Go here for this week's Rushing Matchups.
Top 2 Passing Matchups
San Francisco vs Detroit
Brock Purdy is coming off of one of the worst games of his career. The quarterback never looked comfortable in the wet conditions last week as he started the game with a glove and nearly threw two interceptions that were wildly inaccurate passes. The big news for the 49ers is that they will likely be without Deebo Samuel, which is a big problem for the team. The 49ers are 0-3 in the three-game stretch that Samuel was hurt earlier this season and could have easily lost last week as the offense struggled to move the ball consistently. In the three games that the 49ers did not have Samuel, Brock Purdy threw five interceptions, while in his other 14 games, he threw just six interceptions, with four of those coming against the Ravens in a game that Jauan Jennings missed. This is still as talented of an offense with Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey.
Detroit's secondary continues to struggle as last week Baker Mayfield threw for 349 yards and 3 touchdowns. Detroit has now allowed 300 or more passing yards in five straight games and is averaging 374 yards per game as Baker Mayfield, Matt Stafford, Dak Prescott, and Nick Mullens have dominated this defense. The issue has been the corners, and they're simply struggling to stop number one wide receivers as Mike Evans (147 yards), Puka Nacua (181), Justin Jefferson (192), CeeDee Lamb (227), and Justin Jefferson (141) all dominated the Lions over the last five weeks as neither Cameron Sutton nor Kindle Vildor can stop these elite wide receivers. At the safety position, the Lions have not seen an improvement since getting C.J. Gardner-Johnson back from injury as the offseason acquisition missed most of the year but did return three games ago, although has not been able to play the full complement of snaps just yet as Kerby Joseph continues to have a role in this offense.
Detroit at San Francisco
Jared Goff and the Lions' passing attack are playing at the best level they've played all season. Goff is averaging 282 passing yards per game over the last five games. Amon-Ra St. Brown has been the primary receiver and developed into one of the game's elite wide receivers as he had 14 targets last week, catching 8 for 77 yards and a touchdown. However, it has been the secondary receivers who continue to step up for Detroit. Last week, we saw Sam LaPorta catch 9 passes for 65 yards, which is a great sign that the tight end is starting to get back to full health after playing through injury for most of the season. The Lions complement St. Brown and LaPorta with a variety of different receiver types, with the speedsters Jameson Williams and running back Jahmyr Gibbs, while Josh Reynolds is more of a possession receiver for the team.
San Francisco's secondary is amongst the most talented units in the NFL, although their overall counting stats may not reflect that. On the season, the 49ers are allowing the 17th-most passing yards to opposing quarterbacks, but this is a bit of a bend-but-don't-break defense as they've faced the sixth-most pass attempts and are allowing the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. On the year, the 49ers are allowing the fewest passing touchdowns at just 1.1 per game, as this is a team that is often playing with a significant lead. This defense is built to stop the passing attack, as they have one of the best defensive lines in the NFL, led by Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave, Arik Armstead, and Chase Young. In the secondary, Charvarius Ward has developed into one of the upper-tier cornerbacks in the league, while Ambry Thomas and Deommodre Lenoir are above-average cornerbacks.
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