Detroit Lions: Keys to Beating the San Francisco 49ers

The Detroit Lions are the best thing to hit Detroit since the automobile right now. Their next opponent are the San Francisco 49ers, who are a surprising 4-1 and not to be taken for granted. New head coach Jim Harbaugh has his team believing and the team is pumping out wins. The keys to beating the 49ers aren't as easy as one thought they would be at the beginning of the season. 

The Lions are coming off a solid win on Monday Night Football in front of a raucous crowd at Ford Field and are 5-0. While the team improved in some areas against the Chicago Bears in Week 5, other areas are still in needed for positive growth.

The Lions aren't a Super Bowl team quality quite yet, but they sure do look better every week.

With nine wins between the 49ers and Lions, the Week 6 matchup is suddenly the most compelling in the entire NFL. The 49ers look to make believers out of everyone with an upset win in Detroit while the Lions look to avoid a hiccup and continue their roll. 

This game will be a battle for all football fans. 

No. 7: Continue to Feed off of the Crowd

Ford Field was thunderous in Week 5 for Monday Night Football. There was a record crowd of 67,000-plus on hand and the Detroit Lions didn't disappoint.

The crowd forced the Chicago Bears to commit three "false start" penalties on the opening drive alone. Ford Field has never been louder.  

Being at the game and then watching the recorded version, ESPN had to drown out some of the crowd noise so viewers at home could hear Mike Tirico and the announcers in the booth. The place was a mad house—don't expect it to become quiet anytime soon. 

This is the new culture in Detroit and the rest of the NFL will struggle to communicate during games. The San Francisco 49ers will get an earful, no doubt.

No. 6: Be Sure to Tackle Frank Gore

Frank Gore is a human boulder in the backfield for the San Francisco 49'ers. The man is coming off back-to-back 100 yard games and has an even 400 yards on the season.

The Lions must wrap Gore up and not allow him to plow through their efforts. If the Lions fail to do so Gore will make them pay. 

No. 5: Come out Cool, Calm and Collected

The Detroit Lions are becoming notorious for slow start's at the beginning of games. The team is in a maturing process but should now be familiar with what consistently winning feels like.

Emotions have been running high the last couple of weeks. Week 4 brought Matthew Stafford back home to Texas to face the Dallas Cowboys and Week 5 brought the boys in Honolulu Blue home for Monday Night Football. How could the team not be amped?

Now that those emotional games are behind the team, expect the Lions to be much more calm in the early moments of the game. Fans and analysts alike always say that a team has to learn how to win. The Lions have done that and are now learning how to handle the zeal that comes with winning.

With the excitement of Week 5 now under the Lions' belt, expect the team to come out focused against the San Francisco 49ers. 

No. 4: Continue to Improve the Running Game

After it seemed that the Lions once again had a nonexistent running game, Jahvid Best busted out an 88-yard touchdown in the third quarter to the delight of Lions fans everywhere. In the end, Best had a career night with 163 yards on 12 carries. 

This is great, but the Lions have to prove that Week 5 against the Chicago Bears wasn't a stroke of luck. The San Francisco 49'rs have a top-tier run defense, allowing just 76.4 yards a game. With the likes of linebacker Patrick Willis stalking opposing running backs, the Lions will have their hands full.  

The Lions need to execute on both sides of the ball at the line of scrimmage and establish the running game by the second quarter. 

No. 3: Commit More Penalties

HUMOR—

The Lions committed a dozen penalties for 94 yards in Week 5 against the Chicago Bears. That now makes 41 for the season. 

The Lions have been guilty of so many penalties it has become entertaining. The only reason it's entertaining is because the team is winning. 

In reality, it's not funny at all and if this trend continues it will cost the Lions a game. This needs to stop now.

No. 2: Remind Alex Smith That Matthew Stafford Is the Better No. 1 Overall Pick

Sunday's game has the interesting side story of two No. 1 overall draft picks going against each other at the quarterback position.

San Francisco 49'ers quarterback Alex Smith went No. 1 in 2005 while Detroit Lions quarterback went first in 2009. 

This is the year of fruition for both players. While Stafford is returning from two years of injury, Smith is beginning to find his groove under the tutelage of head coach Jim Harbaugh. To this point, Smith is on pace for a career year. 

The Lions defense needs to remind Smith that he's nothing special. The Lions sacked Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler three times in Week 5 despite coming close a handful of other times. Smith won't be so lucky as the Lions defense will be sure to take the former No. 1 pick to the turf.

Also, look for Matthew Stafford to exploit the 49ers secondary, who are allowing 264 yards a game through the air this year. They let Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick to drop 416 yards on them two weeks ago.  

No. 1: Time of Possession Is a Must

The Detroit Lions defense has been on the field entirely too much the last two weeks.

In Week 5 versus the Chicago Bears, the Lions offense only held the ball for 20:57. Much of this problem is due to the lack of a running game, which wasn't discovered until the second half against the Bears.

Lions Offensive Coordinator Scott Linehan must find a way to maintain possession longer than 20 minutes. The Lions have a deep defensive line, but that doesn't mean they can compete for 35-plus minutes every week. 

Look for Linehan to find a way to successfully run the ball and eat up some clock against the San Francisco 49ers.