January 18, 2012; San Francisco CA, USA; Painting crews work on the field in preparation for the playoff game between the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Giants at Candlestick Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox

Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers
Candlestick Park – San Francisco, CA
Game Time: 8:20 PM ET
TV: NBC
Radio: WXYT-FM 97.1 in Detroit (click here for affiliates), KSAN-FM 107.7 in San Francisco (click here for affiliates)
Favorite: 49ers by 7
Game Time Weather: 63, partly cloudy

Injury Report
Detroit Lions
Out – Bill Bentley (concussion)
Doubtful – Louis Delmas (knee), Chris Houston (ankle), Travis Lewis (quad)
Questionable – Lawrence Jackson (calf), Corey Williams (knee)
Probable – Calvin Johnson (foot)

San Francisco 49ers
Questionable – Ted Ginn (ankle), Brandon Jacobs (knee)
Probable – Navorro Bowman (shoulder), Andy Lee (hand)

When we last met: October 16, 2011
The Lions brought a 5-0 record into their 2011 meeting with the San Francisco 49ers and had themselves in position to move to 6-0 but it wasn’t to be. The 49ers scored the game’s last ten points, including the go-ahead touchdown on a fourth and goal play, to win 25-19. Frank Gore gashed the Lions defense for 141 rushing yards on just 15 carries and the 49ers defense sacked Matthew Stafford five times.

Join the Discussion: If you’re a twitter user, use the hashtag #SLRchat during the game to have your tweets featured in this thread in the widget below. The widget will scroll with the most recent tweets so all are able to keep up to date on the latest reactions whether you’re actively participating or not.

If you’re not a twitter user you can still join in the discussion tonight by using the comments section of this post.

October 16, 2011; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) looks over the San Francisco defense during game between the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco 49ers at Ford Field. San Francisco won 25-19. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-US PRESSWIRE

It wouldn’t be surprising if the Lions didn’t circle the game against the 49ers as an important early season matchup when the schedule was released last April. Now that the game is finally here, what are the sentiments like on the other side?

I got together with Eric Melendez, editor of Niner Noise, to get a feel for the matchup and the 49ers from the San Francisco perspective. My thanks to Eric for taking the time to answer my questions.

1. Despite a very good 2011 season a lot of people were surprised with the 49ers win over the Packers in week one. What is the buzz with 49ers fans?

Eric Melendez: The rest of the NFL is now catching up with the 49ers fans way of thinking, which is San Francisco is a legitimate Super Bowl contender. I was surprised by the way people reacted to the Packers loss to the 49ers. Many thought it was the Packers who lost the game, but it was clear the 49ers were the better team on offense, including in the passing game, and defense. The 49ers dominated throughout the game and shut down a late Aaron Rodgers rally, all at Lambeau Field. A lot of people don’t give the 49ers credit because of Alex Smith. But, what they don’t realize is Jim Harbaugh has molded Smith into the franchise quarterback the team thought they drafted back in 2005.

2. Neither coach wants to talk about last year’s post game handshake yet Schwartz keeps getting asked about it. Why the media keeps asking about it is inexplicable considering Lions fans don’t care to hear about it anyway. How are 49ers fans handling the handshake coverage?

EM: The attention around the post game handshake is not surprising because the media loves side stories and to amplify them. For better or worse, rarely is one of the focuses of the game on the head coaches. Most Niners are not putting too much stock in the handshake coverage, other than it gives them another reason to cheer louder for the 49ers and boo the Lions. Personally, I like the attention surrounding Handshake Gate, because even though both Harbaugh and Schwartz say it is not an issue, you know they are thinking about. Both coaches are hugely competitive and want to win in the national spotlight on Sunday Night Football. They would also like to have bragging rights with the win.

3. Alex Smith looks like a different quarterback now than the start of last season. Is that all Jim Harbaugh and what differences do you notice most?

