After the San Francisco 49ers knocked Detroit from theunbeaten ranks 25-19 Sunday in a game that matched the pregame hype, bothcoaches bumped each other in an emotionally charged exchange. The incident cameafter 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh's exuberant celebration and back-slap of Lionscoach Jim Schwartz as they met on the field.
Alex Smith's fourth-down, 6-yard pass to Delanie Walker gaveSan Francisco (5-1) the go-ahead touchdown with 1:51 left. The play stood aftervideo review didn't show definitely whether Walker's right knee was down beforethe ball reached the goal line.
Harbaugh, a first-year NFL coach who played at Michigan,came across the field toward Schwartz pumping his right fist. The coaches spokevery briefly, then bumped into each other and had to be separated more thanonce.
Harbaugh seemed to say something that fired up Schwartz, whocharged after him as both teams were going toward the tunnel. 49ers and Lionsgathered, appearing to keep the peace — probably because they were worn outfrom a hard-hitting, penalty-filled game with three lead changes afterhalftime.
David Akers gave San Francisco a six-point lead with 1:02 togo with a 37-yard field goal.
Detroit (5-1) had a chance to drive for a tying field goalor a go-ahead TD, but couldn't get a first down against a swarming defense thathit and confused quarterback Matthew Stafford from the start. That last drivestarted with San Francisco's fifth sack and ended with a catch and lateral — 69yards short of the end zone.
Smith lost a fumble on his first snap and threw aninterception late in the third quarter, matching his turnover totals from thefirst five games in both categories. But he made a clutch pass to Walker forthe win.
Smith was 17 of 32 for 125 yards, going early and often toMichael Crabtree, who matched a career high with nine receptions for 77 yards.Frank Gore ran 15 times for 141 yards, including a season-long 55-yard gain,and scored a TD that pulled the 49ers within three after they were outscored10-0 in the first quarter.
Stafford looked shaky for the first time this season; SanFrancisco had a lot to do with that. He was 28 of 50 for 293 yards with twoTDs. One of the times he was sacked was in the end zone, giving the 49ers asafety that cut their deficit to one point midway through the second quarter.
Jason Hanson missed a 52-yard field goal that would've givenDetroit a four-point lead late in the first half, then Akers made a 55-yardkick to match a season high. That put the 49ers ahead 12-10 as time expired inthe half.
Brandon Pettigrew had eight catches for 42 yards and ascore. Calvin Johnson added seven receptions for 113 yards but didn't scoreafter being the NFL's first player with nine TD receptions in the first fivegames of a season.
Stafford connected with Nate Burleson on a 5-yard pass intothe end zone ruled incomplete on the field. It was overturned after videoreview, giving Detroit a four-point lead early in the fourth quarter. Burlesoncaught the ball and got both feet down, then lost the ball after tumblingbeyond the end zone — a play similar to Johnson's well-documented catch thatwas ruled incomplete last year at Chicago.
The Lions couldn't get a running game going with eitherJahvid Best or Maurice Morris against a sturdy front and perhaps the league'sbest linebacking corps, allowing the 49ers to hit and harass Stafford.
The 49ers overcame 15 penalties, including five false startsat raucous Ford Field, and Detroit drew six flags.