In a heated rematch, the Lions aimed to avenge their playoff loss to the 49ers, while San Francisco hoped to spoil Detroit’s quest for the NFC’s top seed. Dan Quinn’s offense found its rhythm, scoring on every second-half drive before sealing the 40-34 win by running out the clock.
How did the 49ers’ defense collapse so drastically? Though their defense had underperformed in 2024, the level of breakdown was surprising. After the game, Kyle Shanahan addressed the media, dissecting what went wrong in the final moments.
“First off, they faced an offense that challenges you everywhere – talent, scheme, all of it. They’ve done that to plenty of teams this year. With their motions and man coverages, we had communication errors, and two guys dropped coverage on key plays. It’s tough, but that led to big gains,” Shanahan explained.
“Our tackling wasn’t great early on, especially with [Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs], who’s hard to bring down. Our angles should have put us in better third-down situations, but we didn’t track well. Against an offense like that, you need to be sharp. We had good moments, but not consistently enough, and they capitalized,” Shanahan added.
Following the 2023 season, the 49ers parted ways with Steve Wilks after his defense fell short compared to DeMeco Ryans, who became the Texans’ head coach. Wilks’ defense ranked third against the run but 14th in pass defense for the 12-5 team.
Despite overseeing the eighth-ranked defense overall, he was let go. In 2024, Nick Sorensen’s unit ranked 17th in run defense, surrendering 22 rushing touchdowns – the second-most in the league – while placing fourth in pass defense for a six-win team with the sixth-ranked defense.
Could Sorensen be on the hot seat? Likely not, unless Robert Saleh returns to lead the defense – a possibility, but not a strong one. However, the 49ers must invest heavily in defensive upgrades, aside from safety. After years of elite play, John Lynch faces a critical offseason to bolster the defense for 2025.
