Early kickoffs for west coast teams have typically been a recipe for disaster in recent years and the San Francisco 49ers are no exception. That trend has changed under Jim Harbaugh, though, and the team will look to continue their winning ways Sunday morning in Detroit.
ESPN's NFC West blogger Mike Sando has the details:
For years, San Francisco 49ers president Jed York has lobbied against 10 a.m. PT kickoffs for West Coast teams playing in the Eastern time zone.
All he needed was a new coaching staff led by Jim Harbaugh, apparently.
The 49ers are 2-0 in non-division games kicking off at 10 a.m. PT this season, up from 3-25 (.107) over the previous six seasons.
The San Francisco defense will need to be awake bright and early if they hope to contain the Lions. Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson have been an unstoppable combination thus far in 2011 (just as the Dallas Cowboys) and the team has thrived on the fast turf inside the Ford Field dome. One wrong read or missed tackle can result in a fast touchdown for Detroit. The defensive players have to be at the top of their games if they hope to win.
Kickoff is set for 10:05 PDT on Sunday. The game will be televised nationally on FOX.
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