There were no playoff seeding implications attached to the Week 17 Monday Night Football matchup between the Detroit Lions 914-2) and San Francisco 49ers (6-10), but one would think otherwise if they listened to the teams beforehand. Dan Campbell said his guys would bring everything they had to win in Santa Clara, which prompted a fiery pregame speech from Niners star linebacker Fred Warner. His words are now being used against him.
San Francisco’s season was over for more than a week before it prepared to battle the NFC-leading Lions, but Warner made it his mission to ignite a spark within the home team ahead of opening kickoff.
“Dan Campbell said ‘we’re bringing everybody to the West Coast,’” the three-time All-Pro passionately exclaimed to his teammates. “For what? To get your a** beat tonight. They got to leave like this, limping {holds his lower-back area}.” The 49ers came out hot but fell short in a shootout, 40-34, in what was their last home game of the 2024-25 campaign.
“Dan Campbell said ‘we’re bringing everybody to the West Coast.’ For what? To get your ass beat tonight.”
Fred Warner ahead of Lions-49ers on Monday Night 😳 pic.twitter.com/HkVup2malg
— ESPN (@espn) December 31, 2024
Amon-Ra St. Brown, typifying Detroit’s supreme confidence, did not want to let Warner’s bold declaration go without some retribution. The 2023 All-Pro wide receiver plunged a dagger into his opponents after the win, courtesy of some savage remarks. He decided to twist the knife on Tuesday, clapping back at Warner via social media.
St. Brown posted an image of the LB mimicking the limping motion in his speech, with Too Short’s “Blow the Whistle” playing in the background, per Dov Kleiman. San Francisco did not exactly stagger out of Levi’s Stadium (led late in the third quarter), but the team did not make the statement it intended to against the visiting Lions.
Lions have endless motivation
Dan Campbell’s swagger was validated, as his hungry squad unleashed an offensive onslaught that should only raise Ben Johnson’s head coaching stock. Amon-Ra St. Brown recorded eight receptions for 60 yards while also scoring the touchdown that would put Detroit up for good. He now has 109 catches for 1,186 yards and a career-high 12 scores this season. His impact is also being felt through his trolling.
Before the Lions’ Nov. 3 road game against the Green Bay Packers, the former fourth-round draft pick entered the stadium with a standout sweatshirt that read, “GreenBay Sucks.” St. Brown and the rest of this group exude an intensity that mirrors that of their tenacious head coach. Fred Warner and the 49ers just experienced it firsthand.
San Francisco will carry a three-game losing streak into next Sunday’s regular season finale versus the Arizona Cardinals, while Detroit battles the Minnesota Vikings for the top seed in the conference. Emotions are bound to be high for both franchises, albeit for different reasons.
