In a game San Francisco dominated, Detroit was fortunate to lose by just a touchdown. The Lions' offense did little against one of the league’s best defenses–led again by Patrick Willis–and the visitors only stayed in the game because of the 49ers' poor execution in the red zone. Matthew Stafford was stone cold all night and missed simple throws over and over again. Detroit’s defense then proceeded to miss a host of tackles as the backups in their secondary proved major downgrades. John Wendling and Jacob Lacey are two names the fans never want to see starting. It’s amazing how poorly Detroit’s defense performed, despite giving up only 27 points (-20.4). And it’s really hard to believe the Detroit coaches, and specifically defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham, couldn’t explain to their defensive linemen that, if they were unblocked, it was probably a trap play.
Time to look at some individual grades.
Detroit – Three Performances of Note
Stafford’s Stats Flatter and Deceive
Matt Stafford ended up going 19 of 32 for 230 yards, one touchdown and one interception, but he played much worse than the 78.9 QB rating suggests. Against a defense that clearly set out to keep a lid on the offense and not allow Calvin Johnson to stretch the field, Stafford and the rest of the Lions offense at times looked clueless for how to move the ball downfield. He put intermediate passes in places where his receivers either had no, or very little, chance to make a play. Despite good protection (Stafford was pressured on just 5 of 34 drop backs) he couldn’t find a way to consistently move the football, and the 49ers successfully took the big play out of the Lions' arsenal to the extent that they only attempted one deep pass all game. It’s telling that 168 of Stafford’s 230 yards came after the catch. He was forced to drop his sights and connect with Calvin Johnson predominantly on crossing routes against the 49ers’ linebackers to try to find him some space. Stafford was also only affected by only one drop, as the majority of incompletions were on the quarterback.
Backus Surprises and Struggles against Smith
This was always going to be a tough matchup for Jeff Backus (-3.0) and, while he made a good account of himself in pass protection, he was manhandled in the run game. Although he faced Aldon Smith on the majority of snaps (52 of 65), he perfectly protected Stafford in an impressive display (+2.0 pass blocking). All of that ignores his work in the run game, however, which was pretty terrible (-4.4). He never made a positive impression in the run game, though at times he wasn’t helped by his running backs, and was beaten five times for tackles at or around the line of scrimmage. It wasn’t just one player either as Smith, Willis and Justin Smith all had their way with him. On top of the beating he took on the ground, he also conceded a holding penalty on a running play. It was a day to forget for Backus as the Lions tried and failed to establish the running game as a balanced part of the offense.
Coleman and Wendling Epitomize Struggles
Neither player was particularly exposed, but their performances combined to form a terrible duo. Erik Coleman was equally as bad against the run (-2.2) as John Wendling was against the pass (-2.0). Coleman played nearly all of Detroit’s defensive snaps, in place of the injured Louis Delmas, and he proceeded to miss more tackles (two) than he made stops (one). Wendling was targeted twice, on back-to-back plays in fact, and gave up both passes for 38 yards and a touchdown. Vernon Davis caught the TD after he was able to shake the backup safety on a corner route.
San Francisco – Three Performances of Note
Staley Dominates
Joe Staley will be a strong candidate for team of the week (+5.5) after this performance against the Lions. He gave up just a solitary pressure on 36 drop backs and did so against a decent crop of pass rushers in Kyle Vanden-Bosch, Willie Young and Lawrence Jackson. Staley was even better in the run game where he was able to dominate defensive tackle Corey Williams and get up to the second level and take DeAndre Levy out of plays. He’s now put two positive performances together in a row and will look to build on this momentum and elevate himself to the next level as one of the league’s better offensive tackles.
Boone Making Snyder Easy to Forget
Staley wasn’t the only 49er lineman on fine form as Alex Boone (+2.8) impressed in both facets of the game. He and center Jonathan Goodwin were the linemen not to concede pressure in pass protection, and Boone didn’t get the benefit of double-team help on almost every play. Boone wasn’t as dominant in the ground game as Staley at left tackle, but he played his part in a number of successful runs by the 49ers. He played his part well on traps, where he either took out Corey Williams or worked to the second level, and he showed good mobility pulling to lead rushes off end on power plays. Boone’s performance over the first two weeks (+7.1 overall) begs the question of why the 49ers persisted in starting the now departed Adam Snyder at right guard for so long. If this was what the 49ers had waiting in the wings to replace him, they had been missing out unnecessarily.
McDonald has Rare Poor Day
Ray McDonald had a superb year in 2011, but he’s unlikely to look back fondly on the tape of this game. It's not that he was poor when he attacked the quarterback (+0.9), in fact he sacked Stafford once and hurried him twice more. Still, Vic Fangio plays his defensive lineman for the whole game, so the three pressures came on 36 rushes–only slightly above average. McDonald had almost all of his success against Rob Sims who proved no match for his quickness. McDonald was a non-factor in the run game (-2.5), however, as Stephen Peterman re-discovered some of his best form from a couple of years ago. Peterman was able to get the upper hand on McDonald and provided the Lions' backs with some rare running room as they averaged 4.3 yards per carry on 12 rushes off middle right and right guard.
Game Notes
— Aldon Smith couldn’t generate much pass rush, but he led the 49ers with six defensive stops
— The Lions' defense missed nine tackles, split between seven players
— Stephen Tulloch and Drayton Florence were the only two Detroit defensive starters to post a positive grade
PFF Game Ball
This was a game all about the big plays Vernon Davis made to set the 49ers apart from the Lions, as San Francisco failed to make their dominance count on the scoreboard.
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