The 49ers (10-3) host the Detroit Lions (5-8) at 3Com Park for a 1:00 PT kickoff. Frank Reich is the listed starter for the injured Charlie Batch. Barry Sanders is the back; Herman Moore and Germane Crowell are the receivers. The Lions come off three straight losses.
The 49ers come off the 31-28 road win at Carolina. Steve Young is the starter; Garrison Hearst is the lead back. Jerry Rice is the WR1.[1][2]
Barry Sanders comes to 3Com Park at thirty years old in his tenth NFL season. The Lions' back is on pace for 1,400 rushing yards on a 5-8 team. The Sunday is the kind of home game where the defensive front, off three weeks of competent multi-sack production, has the kind of matchup that defines whether the unit can hold a Hall of Fame back below his average.
Week 15 has the schedule's home matchup against the NFC's longest losing streak plus a slate where the divisional seedings are clarifying. The Broncos sit at 13-1; the Vikings 13-1; the Falcons 11-2. The AFC East has the Dolphins at 9-5 and the Bills 7-7. Conference reading list the storyline is the Vikings' offense, on pace to lead the league in scoring. The 49ers' Sunday at 3Com is the only NFC West-AFC Central game on the slate.
Through thirteen games the 49ers sit at 10-3 with a plus 113 point differential. Young is on pace for 4,500 passing yards. Hearst is on pace for 1,427 rushing. Bryant Young has 13 sacks. The Lions are 5-8 with Reich starting and Sanders averaging 4.4 a carry. Vegas opens the 49ers as 9-point home favorites. Tracking today: Hearst's chase of 200 rushing yards.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 10-3 | W2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 7-6 | L2 |
| Tennessee Oilers | 7-6 | W1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 5-8 | L1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 2-11 | L8 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 9-4 | W2 |
| New York Jets | 9-4 | W3 |
| Buffalo Bills | 8-5 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 8-5 | W3 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 2-11 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 13-0 | W13 |
| Oakland Raiders | 7-6 | L3 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 6-7 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 5-8 | L1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 5-8 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 11-2 | W6 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 10-3 | W3 |
| New Orleans Saints | 6-7 | W1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 3-10 | L4 |
| Carolina Panthers | 2-11 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 12-1 | W5 |
| Green Bay Packers | 8-5 | L1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6-7 | W2 |
| Detroit Lions | 5-8 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 3-10 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 8-5 | L2 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 6-7 | -- |
| New York Giants | 5-8 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 4-9 | W2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3-10 | W1 |
Garrison Hearst ran for 198 yards on 24 carries and a touchdown, Steve Young ran in a touchdown of his own and the 49ers beat the Detroit Lions 35-13 at 3Com Park. Young threw for 82 yards in the cold-weather game. J.J. Stokes caught 2 for 29 with a touchdown. Frank Reich threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns; Barry Sanders ran for 28 yards on 14 carries. Hearst's 198-yard rushing line is his single-game best of 1998.[1][2]
Garrison Hearst ran for one hundred and ninety-eight yards on twenty-four carries at 3Com Park. The 49ers won 35-13. Barry Sanders, in his tenth NFL season, ran for twenty-eight on fourteen carries against the front rotation that has been the unit's strength across the back half.
The Sunday at 3Com was the cleanest single-game defensive line of the year. The 49ers' linebacker rotation held Sanders below three yards a carry. Bryant Young registered his fourteenth sack. The defensive secondary surrendered two touchdowns to Frank Reich but held Herman Moore to 81 receiving.
The 49ers walk away 11-3 with the road trip to New England on Sunday next. The home record is 7-1. The wire copy is going to spend the column on Hearst's 198-yard rushing day and the chase of 1,500. The film room is going to start with the linebacker rotation against Sanders.
49ers 35, Lions 13. Margin: plus 22. Record: 11-3, plus 135 differential. • Hearst: 24 carries for 198, 1 TD (single-game high of 1998). • Young: 12-of-18 for 82, 1 TD, 1 INT; 10 rushes for 66, 1 rushing TD. • Stokes: 2 catches for 29, 0 TDs (one TD reception via Hearst route concept). • Rice: 4 catches for 26. • Owens: 3 catches for 16, 1 TD. • Reich: 18-of-35 for 281, 2 TDs. • Sanders: 14 carries for 28 (2.0 ypc). • Moore: 5 catches for 81, 1 TD.
A 35-13 home win over the Lions. The 49ers improve to 11-3 with the linebacker rotation's best single-game line of the year.
How it unfolded
Young opened with a touchdown drive ending in a 9-yard rushing touchdown of his own. The second quarter produced two more scores: a Hearst rushing touchdown and an Owens touchdown reception to push the lead to 21-0. A Reich touchdown to Moore cut it to 21-7 at the half. The third quarter saw a Hearst 14-yard rushing touchdown to make it 28-7. Detroit added a fourth-quarter touchdown to make it 28-13 before a Young touchdown to Stokes pushed the final to 35-13.
The turning point
The second-quarter Hearst rushing touchdown. With the 49ers up 7-0 and the offense facing third-and-two at the Lions' 14, the staff called the inside dive. Hearst broke through the left tackle for the score. The 14-0 cushion put the home team in script-the-clock posture against an offense that was already missing its starter.
By the numbers
Hearst 198 on 24 carries (8.3 ypc) with a touchdown; his single-game high of 1998. Young 12-of-18 for 82 with one touchdown; the cold-weather passing line. Owens 3 catches for 16 with a score. Rice 4 catches for 26. Defensively the linebackers held Sanders to 28 on 14 carries (2.0 ypc); the lowest single-game per-carry number for the Lions' back since 1996. Bryant Young registered his 14th sack of the year.
Personnel watch
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve Young #8 | 12/18 | 82 | 1 | 1 | |
| DET | |||||
| Frank Reich | 18/35 | 281 | 2 | 2 | |
| Charlie Batch | 3/9 | 35 | 0 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Garrison Hearst | 24 | 198 | 1 | 30 |
| Steve Young #8 | 10 | 66 | 1 | 17 |
| Terry Kirby | 7 | 60 | 2 | 31 |
| Marc Edwards | 2 | 6 | 0 | 5 |
| Terrell Owens | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ty Detmer | 2 | -2 | 0 | -1 |
| DET | ||||
| Barry Sanders | 14 | 28 | 0 | 13 |
| Tommy Vardell | 1 | 17 | 0 | 17 |
| Ron Rivers | 2 | 14 | 0 | 8 |
| Frank Reich | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Cory Schlesinger | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| J.J. Stokes | 2 | 29 | 0 | 18 |
| Jerry Rice #80 | 4 | 26 | 0 | 11 |
| Terrell Owens | 3 | 16 | 1 | 13 |
| Greg Clark | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Marc Edwards | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Terry Kirby | 1 | -3 | 0 | -3 |
| DET | ||||
| Germane Crowell | 5 | 83 | 0 | 34 |
| Herman Moore | 5 | 81 | 1 | 24 |
| Johnnie Morton | 5 | 78 | 0 | 26 |
| Ron Rivers | 2 | 52 | 0 | 38 |
| Tommy Vardell | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Brian Stablein | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| David Sloan | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Barry Sanders | 1 | -3 | 0 | -3 |
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