For the first time in a long while, the Detroit Lions will have a different No. 1 quarterback with Jared Goff set for his regular-season debut with the team in Week 1. Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers will look to make it a forgettable game for Goff, as they pay the Lions a visit. Check out our preview of this game below.
Kyle Shanahan has yet to reveal the 49ers’ starting quarterback for Week 1, but expect it to be Jimmy Garropolo over the rookie Trey Lance. That’s just the conservative pick right now. There will be pressure on Jimmy GQ to deliver on the field and avoid, with a rookie in his rearview mirror. His success will greatly depend on the offensive line that got a boost with the acquisition of Alex Mack and on the hands of George Kittle, one of the best — if not the best — tight ends in football today. The 49ers’ offense that averaged 23.5 points per game will be the first test for Detroit’s laughably bad defense in 2020. That season, the Lions were last in the NFL in terms of scoring defense and total defense.
The 49ers have covered the spread in seven of their last 10 Week 1 games. The total has also hit the under in seven of San Francisco’s last seven Week 1 contests.
Unlike the 49ers, there’s no mystery in Detroit’s quarterback position. Jared Goff, traded for Matthew Stafford by the Los Angeles Rams, begins a new chapter in his career with the Lions, who averaged just 23.6 points per game in 2020. The Lions also lost Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones over the offseason, but not a few expect that this will be running back D’Andre Swift’s breakout season after an up-and-down rookie campaign. With Adrian Peterson gone, Swift can work without worrying about battling someone for the top role in Detroit’s ground attack. Swift is also a sweet pass-catching option. Defensively, it’s quite honestly hard to trust Detroit to show much on that side of the ball, but the Lions will also be up against San Francisco’s error-prone offense that was 30th in the NFL last season with a -0.7 TO margin per game.
The Lions are 7-3 against the spread in their last 10 September games. In addition, the over is 12-3 in Detroit’s last 15 games as the home team.