EM: A big problem of Alex Smith’s early career was a lack of continuity at offensive coordinator and having a head coach that believed in him as a starter. This is only Smith’s second time in his seven year career he entered a season with the same offensive coordinator. The last time this happened, 2009-2010, the 49ers had Mike Singletary at head coach who would go on to replace Smith with Troy Smith in 2010, who is no longer in the NFL. At offensive coordinator during those two seasons, Smith had Jimmy Raye who ran a vanilla offense and was fired after week three in 2010.

Jim Harbaugh has made a huge difference in the way Smith played last season and in week one. When Harbaugh joined the 49ers he brought in someone he was familiar with, Greg Roman, to serve as offensive coordinator. Roman had the same title under Harbaugh at Stanford from 2009-2010, so they are on the same page on how they want to run the offense. Harbaugh has a great track record of developing quarterbacks and Smith was his biggest challenge yet. The biggest difference with Smith is he has confidence not only from his head coach, but confidence in himself, capable of being a successful starting quarterback.

4. The Lions offense against 49ers defense will be a great strength vs. strength matchup to watch, what do you see as the keys that could determine which strength prevails?

EM: The 49ers defensive line is one strongest in the NFL but it will be a tough pushing the Lions offensive linemen past the line of scrimmage. One of the keys for the 49ers will be their linebackers moving in quickly to rush Stafford out of the pocket and meeting the running backs at the line of scrimmage to stop their momentum. The 49ers did this well against the Packers who run a similar style of offense like the Lions that focuses on the pass, interspersed with runs. For the 49ers to prevail, they will need their secondary to be able to double cover and shut down Calvin Johnson, while not allowing the Lions other weapons to get open for big gains.

5. What is your prediction for Sunday night’s game?

EM: The game will be much like last season’s contest in Detroit, with a back and forth, edge of your seat game decided in the final minutes. A defensive touchdown will give the 49ers a led in the fourth quarter and they will hold on to win 31-25.

Oct 16, 2011; Detroit, MI, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore (21) rushes for a touchdown in the first quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber- US PRESSWIRE

The game between the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers is a big deal. Both teams made the playoffs last year and have playoff aspirations this year as well. Need some help with a few things to watch for while the game is being played? I offer these five:

Lions Passing Pocket – The Lions will have to protect Matthew Stafford and give him time to throw if they are to pull off the upset. The 49ers sacked Stafford five times in last year’s meeting and pressured him even more than that in forcing a 28-of-50 passing performance.

Calvin vs. Frank – The Lions and 49ers are two very different offensive teams, each with a primary offensive playmaker. The Lions have wide receiver Calvin Johnson while the 49ers have running back Frank Gore. Gore gained 141 rushing yards against the Lions last year while Johnson had 113 receiving yards against the 49ers defense. Can CJ outgain Gore this year? The winner of this game could be determined by the star who shines the brightest.

Turnovers – It’s no secret that the turnover battle has a dramatic impact on an NFL game. Lions fans need look no further than last week when three interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, were the only reason the Rams were able to put a scare into the Lions. Without those interceptions, it would have been a blowout. The 49ers haven’t turned the ball over in their last six regular season games, one more and they’ll tie the 2010 Patriots for the league’s longest stretch of turnover-free games. Alex Smith hasn’t thrown a pick in 185 passes (a franchise best) and Frank Gore hasn’t fumbled in 226 touches (a career high).

Penalties – Like turnovers, the penalty situation can have a dramatic impact on a game. The 49ers were able to beat the Lions last year even after being flagged 15 times for 120 yards. The Lions have had plenty of ups and downs in the penalty department over the past couple seasons. They can afford a “down” performance against a team like the 49ers.

The Handshake – Talk of last year’s postgame handshake between Jim Schwartz and Jim Harbaugh has been an overblown talking point by the mainstream media. That being said, I’ll give it a few words simply because whether or not the coaches complete a handshake or hug after Sunday night’s game is one of this week’s special prop bets on Bovada. Yes pays 1/5, no pays 3/1. If you’re inclined to bet, bet on yes.