The 49ers face the tall task of slowing down the Detroit Lions' explosive offense when the two teams meet on "Monday Night Football" at Levi's Stadium.
Coach Kyle Shanahan, a highly respected offensive mind in his own right, is well aware of the challenge facing San Francisco's defense when they take the field against Detroit on Monday.
Shanahan explained what makes the Lions' offense so dangerous during an interview with Greg Papa on NBC Sports Bay Area's "49ers Game Plan."
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"You know, it starts with their [O-line]," Shanahan told Papa. "I mean, that's really what is special.
"I mean they got I don't know how many first-round picks, but they all play like it, and I think most of them are there, but they'll probably have four Pro Bowlers on their line I would guess this year, so it's been good for a little bit.
Detroit has four first-round draft picks starting on its offensive line, setting a tone up front that allows the Lions' talented skill-position players and quarterback Jared Goff to thrive.
"But the stoutness of them, how they come off the ball, it really helps them like kind of do what they wanna do because, when you add an elite back to that like Jahmyr Gibbs, with his speed, how hard he runs, the scheme that they use too," Shanahan told Papa. "They got good blocking tight ends also. when you throw Jared Goff behind an O-line like that. I mean, Goff is as accurate as any quarterback in this league."
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Goff, a former No. 1 overall pick who spent the first five years of his career with the Los Angeles Rams, has faced Shanahan on many occasions. The 49ers coach offered high praise of Goff, while also detailing the difficulty of slowing down Detroit's explosive offensive weapons.
If you don't get him off his spot and, make him change some of his, you know, his foot, his feet, and his throwing angles, he'll dice you up," Shanahan told Papa. "He's been doing that to everyone for too long and,, it's really tough with that O-line and then you have the players they have at wideout, I mean the tough player in [Amon Ra] St. Brown.
"And then you have the speed with, [Jameson] Williams, it's they're, they're a tough deal, man, and then how good their tight end is, so they got in all the spots and, that's why they can stay balanced too."
The Lions have the NFL's No. 1 scoring offense during the 2024 season, averaging 32.8 points per game as offensive coordinator Ben Johnson continues to push all the right buttons. Detroit has the second-highest yardage total, totaling 6,129 yards through 15 contests (408.6 per game), steamrolling opponents en route to a 13-2 record despite catastrophic injuries on the defensive side of the ball.
While the 49ers are eliminated from 2024 NFL playoff contention, San Francisco still has plenty to play for as these two squads face off in a rematch of last season's NFC Championship Game.
If the 49ers are to be victorious yet again, it's going to take a heroic effort from their defense if they have any hopes of slowing down the Lions' juggernaut offense.