Why the 49ers' Defense Will be the Deciding Factor to Defeating the Lions

Offense is generally what is looked at in the NFL as the key to victory.

The 49ers will look to their MVP candidates in Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey to lead the way to victory over the Lions in the NFC championship game. However, the 49ers' offense is the least of the worries for that matchup.

Even after a poor performance against the Packers, Purdy is sure to bounce back and look sweet again. Plus, the Lions are just an average defense. They were ranked No. 10 in points per game allowed at 22.1 and are No. 14 in total yards allowed. Although their run defense is elite, aside from that the 49ers should be able to move the ball and score on them with much success.

The real dissection and key for the 49ers resides in their defense. The 49ers' defense will be the deciding factor to defeating the Lions and advancing to the Super Bowl. Detroit's strength is undeniably with their offense. They have an electric unit with Jared Goff playing arguably the best ball of his career. Part of why he is playing at a high-level is thanks to his stellar weapons. He has an All-Pro receiver in Amon-Ra St. Brown and an All-Pro tight end in Sam LaPorta along with two amazing running backs in David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.

These four alone are enough for any defense to have their hands full with. The rest of the skill players on the Lions' offense are solid as well with receivers Josh Reynolds and Jameson Williams. It is crucial for the 49ers' defense to have their best performance because the Lions have the talent to expose each and every one of the 49ers' defensive weaknesses. It starts with the run defense. While they rank high in yards per game, it is easily an area that a team with a great running attack can exploit. Look at how the Packers did it so successfully with Aaron Jones who ran for 108 yards on 18 carries.

Now, the 49ers have to defend against two running backs who are better than Jones. That alone will be a tall order for them. Then comes the wide receivers. Charvarius Ward should be able to hold his own, but what about the other cornerbacks? Deommodore Lenoir has earned enough trust to not be concerned about, but Ambry Thomas has not, especially after how he looked last week. He doesn't match up well with any of the Lions' receivers. Goff could look to whoever Thomas is guarding the majority of the time. In fact, the Lions should be trotting St. Brown against Thomas as much as they can unless the 49ers have Ward shadow him.

Either way, there are holes in the 49ers' defense that the Lions can expose. They have the perfect ingredients to cook up the proper game plan that can make the 49ers struggle all game long. Even if the 49ers' pass rush might not be efficient because the Lions have a strong offensive line. Although, they are coming into the game hobbled, so perhaps that is where the 49ers can try to wreck the game for the Lions. I wouldn't expect a completely dominant performance out of the 49ers' defense this game, but they don't need to.

They just need a good few drives to hold up strong on. Their offense should be more than capable in putting up points, which at that point it is on the defense to limit the damage as much as possible. The key will be to keep the rushing attack of the Lions relatively inefficient, while forcing Goff to throw heavily. That is where the pass rush can come alive and allow a chance to force him to be uncomfortable. If they can do that, then the Lions will lose the only threat they have and the 49ers will be celebrating a trip to the Super Bowl.