Week two of the NFL season offers a range of significant matchups, including in the NFC where two playoff teams from last year will face off.
The San Francisco 49ers enter week two brimming with confidence after defeating the Green Bay Packers 30-22 on the road at Lambeau Field. The 49ers became the first team since the Miami Dolphins in 2010 to win on the road at Green Bay.
The Detroit Lions on the other hand are just happy they emerged from week one with a win after struggling against the St. Louis Rams 27-23.
The two teams will meet on Sunday night in San Francisco in a rematch of a week six game from last season that the media is still hounding the teams about.
After that game, a victory for the 49ers that gave the Lions their first loss, coach Jim Harbaugh gave an excited back slap to Lions' coach Jim Schwartz that was taken exception to. Schwartz chased down Harbaugh and the two had a confrontation before being separated.
While the media keeps asking both teams about the incident, the coaches downplayed its significance this time around.
"That's long in the past," Schwartz told ESPN.com. "That just seems so long ago that that occurred. When two teams take the field, that's not going to be on one player's mind."
Last season the 49ers finished the regular season with a winning record for the first time since 2002 and reached the NFC Championship game before being beaten by the New York Giants in overtime.
Against Green Bay, the 49ers were extremely efficient, including quarterback Alex Smith, who passed for 211 and two touchdowns on 20 of 26 passing. He also broke a franchise record by throwing 185 straight passes without an interception.
San Francisco also benefited from wide receiver Randy Moss, who caught a touchdown pass after being signed by the team in the offseason.
"It's a big win," running back Frank Gore said Monday. "We've got to keep going, keep working ... try to get better and try to get a victory this week."
Gore had a solid game for the 49ers, rushing for over 100 yards and scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The Lions had a rough start to last week's game, with quarterback Matthew Stafford throwing three interceptions in the first half. But the team showed its resiliency and scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter with only seconds left to play. He had 355 yards passing on 32 of 48 passes.
Last season Stafford had a great year statistically, throwing for in 5,038 yards.
Injuries may play a factor in Sunday's game, with Detroit cornerback Chris Houston possibly out after missing week one against the Rams with a left ankle injury. The team will be without cornerback Bill Bentley, who is dealing with a concussion, and safety Louis Delman who has a knee injury.
San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith isn't known for his strong arm, but it could play a big factor if receiver Michael Crabtree and tight end Vernon Davis can take advantage of the depleted Detroit secondary.
Last season's success was a major checkpoint on a long road to respectability for both teams.
Historically great, each franchise went through some hard times in recent years. After winning five Super Bowl championships between 1981 and 1994, the 49ers were one of the league's worst franchises in the 2000s, making the playoffs only once.
After an 8-8 season in 2010, Harbaugh was brought in and achieved immediate success.
The Lions won three NFL championships back in the 1950s and won division titles in 1991 and 1993, but then went over ten years without a playoff appearance. Before last season, the team hadn't made the playoffs since 1999.
During the stretch of the 2000s, the Lions consistently lost games, including in 2008 when they set a record for futility by being the only NFL team to go 0-16.
San Francisco has won 14 of 15 matchups with the Lions, including 11 straight that have been played in California.
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