49ers win 30-27 in Week 2, hang on despite Lions’ fourth-quarter surge

The San Francisco 49ers pulled off their first win of 2018, knocking off the visiting Detroit Lions 30-27 in Week 2. Thanks to running back Matt Breida and a bounce-back Niners offense, San Francisco is now back to the .500 mark on the young season.

It wasn't always pretty, but the San Francisco 49ers managed to pull off their first win of the season by handling the visiting Detroit Lions 30-27 at Levi's Stadium on Sunday.

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and the Niners offense moved backwards in their first red-zone drive, back-to-back sacks that resulted in a 17-yard loss and a field goal from kicker Robbie Gould. And after going 1-of-4 in red-zone drives against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1, head coach Kyle Shanahan wasn't going to be happy about that particular appearance.

Overall, however, the Niners managed to go 2-of-5 in the red zone in Week 2. And Shanahan's play-calling efforts looked a bit more promising on San Francisco's second red-zone appearance, ending with a four-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kendrick Bourne early in the second quarter:

Bourne's touchdown made up for cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon's coverage gaffe earlier against Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay, who ran right by Witherspoon for a Detroit first-quarter touchdown. And Golladay was at least 10 yards down the field before Witherspoon even turned around.

The Lions pass attack figured to be the most potent thing coordinator Robert Saleh and the 49ers defense would face Sunday. Overall, quarterback Matthew Stafford tossed for 347 yards and three touchdowns against zero interceptions with a passer rating of 101.7.

Meanwhile, San Francisco held Detroit to a mere 98 yards rushing.

Tight end Garrett Celek managed to get on the score sheet in the second half, an 11-yard touchdown grab that continued the celebrated "Celek Time" moniker from a year ago.

But the biggest play from San Francisco's efforts was running back Matt Breida's 66-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter:

The Lions allowed New York Jets running back Isaiah Crowell to rush for 102 yards on 10 carries in Week 1. Breida's efforts in Week 2? A modest 138 yards on 11 carries and the touchdown.

Detroit made things interesting in the fourth quarter, exposing nickel cornerback K'Waun Williams for a 67-yard catch by wide receiver Golden Tate that eventually led to a Marvin Jones touchdown. And the Lions also managed a touchdown their following drive -- a 15-yard touchdown by tight end Michael Roberts, which whittled what was a 17-point 49ers fourth-quarter lead down to three points with just over three minutes remaining in regulation.

Despite some questionable offensive play calling by the 49ers in the fourth quarter, Shanahan and Co. managed to get into the win column for the first time in 2018.

This and That

Wide receiver Marquise Goodwin (quad) was listed as inactive for the contest, meaning rookie wideout Dante Pettis got the start opposite Pierre Garçon. Pettis suffered a minor injury late in the first half but was able to return to action.

Garoppolo was sacked six times during the game, and at least three of those were the direct result of him either not escaping the pocket or just by holding onto the ball for too long. Most of those woes evaporated in the second half, but Jimmy G's first-half pocket presence wasn't particularly good.

Lions cornerback Darius Slay suffered a concussion after a collision with fullback Kyle Juszczyk and had to exit the game.