More often than not, a San Francisco 49ers touchdown is not worth a stand-alone post. This particular touchdown is a little different. The 49ers jumped out to a 7-0 lead on the Detroit Lions in the first quarter on a Vance McDonald reception. This was the FIRST time this season the 49ers offense has scored a touchdown in the first quarter. The 49ers defense has gotten on the board in the first quarter, but the 49ers offense has been consistently slow out of the gates this year.
This 11-play, 80-yard drive included a little bit of everything for the 49ers offense. Anquan Boldin had three receptions to move past 1,000 for his career. Newly signed DuJuan Harris was very active on the drive, rushing three times for 33 yards, and catching one pass for 11 yards. The 49ers benefited from a defensive pass interference in the end zone to set up 1st and goal at the 1. And they capped the drive with a touchdown catch by Vance McDonald. Given his drops last week, that's certainly a good thing to see from McDonald.
The 49ers entered this game as a 9.5-point underdogs. Some sportsbooks went up into double digits, but that was when late sharp money pounced to bring the spread back into single digits. We'll see how the 49ers defense holds up against this surging Lions offense.