Get to know a Detroit Lions opponent: San Francisco 49ers 2018 outlook Youth Matthew Stafford Jersey , key additions, subtractions The Detroit Lions will kick off their road schedule this week as they had to San Francisco to take on the 0-1 49ers. Let’s get to know Detroit’s Week 2 opponent a little better.San Francisco 49ersLast season:6-10 record (4th in NFC West)20th in points scored, 25th in points allowedOverall DVOA: 20th (19th on offense, 26th on defense)The 49ers were one of the worst teams in the NFL last year with new head coach Kyle Shanahan in his first year as an NFL head coach. However, once the offensive guru got Jimmy Garoppolo via a trade with the Patriots, the 49ers saw an immediate turnaround. After averaging just 17.0 points per game through the first 11 games, San Francisco suddenly averaged 28.8 points per game with Garoppolo starting. A new era of 49ers football had begun. 2018 offseason:Key free agent additions: C Weston Richburg, RB Jerick McKinnon (injured), CB Richard Sherman, Edge rusher Jeremiah Attaochu (cut)Key losses: RB Carlos Hyde, G Brandon Fusco, RT Trent Brown, C Daniel Kilgore, S Eric Reid 2018 NFL draft picks:Round 1, 9 overall - OT Mike McGlincheyRound 2, Pick 44 - WR Dante PettisRound 3, Pick 70 - LB Fred WarnerRound 3 Authentic Michael Roberts Jersey , Pick 95 - S Tarvarius MooreRound 4, Pick 128 - DE Kentavius StreetRound 5, Pick 142 - CB D.J. ReedRound 6, Pick 184 - S Marcell HarrisRound 7, Pick 233 - DT Julian TaylorRound 7, Pick 240 - WR Richie JamesIt’s clear one of the biggest goals for the 49ers this offseason was to completely transform their offensive line. San Francisco is just returning two starters: left tackle Joe Staley and former Lions guard Laken Tomlinson. In their place, the Niners have a new right tackle in their first-round pick Mike McGlinchey, while adding new center Weston Richburg (72.7 PFF grade in 2017)—a three-year starter with the Giants coming off a season-ending concussion, which was arguably just a demotion. It makes sense as an area of focus for the Niners, as they allowed the 10th-most sacks last year and averaged just 4.1 yards per carry (17th). Their defensive additions are headlined by adding veteran corner Richard Sherman, who should nicely pair with youngster Ahkello Witherspoon. Outlook for 2018Vegas win total: 8.5 winsNiners Nation’s take: OVER 8.5 wins2018 season thus farWeek 1: Loss to Vikings, 16-24The Vikings handled the 49ers pretty well, but San Francisco would’ve had a shot in this game had it not been for some pretty bad mistakes. Alfred Morris fumbled at the goal line late in the first half, and as the Niners were about to get the ball back with well over two minutes remaining, they jumped offsides on a fourth-and-1, giving the Vikings an extra set of downs to burn an additional minute off the clock. The Niners not only lost the game, but some key players that could affect Sunday’s game against the Lions. Starting with that revamped offensive line http://www.authenticsdetroitlions.com/cheap-sam-martin-jersey , starting right guard Mike Person left the game with an injury, and his backup, Joshua Garnett, was also carted off. As of Thursday morning, neither had practiced this week. Additionally, the 49ers are in trouble at linebacker. Reuben Foster remains suspended, while Dekoda Watson, Brock Coyle and Malcolm Smith are all ailing. As a result, the 49ers signed veteran journeyman Terence Garvin, who has started just four games since 2013. The 49ers revamped offense didn’t look all that great last week, but it’s always hard to tell if that has more to do with San Francisco or the Vikings’ superb defense. That being said, the 49ers had two standout players from Week 1, one on offense, one on defense. Offensively, tight end George Kittle made a statement with 90 yards on five catches. He very well could turn out to be one of the best tight ends in the league this year, but also don’t sleep on rookie Dante Pettis, who had two catches for 61 yards and a touchdown on Sunday.Defensively Youth Jarrad Davis Jersey , it’s all about edge rusher DeForest Buckner. The former first-round pick had 2.5 sacks in his season debut and added an additional tackle for loss. Lions head coach Matt Patricia gushed about Buckner this week.“Buckner is really coming into his own right now, obviously kind of had a little bit of a breakout game the other day,” Patricia said. “I think they’re trying to feature him a little bit more in the defensive line, allow him to do a little bit more, I would call it vertical charge. A little bit of the, he’s got kind of a chop-slap arm-over move that’s pretty effective with his length. So, he’s definitely a problem in the front.”Vegas line for Week 2: 49ers by 7 This week, the Lions travel to Chicago to take on the Bears in their first of two matchups in twelve days. For the last several years it has been a pretty one-sided affair, which gave way to the birth of the hashtag #WeOwnTheBears. This season may be different though. For the first time in a long time, the Bears are leading the division this late in the season, sitting at a record of 5-3.While most Bears fans will fight you on this, the fact of the matter is that they’re doing so in spite of quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, not because of him. Even in the midst of their franchise’s revival, he has been quite prone to dumb mistakes and seems to just falter for weeks at a time. If the Lions want a chance Sunday, they’ll need to capitalize on that. Bold prediction of the week: Lions defense feasts as Mitchell Trubisky produces three turnovers on the dayWith a strong ground attack and top-tier defense, the Bears simply need to not let their air attack be a liability in order to take care of business Sunday. The Lions, on the other hand Color Rush LeGarrette Blount Jersey , are struggling through the air, on the ground, and on defense. They will need someone to step up if they want to continue to own the Bears.That someone is the defense. Unfortunately, the Lions don’t play a lot of defensive football that forces the quarterback into errors. Most notably, Matt Patricia has deployed would-be pass rushers into contain schemes whenever facing a mobile quarterback, and that could be the case on Sunday as well. While that contain scheme forced folks like Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson to take sacks or throw the ball away, against a guy like Trubisky it could prompt a dumb decision that leads to a turnover. According to Pro Football Focus, Trubisky’s accuracy percentage is 53.1 perecent, good for 25th in the league. Even better, however, is if the Lions don’t get pressure, they still may get a chance at some passes as Trubisky has the 30th-best Clean-Pocket Grade at 66.8.At the end of the day, the Lions defense can’t control whether Mitch Trubisky makes dumb decisions. What they can control is how uncomfortable they make him. If they can make him uncomfortable, then we may see him make lots of dumb decisions. The Lions will need that to happen if they want a chance in Sunday’s ball game.
