The 49ers (3-0) travel to the Pontiac Silverdome for a 1:00 ET kickoff against the Detroit Lions (2-1). Scott Mitchell is the starter. Barry Sanders is the back. Herman Moore and Brett Perriman are the receivers. The Lions come off two of three wins.
The 49ers come off the 28-3 home win over the Patriots. Steve Young is the starter; Derek Loville is the lead back.[1][2]
Barry Sanders comes to the Pontiac Silverdome for the Sunday afternoon matchup against the 49ers' defensive front. The Lions' lead back averages 5.8 yards per carry across the first three games. Scott Mitchell, in his second Detroit year as starter, has thrown for 280-plus in two of three. The 49ers' Sunday is the first significant road game of the title defense. The Lions' offensive line, with the offseason cap moves, has produced a clean pocket for Mitchell's first three starts.
Week 4 has the schedule's first significant road game for the 49ers plus a slate where the conference's tier structure is settling. The Cowboys sit at 3-0; the Packers 3-0; the Lions 2-1. The AFC East has the Dolphins at 3-0 and the Patriots 1-2. Around the league the storyline is the Packers and Cowboys, the conference's two top teams. The 49ers' Sunday at the Silverdome is the conference's only matchup of two NFC teams from opposite divisions above .500.
Through three games the 49ers sit at 3-0 with a plus 58 point differential. Young is on pace for 4,500 passing yards. Rice averages 113 receiving yards per game. The Lions are 2-1 with Mitchell averaging 250 passing per game and Sanders 5.8 a carry. Vegas opens the 49ers as 5-point road favorites. A figure to follow: Barry Sanders' chase of 100 rushing yards, sitting at 73 in his best of the start.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 2-1 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 2-1 | W2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 2-1 | L1 |
| Houston Oilers | 1-2 | L2 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 0-3 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 3-0 | W3 |
| Buffalo Bills | 2-1 | W2 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 1-2 | L1 |
| New England Patriots | 1-2 | L2 |
| New York Jets | 1-2 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | 3-0 | W3 |
| Denver Broncos | 2-1 | W1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 2-1 | L1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 2-1 | W2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 1-2 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 3-0 | W3 |
| St. Louis Rams | 3-0 | W3 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 2-1 | W1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 0-3 | L3 |
| New Orleans Saints | 0-3 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 2-1 | W1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 2-1 | W2 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 1-2 | L1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1-2 | L2 |
| Detroit Lions | 0-3 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 3-0 | W3 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 1-2 | -- |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 1-2 | L1 |
| Washington Redskins | 1-2 | L2 |
| New York Giants | 0-3 | L3 |
Scott Mitchell threw for 291 yards and a touchdown, Brett Perriman caught 9 for 115 and the Detroit Lions beat the 49ers 27-24 at the Pontiac Silverdome. Steve Young threw for 348 yards and two touchdowns. Jerry Rice caught 11 for 181. John Taylor caught 4 for 77 with a touchdown. Barry Sanders ran for 24 on 17 carries.[1][2]
Scott Mitchell threw for 291 yards at the Pontiac Silverdome and the Lions beat the 49ers 27-24. The first loss of the year for the defending Super Bowl champions. Jerry Rice caught eleven balls for 181 yards. Steve Young threw for three hundred and forty-eight.
The defensive secondary, on the field for the back half of two long Lions drives, surrendered the kind of 290-plus passing line that, in calendar 1995, the unit had not surrendered all year. Brett Perriman caught nine for 115. The Lions' offense produced 27 points across the full sixty minutes. Barry Sanders ran for 24 on 17 carries against the front rotation that has been the unit's strength.
The 49ers walk back to the airport 3-1 with the home game against the Giants on Sunday next. The road record is 1-1. The wire copy is going to spend the column on Rice's 181. The film room is going to spend the week on the secondary's coverage on Perriman.
Lions 27, 49ers 24. Margin: minus 3. Record: 3-1.
A 27-24 road loss at the Pontiac Silverdome. The 49ers fall to 3-1 with the first loss of the title defense.
How it unfolded
Mitchell opened with a Perriman touchdown drive. Young answered with a touchdown to John Taylor. The Lions added a Sanders rushing touchdown. Loville's rushing touchdown made it 14-14 at the half. The third quarter saw a Mitchell touchdown to Moore to push the lead to 21-14. A Wade Richey field goal cut it to 21-17. A Lions field goal made it 24-17. Young's closing touchdown made it 24-24. The Lions added a closing field goal with under 2:00 to play for the win.
The turning point
The fourth-quarter Lions field goal. With the 49ers up 24-21 with 4:11 to play (after the Young touchdown to tie at 24), the defense facing third-and-eight at the 49ers' 28, Mitchell found Perriman for a third-down conversion. The Lions drove for the closing field goal with under 2:00 to play.
By the numbers
Young 27-of-44 for 348 with two touchdowns and one pick; the highest single-game passing line of his recent calendar. Rice 11 catches for 181; his second 150-yard receiving day of the year. Taylor 4 catches for 77 with a touchdown. Loville 18 on 8 carries with a touchdown plus 41 receiving on 5 catches. Defensively the front produced one sack of Mitchell; the secondary surrendered 291 passing and the Perriman 115-yard line.
Personnel watch
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve Young #8 | 27/44 | 348 | 2 | 1 | |
| DET | |||||
| Scott Mitchell | 28/42 | 291 | 1 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| William Floyd | 8 | 49 | 0 | 9 |
| Derek Loville | 8 | 18 | 1 | 11 |
| Steve Young #8 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 4 |
| DET | ||||
| Barry Sanders | 17 | 24 | 0 | 7 |
| Scott Mitchell | 5 | 6 | 1 | 3 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Jerry Rice #80 | 11 | 181 | 0 | 39 |
| John Taylor #82 | 4 | 77 | 1 | 29 |
| Derek Loville | 5 | 41 | 0 | 15 |
| William Floyd | 5 | 38 | 0 | 17 |
| Nate Singleton | 1 | 8 | 1 | 8 |
| Brent Jones #84 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| DET | ||||
| Brett Perriman | 9 | 115 | 0 | 25 |
| Herman Moore | 6 | 73 | 1 | 20 |
| Ron Hall | 6 | 45 | 0 | 15 |
| Aubrey Matthews | 3 | 32 | 0 | 12 |
| Barry Sanders | 3 | 18 | 0 | 7 |
| Rodney Holman | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
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Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 1995 W4 - 49ers at Detroit Lions - Game Thread
