5 things to watch: Lions at 49ers

4. 49ers defenders

San Francisco has suffered a number of significant injuries on offense, but their defense has remained mostly intact. It features some All-Pro players on that side of the ball who can impact the game and who the Lions have to keep an eye on.

Linebacker Fred Warner has registered 117 tackles, seven passes defended, four forced fumbles, a sack and two interceptions with one returned for a touchdown. His 28 passes defended over the last three seasons are the most by any linebacker in the NFL.

Defensive end Nick Bosa has 44 tackles, 7.0 sacks, one interception, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery. His 60.5 career sacks are the third most in 49ers history.

"Of course, yeah, those two guys are great players, All-Pro players, played them for a long time now," Goff said this week. "They're great players, they're tough to beat every week you play them and those two guys in particular, you have to be aware of where they are and as well as a bunch of the other guys on defense."

Leonard Floyd is another name to watch out for as he's leading the 49ers with 8.5 sacks on the year.

5. Limiting big plays

Despite the injuries San Francisco's offense has dealt with, they are still one of the most explosive teams in the league with players like George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings who can make big-time plays if the Lions let them.

San Francisco has registered 56 receptions of 20-or-more yards this season, which is third most in the NFL behind only Detroit (57) and Minnesota (57). The 49ers' offense has gained 5,486 total net yards while their defense has allowed 4,564 total net yards. Their plus-922 differential is better than all but three teams: Philadelphia (1,337), Baltimore (1,285) and Detroit (1,046). Detroit's new-look secondary will be tested again this week.