Lions vs. 49ers: Spread Info, Line and Predictions

The San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions will both look to get off to a 2-0 start when the two teams square off Sunday night on NBC.

The high-profile matchup features two playoff teams from last season, and figures to offer a ton of momentum for the winner.

Last week, we saw San Francisco establish themselves as an elite team once again by handling the Packers in a 30-22 win on the road. The Lions, on the other hand, found a way to win against the St. Louis Rams, but the 27-23 win didn't exactly wow fans.

With a prime-time slot on Sunday night, this is a big game for both teams. Here's a look at what you need to know about this clash between two NFC titans.

Where: Candlestick Park, San Francisco, Calif.

When: Sunday, September 16, 8:20 p.m. ET

Watch: NBC

Over/Under: 47

It's tough to call these over/unders this early into the season because we don't have a good sample size to see what these teams can do, and the preseason offers little to no insight (ask the New York Jets about that).

This spread is one of the highest of the week at 47, which makes sense as both teams games were just above this number last week. What makes this number intriguing is that, when these two teams met late last season, the Niners won 25-19 and the two teams combined for 44 points.

San Francisco held the Packers' dynamic offense to just seven points through three quarters, only for Green Bay put up 15 in the final frame to make it a relatively high-scoring game. The Lions aren't quite as dynamic as the Packers, so there's a good chance this could go under.

Spread: San Francisco -7 (via Bovada)

Vegas favors San Francisco here by a touchdown, and it isn't hard to see why.

The Niners looked excellent Week 1 in beating the Packers. San Francisco won that game by eight points, but they were in the driver's seat the entire time, and it took a huge effort from Aaron Rodgers and Co. to even get Green Bay within striking distance in the fourth quarter.

The Lions bring a similar reliance on the passing game to the Packers, so it stands to reason that this is a good matchup for San Francisco. The Lions are an exciting team on offense, but Jim Harbaugh's defense could be the best in the league, and they should be able to go toe-to-toe with Detroit, giving their improving offense plenty of opportunities to score.

Prop Bet of the Game: Will Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz shake hands or hug after the game?

Bovada has set a line on whether or not head coaches Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz, of the 49ers and Lions respectively, will shake hands after the game.

After last season's meeting between the two teams, Harbaugh and Schwartz shook hands but eventually got into a somewhat heated exchange afterwards. The fact that there is a line being set on a post-game handshake is quite comical.

A handshake happening is the heavy favorite right now (-500) and is a solid bet, Schwartz and Harbaugh's incident was almost a year ago and it's doubtful that they would let something happen again after all the attention the incident received last season.

For those who believe the confrontation will continue, no handshake or hug is currently coming in as a +300 underdog.

Key Injuries (via CBSSports.com)

San Francisco 49ers
LB	Navorro Bowman	Shoulder		Probable
WR	Ted Ginn Jr.	Ankle		Questionable
RB	Brandon Jacobs	Knee		Questionable

Detroit Lions
CB	Bill Bentley	Concussion		Questionable
S	Louis Delmas	Knee		Questionable
CB	Chris Houston	Ankle		Questionable
DE	Lawrence Jackson	Calf		Questionable
WR	Calvin Johnson	Foot		Probable
LB	Travis Lewis	Quadricep		Questionable
DT	Corey Williams	Knee		Questionable

Fantasy Big Plays

Obviously, Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford have become must-start commodities in fantasy football, but here are some other fantasy options that are sure to put up points this week.

Kevin Smith, RB, Detroit Lions

The San Francisco defense is daunting, but after Kevin Smith's performance last week, he's a must-start. Filling in the void left by Jahvid Best, Smith proved to be a versatile weapon for the Lions, scoring both a rushing and receiving touchdown and pleasantly surprising anyone that happened to have him in their lineup. 

This may not be a great matchup, but the Lions will need to have at least a semblance of balance here so the opportunity is there for Smith to score some points.

Vernon Davis, TE, San Francisco 49ers

Davis is one of the NFL's most athletic tight ends, and he's capable of making big plays at any given moment. The Niners finally have some weapons in the passing game with Randy Moss and Mario Manningham in the fold, but those additions have actually made Davis more valuable.

Defenses can no longer key on Davis with Manningham and Moss around, so his opportunities to make big plays have increased. He took advantage of that last week with three catches, 43 yards and a touchdown. Look for him to be more involved this week as the Niners open up the offense.

Prediction

The way San Francisco handled Green Bay last week, it's hard to pick anyone else as the best team in football right now. The defense was incredible, and Alex Smith continues to show that he can win football games as the starting quarterback.

The Niners aren't the most flashy team, but a road win against Green Bay shows they can beat anybody. Coming home, they should be able to win this game against another explosive NFC North offense.

For the Lions to win, they'll need huge games from Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson. Stafford is coming off a three-interception performance against the St. Louis Rams, so he will need to improve drastically this week if the Lions have a chance at pulling off the upset.

The first quarter will be pivotal, as the Lions must get off to a fast start. If not, they could see a steady diet of the physical San Francisco running game and another stellar performance from this defense. Ultimately, the 49ers are simply playing too well to pick against them.

San Francisco, 27-17