Monday Night Football - Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers Odds and Picks

When the NFL schedule was released in April, this game looked like it would be the marquee matchup of the penultimate week of the 2024 regular season. The San Francisco 49ers beat the Detroit Lions 34-31 in the NFC Championship Game last year, and these two teams were the favorites to win the conference again in 2024 by the NFL futures odds. However, while the Lions have lived up to their hype despite injuries to Aidan Hutchinson and other defensive starters, the 49ers have floundered. San Francisco will end the season with a losing record and can only hope to play spoiler on Monday Night Football. 

Bet the latest NFL odds Right Now!

Week 17 Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers

Detroit Lions -3.5 San Francisco 49ers +3.5 Total 51

Many bettors will see this as a trap line considering Detroit is 13-2 and San Francisco has nothing to play for at 6-9. Still, the Lions have seen most of the action with the line moving from Detroit -3 to Detroit -3.5 over the course of the week. The total has slightly dropped from 51.5 to where it sits now. 

Detroit Lions Overview

It’s been another great season for the Detroit Lions. They are the favorites to win the NFC per the football futures odds, and the Lions will be the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC Playoffs if they win their remaining two games.

Jared Goff is having another phenomenal year. He would be in the MVP race if not for a disastrous performance against Houston on Sunday Night Football, but he is still completing 71.4% of his passes for 4,095 yards (8.7 YPA) with 33 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Amon-Ra St. Brown is once again the top option with 101 catches for 1,126 yards and 11 touchdowns, but Jameson Williams has been a great big play threat with 47 receptions for 890 yards and six scores.

The Lions have two great running backs in Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. Gibbs has run for 1,156 yards (5.5 YPC) and 12 touchdowns, while Montgomery has run for 775 yards (4.2 YPC) and 12 touchdowns. That has kept the pressure off Goff, as the offensive line has excelled in both run blocking and pass blocking. Montgomery won’t be available for the next few weeks though as he suffered an MCL sprain in the loss to Buffalo two weeks ago.

The big question for Detroit in the playoffs is whether or not the defense can hold up. The Lions are allowing just 19.9 PPG, but they were gashed by the Bills. They are giving up 5.7 yards per play (27th in the NFL), and they have a whopping 12 defensive players on injured reserve. 

San Francisco 49ers Overview

Brock Purdy is completing 65% of his passes for 3,487 yards (8.3 YPA) with 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Purdy is a running threat too, and he may need to use his legs considering how banged up the 49ers’ running backs have been this season. Christian McCaffrey has been dealing with various issues all year and only played in four games before being shut down. Jordan Mason suffered a season-ending ankle injury three weeks ago, and rookie Isaac Guerendo is questionable with foot and hamstring issues. 

Purdy’s options in the passing game are somewhat healthy. Brandon Aiyuk is on injured reserve, but George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Jauan Jennings are all expected to play. Unfortunately, the offensive line is very banged up with three starters out and two additional starters listed as questionable.

San Francisco’s defense is healthier than it has been recently. Nick Bosa and Talanoa Hufanga are both back on the field, while Fred Warner continues to play at a high level. The 49ers rank second in total defense, surrendering 304.3 YPG, but they rank 29th in red zone scoring defense. 

Monday Night Football Prediction

I just can’t bet San Francisco in this spot. The 49ers are 5-10 ATS and have been continually disappointing this season. There is no reason for San Francisco to be motivated at this point, so I think the Niners will just be content to play out the string.

Final Score: Detroit 30, San Francisco 20

Bet the latest NFL odds Right Now!