The Detroit Lions were halfway to a Super Bowl berth. Alas, a football game has two halves. The San Francisco 49ers dominated the second half and seized the conference title and a trip to the Super Bowl with a 34-31 win in the NFC Championship game over the Lions.
The first half was magical for Detroit. Both the Lions offense and defense were better than their 49ers counterparts in the first half. The Lions raced out to a 14-0 lead and had all the momentum. A Malcolm Rodriguez interception set up a Jahmyr Gibbs touchdown to push the lead to 21-7. Michael Badgley would add a field goal to stretch the lead to 24-7.
All the positive vibes, the sharp execution and deft playmaking changed sides in the second half. The 49ers played like they remembered they were the No. 1 seed and playing in front of a partisan crowd. The attention to detail and playmaking focus went into the ocean for the Lions.
One funky play changed the course of the game. 49ers QB Brock Purdy overthrew wideout Brandon Aiyuk on a deep ball, but the ball ricocheted off the facemask of Lions CB Kindle Vildor and back into Aiyuk’s hands. It was the momentum-changer the 49ers desperately needed.
The Lions never recovered. Jahmyr Gibbs fumbled away the ball on the very next play, which led to another quick 49ers touchdown. Josh Reynolds dropped two great throws from Jared Goff that ended drives. Goff missed Amon-Ra St. Brown on another fourth down on a poorly executed play, one where Dan Campbell chose not to kick a field goal for the second time in the half.
A late touchdown drive closed the score to 34-31, but the Niners iced the game by recovering the onside kick and ran out the clock.
The opportunities were there for the Lions, but the lack of execution and failure to continue doing the little things that gave them the early lead doomed them to a loss. Detroit’s magical season ends one step short of the first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.
