Early 49ers vs. Lions NFL Week 1 Predictions

The San Francisco 49ers will kick off their 2021 schedule with a road trip to Detroit to take on the Lions in Week 1. 

San Francisco 49ers vs. Detroit Lions

Sunday, September 12, 2021 – 01:00 PM EDT

According to BetOnline’s oddsmakers (visit our BetOnline Review), the Niners should return to the Bay Area with a win as they open up as 7 ½ favorites. The only other team that week with a 7-point spread is the Chicago Bears and LA Rams matchup. 

Sunday, September 12th, 2021 will mark the fifth time that the 49ers and Lions have met each other in a Week 1 showdown. The last time San Francisco played Detroit on the road was in 2015 and resulted in a 32-15 loss. In their most recent 2018 matchup, the Niners pulled off a 30-27 victory. San Francisco leads the all-time series vs. Detroit 38-28-1. 

This meeting will be extra special with the 49ers’ starting quarterback still up in the air while the Lions have a new QB via trade-in Jared Goff. Goff isn’t too foreign as the 49ers have seen him against the Rams in previous years before Detroit gave up Matthew Stafford for Goff in a blockbuster trade this offseason.

Both Teams Should Look Brand New

It’s hard to focus on the past since these two teams will look completely different when they line up this season, and the best betting sites know this. 

The Lions finished the 2020 campaign with a 5-11 record and are in the midst of a complete makeover with hopes of bouncing back this year. 

Aside from a huge QB shift, the Lions also split with wide receivers Jamal Agnew and Marvin Jones Jr.,who both went to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Kenny Golladay, who landed in New York with the Giants. In response, the team signed wideouts Breshad Perriman, Tyrell Williams, running back Jamaal Williams and tight end Josh Hill and in free agency.

In the 2021 NFL Draft, Detroit made it a priority to bolster their offensive line by taking top-rated Oregon tackle Penei Sewell with the seventh-overall pick. 

As for the 49ers, their 2020 finish wasn’t much better at 6-10. However, their problems focus on several key injuries and the roster should look 100 percent healthy once September rolls around. 

QB Jimmy Garoppolo says his ankle is already back to feeling 100 percent while star tight end George Kittle has had no setbacks and is practicing again. Head coach Kyle Shanahan also expects pass rusher Nick Bosa to fully participate in offseason training camp. 

The 49ers also went to the extreme ahead of the 2021 NFL draft and traded up nine spots to snag quarterback Trey Lance. Which signal-caller will start Week 1 remains a big question mark. 

Despite the Niners looking like the more stable team with the same players returning, jumping on a 7-point spread right now is still too early. We’ll check the NFL betting odds back in July to see how things are looking once camp gets rolling and we get a feel for what the starting roster will look like. 

The 49ers Could Add Another Offensive Weapon via Trade

Another big move that could make or break the 49ers is a trade with the Atlanta Falcons for star wideout Julio Jones. 

That’s right. The 49ers are among top teams on sportsbooks to land the seven-time Pro Bowler which would make their offense even scarier if everyone can stay healthy. 

Jones “unknowingly” went live on Undisputed where he told NFL analyst Shannan Sharpe that he was “outta there” in reference to Atlanta. He also mentioned that he wanted to play for a contender. 

Aside from joining a winning potential team, Coming to the Bay Area would give Jones a sense of familiarity after already playing under Shanahan for two seasons. With Shanahan as Atlanta’s offensive coordinator, Jones posted his best numbers to date where he finished with 136 receptions in 2015, which tied for third-most ever. He also notched 1,871 yards that put him second to Calvin Johnson’s 1,964-yard single-season record.

While Jones was only available for nine games last season due to a hamstring injury, he claims to be back to himself and would make sense to join a team that hasn’t had a 1,000-yard wide receiver since 2014.

We should find out the Atlanta Falcons final decision on Julio Jones as early as next week, according to league sources. 

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