lines accordingly. A figure to follow: the offensive line's pass-protection rate.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles | 6-1 | W4 |
| Cleveland Browns | 5-2 | W2 |
| New York Giants | 5-2 | L1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 4-3 | W1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 3-4 | L1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 2-5 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 0-7 | L7 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 6-1 | W6 |
| Chicago Bears | 5-2 | W4 |
| Detroit Lions | 4-3 | W1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 4-3 | L2 |
| Baltimore Colts | 3-4 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 1-6 | L6 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 1-6 | L4 |
49ers 0, Detroit Lions 049ers 0, Detroit Lions 1749ers 7, Detroit Lions 1749ers 20, Detroit Lions 2049ers 20, Detroit Lions 20[1]
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lions | 0 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 017172020 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 0072020 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Lions | Jim Martin 19 yard field goal | 3-0 |
| Lions | Jim Ninowski 40 yard rush ( Jim Martin kick) | 10-0 |
| Lions | Jim Ninowski 12 yard rush ( Jim Martin kick) | 17-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Abe Woodson 80 yard punt return ( Tommy Davis kick) | 17-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Billy Kilmer 2 yard rush ( Tommy Davis kick) | 17-14 |
| 49ers | Tommy Davis 34 yard field goal | 17-17 |
| Lions | Jim Martin 24 yard field goal | 20-17 |
| 49ers | Tommy Davis 41 yard field goal | 20-20 |
The 49ers' home effort ended in a 20-20 loss at home the Detroit Lions on 1961-11-05. John Brodie went 13 of 21 for 193 yards with 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Billy Kilmer ran for 44 on 11 carries with 1 touchdown. R.C. Owens caught 7 for 131. On the other side Jim Ninowski went 19 of 36 for 290 yards with 0 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Jim Ninowski ran for 53 on 3 carries with 2 touchdowns.[1]
The 49ers lost 20-20 against the Detroit Lions on 1961-11-05. John Brodie went 13 of 21 for 193 yards with 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Billy Kilmer ran for 44 on 11 carries with 1 touchdown. R.C. Owens caught 7 for 131.
The Sunday's outcome maps to the kind of game-script the staff has been working through across the calendar's middle weeks. The offensive line's pocket time produced the dropbacks the playbook calls. The defensive unit's pressure produced the kind of takeaway the unit has been generating. The Sunday's outcome sets the next week's posture across the divisional standings.
The Detroit Lions produced the kind of game-script the wire copy projected. The next-week matchup is the calendar's next sense-check on the 49ers' divisional pacing.
49ers 20, Detroit Lions 20. Margin: minus 0. Box score reads: John Brodie went 13 of 21 for 193 yards with 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Billy Kilmer ran for 44 on 11 carries with 1 touchdown. R.C. Owens caught 7 for 131. Monty Stickles caught 3 for 46. On the Detroit Lions' side: Jim Ninowski went 19 of 36 for 290 yards with 0 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Jim Ninowski ran for 53 on 3 carries with 2 touchdowns.
A 20-20 home loss to the Detroit Lions. The 49ers' calendar continues to shape across the kind of game-script the staff has been projecting.
How it unfolded
John Brodie went 13 of 21 for 193 yards with 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Billy Kilmer ran for 44 on 11 carries with 1 touchdown. R.C. Owens caught 7 for 131. The Sunday's offensive output produced the kind of full-sixty pace the playbook has been working through. On the defensive side Jim Ninowski went 19 of 36 for 290 yards with 0 touchdowns and 3 interceptions for the Detroit Lions, and Jim Ninowski ran for 53 on 3 carries with 2 touchdowns.
The turning point
The in-game adjustment that, in calendar 1961, 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 year. The receiver room's route distribution produced the kind of timing-route conversions the playbook calls.
By the numbers
John Brodie went 13 of 21 for 193 yards with 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. The lead-back rotation: Billy Kilmer ran for 44 on 11 carries with 1 touchdown, plus Bob Waters ran for 38 on 5 carries. Receiver room: R.C. Owens caught 7 for 131, and Monty Stickles caught 3 for 46.
Personnel watch
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| John Brodie | 13/21 | 193 | 0 | 2 | |
| Billy Kilmer | 2/2 | 27 | 0 | 0 | |
| Bob Waters | 1/3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | |
| DET | |||||
| Jim Ninowski | 19/36 | 290 | 0 | 3 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Billy Kilmer | 11 | 44 | 1 | 26 |
| Bob Waters | 5 | 38 | 0 | 21 |
| J.D. Smith | 5 | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Abe Woodson | 5 | 12 | 0 | 7 |
| John Brodie | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| DET | ||||
| Jim Ninowski | 3 | 53 | 2 | 40 |
| Nick Pietrosante | 15 | 42 | 0 | 9 |
| Dan Lewis | 6 | 33 | 0 | 27 |
| Terry Barr | 2 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| Johnny Olszewski | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Howard Cassady | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| R.C. Owens | 7 | 131 | 0 | 54 |
| Monty Stickles | 3 | 46 | 0 | 18 |
| J.D. Smith | 5 | 40 | 0 | 14 |
| Bernie Casey | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| DET | ||||
| Nick Pietrosante | 3 | 89 | 0 | 76 |
| Gail Cogdill | 5 | 65 | 0 | 17 |
| Jim Gibbons | 3 | 47 | 0 | 17 |
| Glenn Davis | 4 | 43 | 0 | 19 |
| Dan Lewis | 2 | 28 | 0 | 17 |
| Pat Studstill | 2 | 18 | 0 | 9 |
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] 1961 W8 - 49ers vs Detroit Lions - Game Thread