49ers at Lions
THE STORY: When the 2011 NFL schedule was released, few outside the two organizations expected the Week 6 game between the San Francisco 49ers and host Detroit Lions to be relevant in the NFC landscape. Sunday’s game, though, features first-place teams with a combined 9-1 record (they were 1-9 at this point last season) who do not appear will be done playing when the regular season ends. Detroit kept its perfect record intact with a 24-13 victory over rival Chicago while San Francisco crushed Tampa Bay 48-3 last week for its third straight victory. The Lions are 5-0 for the first time since 1956, one year before they won their last NFL title.
TV: FOX, 1 p.m. ET. LINE: Lions -4, O/U 46
ABOUT THE LIONS (5-0): Quarterback Matt Stafford is second in the NFL with 13 touchdown passes, and has arguably the top receiver at his disposal. Calvin Johnson has nine touchdowns, the first receiver in NFL history to have that many after his team’s first five games. On defense, tackle Ndamukong Suh has led a resurgence that has the Lions 12th in defense after finishing 21st last season. Detroit, which has won nine straight and is one of two remaining undefeated teams (Green Bay), has trailed at halftime in its last three games, but has outscored opponents 109-23 in the second half this season. The Lions have lost seven straight to the 49ers.
ABOUT THE 49ERS (4-1): San Francisco leads the NFL in red zone defense, preventing touchdowns at a 73.3 percent rate, and hasn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in 27 straight games, the longest active streak in the NFL. Quarterback Alex Smith is third behind Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers with a 104.1 passer rating. Smith will be without wide receiver Josh Morgan, who's out for the season with a broken bone in his lower right leg. And with Braylon Edwards (knee) also out, San Francisco will have to rely more on running back Frank Gore, who has 252 of his 400 yards in the last two weeks.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. The 49ers are first in the NFL in turnover margin at plus-10, while the Lions are second at plus-7.
2. San Francisco’s 45-point margin of victory last week was its highest since Super Bowl XXIV, when it trounced Denver 55-10.
3. Detroit running back Jahvid Best rushed for a career-high 163 yards last week, including an 88-yard touchdown run.