The San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions met in last year’s NFC Championship Game. It was a surprising matchup given the upstart nature of the Lions and the 49ers’ status as consistent contenders in the conference.
In the end, San Francisco was able to overcome a 24-7 halftime deficit to win by the score of 34-31.
Detroit’s performance in the narrow loss lend credence to the idea that these two were the favorites in the conference heading into the 2024 season.
That’s no longer necessarily the case after what we saw during NFL Week 2 on Sunday. Both teams played in the early slate. Each one suffered their first loss of the season after big Week 1 wins.
Detroit narrowly fell at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by the score of 20-16. It’s a game that saw quarterback Jared Goff throw two interceptions.
Taking on the Vikings in Minnesota, San Francisco put up a mistake-filled performance in an ugly 23-17 loss. Brock Purdy threw an interception and lost another fumble. The 49ers’ previously elite defense also allowed a franchise-record 97-yard touchdown to Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson.
We get that it’s just one week of action. We also no that we’re only two weeks into the 2024 season. But there can be a lot ready into these performances coupled with what we’ve seen from other teams in the NFC thus far.
Related: Detroit Lions standing in Sportsnaut’s NFL power rankings
Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers open thing up for other contenders in NFC
As the 49ers and Lions were dropping their first games of the season, other NFC teams continued to impress. No, we’re not talking about a Dallas Cowboys squad that was blown out at home by the New Orleans Saints.
Rather, we can look at three teams — two of which played the 49ers and Lions on Sunday. Obviously, we’re including both the Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers among that group. The Buccaneers also get similar treatment.
New Orleans laid the hammer down on the Cowboys on Sunday, winning by the score of 44-19. That included scoring 35 points in the first half against one of the elite defenses in the NFL. New Orleans has now outscored its first two opponents by a combined margin of 91-29. That’s absolutely insane stuff.
As for the Buccaneers, they blew out the Washington Commanders in Week 1. That game saw Baker Mayfield throw four touchdown passes. They then went into Detroit and held the Lions’ offense in check on Sunday despite a somewhat lackluster performance from Mayfield and the Buccaneers’ offense.
Related: NFL Week 2 winners and losers
Perhaps the most surprising of this trio, Minnesota entered the season seemingly in retooling mode after losing Kirk Cousins in free agency. Once rookie first-round pick J.J. McCarthy went down to a season-ending injury during the summer, that was magnified further.
Enter into the equation veteran journeyman Sam Darnold. The former New York Jets first-round bust had not proven to be a starter-caliber quarterback leading up to the 2024 season.
Through two games, he’s changed that narrative. Sure, Week 1’s win came against a lowly New York Giants team. But defeating the defending NFC champs Sunday was an eye-opener.
None of these three teams are at the same level of the 49ers and Lions just yet. But the gap is obviously narrowing.