Detroit Lions vs San Francisco 49ers Injury Reports & Inactives for Conference Championships
By Sascha Paruk in NFL Football
Published:
- The Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers are both relatively healthy heading into the NFC Championship Game
- Guard Jonah Jackson is out for Detroit while the 49ers placed Clelin Ferrell on the IR last weekend
- See the final Detroit Lions vs San Francisco 49ers injury reports and inactives for the NFC title game on Jan. 28, 2024
Heading into the NFC Conference Championship Game, both the Detroit Lions (14-5, 6-3 away, 13-6 ATS) and San Francisco 49ers (13-5, 6-3 home, 9-9 ATS) are, against the odds, relatively healthy.
While both teams have lost a handful of players to the IR over the course of the season, the Lions vs 49ers injury reports are still fairly short given that they’re entering their 20th and 19th games of the season, respectively.
The tables below show the final injury reports (plus inactive players on the IR) for both teams heading into Sunday’s game at Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco at 3:30 pm PT/6:30 pm ET.
Jump to: Detroit Lions Injury Report | San Francisco 49ers Injury Report
Detroit Lions Injury Report
| Player-Position | Injury | Game Status |
|---|---|---|
| Brock Wright (TE) | Forearm | Out (IR) |
| Emmanuel Moseley (CB) | Knee | Out (IR) |
| James Mitchell (TE) | Hand | Out (IR) |
| Jerry Jacobs (CB) | Thigh/Knee | Out (IR) |
| Jonah Jackson (G) | Knee | Out |
| Kalif Raymond (WR/KR) | Knee | Out |
| Matt Nelson (LT) | Ankle | Out (IR) |
| Nate Sudfeld (QB) | Knee | Out (IR) |
| Zonovan Knight (RB) | Shoulder | Out (IR) |
| Hendon Hooker (QB) | Tooth | Questionable |
| Chase Lucas (CB) | Illness | Questionable |
Two important names are on the Lions injury report heading into their clash with the Niners in San Francisco. The first is starting left guard Jonah Jackson, who has been ruled out with a knee injury. A 2021 Pro Bowl selection, Jackson started 12 games for the Lions this season, including each of the past eight. He missed five games to injury in the middle of the season and Detroit went just 3-2 in his absence, meaning they are 11-3 when Jackson is healthy.
Jackson is a huge part of Detroit’s elite run blocking. The Lions graded second in the NFL in run blocking per PFF and finished the regular season in the top five in the NFL in both rushing yards per game (135.9) and yards per carry (4.6).
The second notable absence for the Lions is receiver/returner Kalif Raymond, who also missed the team’s postseason wins over the Los Angeles Rams (24-23 home) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (31-23 home). Raymond was a fairly crucial part of the Detroit offense in the regular season; the 5’8 speedster finished fourth on the team in receiving yards (489) while adding 75 rushing yards on just seven carries.
Kalif Raymond returns the punt for a touchdown. pic.twitter.com/ghZdO5W7cd
— Main Team (@MainTeamSports) December 18, 2022
Raymond is also the team’s punt returner when healthy. He finished fourth in the NFL in total punt return yards (331). He scored the first return TD of his career last season against the New York Jets.
Despite missing two significant players, the Detroit is still getting the bulk of the action in the Lions vs 49ers public betting splits. Additionally, some experts are not overly concerned about the impact of Jackson’s absence on the Detroit run game. My colleague lists David Montgomery over 43.5 rushing yards among his Lions vs 49ers player prop picks.
San Francisco 49ers Injury Report
| Player-Position | Injury | Game Status |
|---|---|---|
| Clelin Ferrell (DE) | Knee | Out (IR) |
| Danny Gray (WR) | Shoulder | Out (IR) |
| Drake Jackson (DE) | Knee | Out (IR) |
| Nick Zakelj (G) | Biceps | Out (IR) |
| Ross Dwelley (TE) | Ankle | Out (IR) |
| Talanoa Hufanga (SS) | Knee | Out (IR) |
| Kalia Davis (DT) | Ankle | Questionable |
| Oren Burks (LB) | Shoulder | Questionable |
San Francisco, which is a seven-point home favorite in the Lions vs 49ers odds, is also the healthier of the two teams heading into Sunday’s NFC Championship Game. The only starter with an injury designation is linebacker Oren Burks, who is battling a shoulder injury.
Burks played 15 games during the regular season, accounting for 46 tackles (ninth-most on the team), one sack, and one interception. He had two tackles in last week’s narrow 24-21 win over the Green Bay Packers.
The Niners were forced to put edge rusher Clelin Ferrell (knee) on the injured reserve prior to the Green Bay game. In his first year with the team after starting his career with the Raiders, Ferrell was fourth on the Niners in sacks with 3.5 and third in tackles-for-loss with six during the regular season.
The fact that Burks and Ferrell are the most-notable names discussed here is a big part of why the team remains the favorite in the Super Bowl odds heading into conference-championship weekend. The 49ers are sitting at +145 on average, slightly ahead of second-favorite Baltimore (+196) and miles ahead of both Kansas City (+362) and Detroit (+728).
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Managing Editor
Sascha has been working in the sports-betting industry since 2014, and quickly paired his strong writing skills with a burgeoning knowledge of probability and statistics. He holds an undergraduate degree in linguistics and a Juris Doctor from the University of British Columbia.
