PRO FOOTBALL : THE SHOCKERS : Lions Put End to 49ers’ Jinx and Win, 23-21

The jinx, along with a two-game losing streak, is over for the Detroit Lions.

After suffering through two straight last-second defeats to the San Francisco 49ers in the last two years, the Lions stunned the defending Super Bowl champions, 23-21, Sunday behind a 116-yard rushing performance by fullback James Jones, who had 30 carries and scored on a two-yard run.

“Forget about my individual statistics,” Jones said of the victory which left the Lions at 4-3. “After two tough losses to San Francisco, we finally beat them. That’s the most important thing. The jinx is broken.

“This was the first game since I was hurt at Atlanta that I was actually able to contribute,” Jones said. “I’m not 100% yet, but my timing is back and I’m feeling real good.”

While Jones was excited about the victory and the end of the two-game losing streak, San Francisco Coach Bill Walsh was at a loss to explain why the 49ers dropped to 3-4 in losing for the second week in a row.

“Well, it’s a very difficult loss for all of us--the team and the organization,” he said. “I hate to keep saying this week in and week out, but our opponents are outplaying us and deserving of the wins.”

San Francisco almost pulled the game out in the final quarter. Trailing, 23-14, Joe Montana marched the 49ers 95 yards in 10 plays, with Roger Craig going the final 11 yards at 2:59 to cut the deficit to 23-21.

San Francisco got the ball back with 1:37 left, but the Detroit defense shut down reserve quarterback Matt Cavanaugh.

“I was surprised to see Cavanaugh in there,” Detroit Coach Darryl Rogers said. “My first thought was that something must have been wrong with Joe. I expected Joe to be in there because that’s usually when he works best.”