Lions beat the 49ers 40-34 in a tune-up for Week 18 division showdown

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The big prizes for the Detroit Lions remain on the horizon, with the team seeking a division title, the top seed in the NFC playoffs and the franchise's first Super Bowl trip.

With almost nothing at stake in a rematch of last season's NFC championship game that Detroit lost to San Francisco, coach Dan Campbell and the Lions approached it with the same sort of ferocity that has defined his tenure.

Jared Goff threw three touchdown passes and the Lions tuned up for their Week 18 division showdown against Minnesota by beating the 49ers 40-34 on Monday night.

“That’s the only way we know. It's just go and find a way to win,” Goff said. "This is what ended our season last year. There’s a lot of guys on this team that were there last year that wanted to get one back on them even though in a lot of ways it was meaningless for them and it was meaningless for us."

The stakes for this game were miniscule compared to the last meeting between the teams when a berth in the Super Bowl was on the line last January.

San Francisco was eliminated from playoff contention last week and Detroit plays Minnesota in the regular-season finale next week, with the winner earning the NFC North title and top seed in the NFC playoffs, and the loser relegated to being the first 14-win wild-card team in NFL history.

“This is just fairytale stuff,” Campbell said.

Had the Vikings lost on Sunday, Detroit could have clinched the division and No. 1 seed on Monday night. But now the win against the 49ers would only matter if Detroit and Minnesota tie in Week 18, with the Lions now set to earn the No. 1 seed in that unlikely scenario.

Campbell said he considered resting some starters but decided it would be unfair to the backups who hadn't prepared and the starters who still would have had to play. It all worked out, with the Lions getting the win and coming out healthy.

“I ended up settling on the right thing to do was playing those guys,” he said. "We owed it to the team. ... That was tough. I think the biggest thing is there was things we wanted to do better than we did last week, and we did."

Goff threw a go-ahead touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown in the final minute of the third quarter following the first of Kerby Joseph's two second-half interceptions against Brock Purdy.

That proved to be enough for the Lions (14-2) to complete a perfect regular season away from home, beat the 49ers (6-10) on the road for the first time since 1975 and get a small bit of revenge for last season's playoff loss.

“I still had that chip on my shoulder from last year,” Joseph said. “We were so close and we just came up short.”

Jahymr Gibbs put the game away with a 30-yard touchdown run with less than three minutes left following Purdy's second interception, giving him 117 yards on the night.

The offenses dominated for much of the night, with the teams scoring touchdowns on the first five possessions and Purdy and Goff combining to complete the first 17 passes of the game — including a perfectly executed hook-and-ladder play that led to a 42-yard TD for Goff.

He threw a short pass to St. Brown, who immediately pitched the ball to Jameson Williams, who streaked down the sideline for the final 41 yards and his second TD of the first half.

The only stops of the half came when Renardo Green broke up a pass in the end zone from Goff to Sam LaPorta and when Jake Moody missed a 51-yard field goal in the closing seconds for San Francisco.

Purdy threw a 5-yard pop pass for a TD on San Francisco's opening drive of the second half before Detroit's defense finally managed a stop when Joseph intercepted an overthrown pass by Purdy.

Goff turned that into a 4-yard TD pass to St. Brown on fourth-and-goal to give the Lions their first lead at 31-28 late in the third quarter.

Moody missed a 58-yard field goal that could have tied the game early in the fourth quarter for his ninth missed field goal of the season. Moody also missed an extra point after Joshua Dobbs scored on a TD run in the final minute.

“We weren’t able to slow them down enough on defense,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “That’s a real good offense, but we still have to slow them down a little bit more. That was the difference in the game. We had to win in it in a shootout. I thought the difference was our two turnovers.”

Lions: RT Penei Sewell went to the locker room early at the end of the first half to get a thumb injury checked out but there is no concern about his status.

49ers: Purdy left late in the fourth quarter after hurting his throwing elbow on a sack. Purdy said his elbow “doesn’t feel the best” but initial testing showed his surgically repaired ligament from an injury sustained in the 2022 NFC title game against Philadelphia is fine.

Lions: Host Minnesota on Sunday night.

49ers: Visit Arizona on Sunday.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) catches a touchdown over San Francisco 49ers cornerback Isaac Yiadom (22) during the second half of an NFL football game Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (1) scores a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) runs for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) catches a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) celebrates his touchdown catch with teammate during the second half of an NFL football game Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (26) scores a rushing touchdown past San Francisco 49ers cornerback Renardo Green (0) during the second half of an NFL football game Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass to wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

ALEPPO, Syria (AP) — Scores of U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters left two neighborhoods in Syria’s northern city of Aleppo Friday as part of a deal with the central government in Damascus, which is expanding its authority in the country.

The fighters left the predominantly Kurdish northern neighborhoods of Sheikh Maksoud and Achrafieh, which had been under the control of Kurdish fighters in Aleppo over the past decade.

The deal is a boost to an agreement reached last month between Syria’s interim government and the Kurdish-led authority that controls the country’s northeast. The deal could eventually lead to the merger of the main U.S.-backed force in Syria into the Syrian army.

The withdrawal of fighters from the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces came a day after dozens of prisoners from both sides were freed in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city.

Syria’s state news agency, SANA, reported that government forces were deployed along the road that SDF fighters will use to move between Aleppo and areas east of the Euphrates River, where the Kurdish-led force controls nearly a quarter of Syria.

Sheikh Maksoud and Achrafieh had been under SDF control since 2015 and remained so even when forces of ousted President Bashar Assad captured Aleppo in late 2016. The two neighborhoods remained under SDF control when forces loyal to current interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa captured the city in November, and days later captured the capital, Damascus, removing Assad from power.

After being marginalized for decades under the rule of the Assad family rule, the deal signed last month promises Syria’s Kurds “constitutional rights,” including using and teaching their language, which were banned for decades.

Hundreds of thousands of Kurds, who were displaced during Syria’s nearly 14-year civil war, will return to their homes. Thousands of Kurds living in Syria who have been deprived of nationality for decades under Assad will be given the right of citizenship, according to the agreement.

Kurds made up 10% of the country’s prewar population of 23 million. Kurdish leaders say they don’t want full autonomy with their own government and parliament. They want decentralization and room to run their day-to day-affairs.

U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters flash victory signs, as they withdraw from two neighbourhoods in Syria's northern city of Aleppo as part of a deal with the Syrian central government, in Aleppo, Syria, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters withdraw from two neighbourhoods in Syria's northern city of Aleppo as part of a deal with the Syrian central government, in Aleppo, Syria, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters withdraw from two neighbourhoods in Syria's northern city of Aleppo as part of a deal with the Syrian central government, in Aleppo, Syria, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

People wave to the U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters during their withdraw from two neighbourhoods in Syria's northern city of Aleppo as part of a deal with the Syrian central government, in Aleppo, Syria, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters stand on their vehicles, as they withdraw from two neighborhoods in Syria's northern city of Aleppo as part of a deal with the Syrian central government, in Aleppo, Syria, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters stands on their vehicles, as they withdraw from two neighborhoods in Syria's northern city of Aleppo as part of a deal with the Syrian central government, in Aleppo, Syria, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters stands on their vehicles, as they withdraw from two neighbourhoods in Syria's northern city of Aleppo as part of a deal with the Syrian central government, in Aleppo, Syria, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)