Getty Ambry Thomas playing for Michigan.
The Detroit Lions know they will be taking on the San Francisco 49ers in the season opener, and there’s not much bad blood or history between the organizations historically.
Perhaps that’s now set to change a bit after a bit of new commentary.
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Following the release of the schedule, San Francisco rookie cornerback, Michigan native and former Michigan Football cornerback Ambry Thomas was asked about his first game in the pros being at Ford Field. As he said, he wants to go and put the beatdown on his local team “real bad” in the first game.
Detroit native Ambry Thomas has played at Ford Field before in high school. Fitting that his first NFL game will come back home against the Lions.
Thomas: “We gotta put the beatdown on ‘em. Real bad.”
Maybe someone had better tell Thomas that this is the NFL and no longer college, regardless, it will be a chance for the Lions to prove they can step up and it’s possible that this quote could go on the bulletin board for the team most of the summer leading into the first game.
The Lions shouldn’t need any extra motivation for their home opener, but in case they did, Thomas has already provided it. Probably not a good idea to give the opposition anything to look forward to, but if the Lions come out hitting extra hard come September 12, this could be the reason why.
Lions Underdogs to 49ers for Season Opener
By most metrics, the Lions aren’t going to be favorites most of this coming season. In fact, Detroit has been tied for the second biggest point spread against in the first week of the season. Most metrics show the Lions as a touchdown underdog against the 49ers, even in spite of the fact that San Francisco also struggled at times last season and did not finish with a record that different than Detroit at 6-10.
Coming into the year, the 49ers and Lions might not be that different at all, even if some of their players want to see a beatdown happen on the field when the games begin next fall and are so bold as to talk about it months before the game actually takes place.
Lions vs. 49ers Series History
The Lions and 49ers have a long history against each other in the league, with San Francisco winning 38 games head-to-head and the Lions winning 28. The most recent time the sides faced off was in 2018, when the Lions lost a close game out west 30-27. As a whole, San Francisco has won four out of the last five against the Lions, with their only loss a 32-17 defeat in 2015, which was the last time they played at Ford Field.
Both teams are looking for a rebound after tough seasons in 2021, so kicking off against each other will be a good way to get things going.
We’ll have to see if Thomas is right about his prediction in the end, or if it does anything to inspire the Lions to have a good performance in their home opener.