49ers rally vs. Lions in NFC title game to reach Super Bowl LVIII،
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – As they trudged to the locker room at halftime, trailing the Detroit Lions by 17 points, with the end of their season seemingly just 30 minutes away, the range of San Francisco 49ers emotions weren't hard to understand.
The Lions had just pushed the Niners all over the field for the first two quarters and the frustration didn't do it justice. On the light side, running back Christian McCaffrey called for focus. Coach Kyle Shanahan said his team was angry. Defensive end Nick Bosa called it embarrassing.
For a proud, veteran team playing in its fourth NFC championship game in five years and third in as many seasons, no amount of halftime prodding was going to provide an instant solution.
“No matter all that, we’re not going to go out like that,” Shanahan said. “We have to be a lot more aggressive here in the second half in everything we do, offensively, defensively, on special teams. … The guys didn't want today to be the last day.”
For a team that spent most of the season running and hiding from opponents by blowing big leads, the 49ers made this playoff run a testament to their determination.
It was written Sunday night when the 49ers erased that 17-point deficit in just eight minutes of play, scored 27 straight points in the second half and rolled to a stunning 34-31 victory to capture the franchise's eighth NFC championship, tied for the second most in league history. It was the largest comeback ever in an NFC championship game with the 2012 Niners rebounding from a 17-game loss to beat the Atlanta Falcons.
This victory gave San Francisco a ticket to Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and set up a rematch against the same Kansas City Chiefs they faced in Super Bowl LIV.
“It’s perfect,” Bosa said. “It's perfect and they're as good as an organization and coach and quarterback as they are, and they were down, but they didn't look good this year either. They're playing their best ball now, so it's going to be a big challenge.”.
To earn that opportunity, the Niners had to overcome what Shanahan called half as bad as anything his team has played this season. Detroit outscored San Francisco 280-131, picked up 18 first downs, held the Niners to 4.7 yards per play and came away with quarterback Brock Purdy's first career interception of the playoffs.
The Lions' physical dominance was evident in their three touchdowns and 148 yards on 21 carries, including 5.4 yards per carry before contact.
“That’s how we were,” Shanahan said. “They were kind of doing what they wanted in the running game. We weren't getting much done in our running game either. … It would have been a really tough way to end it if we couldn't have played better with our group.”
The Niners proved in their comeback victory last week against the Green Bay Packers that while they have won most of their games in resounding fashion, they are also capable of fighting back when they are on the ropes. The Niners are now one of two teams – along with the 1994 San Diego Chargers – to have completed multiple second-half comebacks of more than seven points before reaching the Super Bowl.
After kicking a Jake Moody field goal to open the third quarter, the Niners got the ball back when Detroit attempted it on fourth-and-2 at the San Francisco 28 and quarterback Jared Goff's pass fell incomplete.
Two plays later, the Niners got the break and the spark that kicked off their comeback. On first-and-10 from the 45, Purdy got the look he wanted with receiver Brandon Aiyuk going one-on-one with Lions cornerback Kindle Vildor. Purdy let it fly but Vildor managed to stay deep and looked set for the interception.
Instead, the ball clanged off Vildor's facemask, bounced in the air, and an alert Aiyuk brought it back for a 51-yard catch. Three plays later, Aiyuk caught a 6-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to seven.
“Having an explosive play like that was huge at that point,” Purdy said. “BA did a great job tracking the ball all the way and making a huge play for us. He's a football player. That was clutch on his part.”
Aiyuk's big catch wouldn't be the only rebound that turned the game in San Francisco's favor. On Detroit's next play from scrimmage, safety Tashaun Gipson hit Jahmyr Gibbs and forced a fumble that Arik Armstead recovered. Four plays, including the first of two 21-yard scrambles by Purdy, brought the Niners back into the end zone and they quickly turned a 24-7 deficit into a 24-all tie.
Meanwhile, the 49ers defense adjusted, allowing 34 rushing yards in the second half, making two stops on fourth down and yielding just seven points. Detroit tightened up, dropping catchable passes, coughing up the fumble and struggling to keep drives alive.
By the end, the Niners had scored 27 straight points, the fourth-most consecutive points by a team in a conference championship game that was behind early in the run, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. It is also the record for a team that lost more than 10 points.
“That’s the cool thing about football,” tight end George Kittle said. “So we can hunker down and start firing on all cylinders, that's what you see, an explosive offense, a very talented defense that has been flying around and hitting people and causing turnovers, and then our special teams are making games when they need them.
In addition to the 27 points in the second half, the Niners racked up 282 yards of offense while averaging 7.4 yards per play. After totaling just 92 yards from scrimmage with one interception in the first half, Purdy threw for 174 yards and a touchdown and ran 49 yards in the final 30 minutes.
Purdy's two 21-yard runs led to touchdowns.
“The guys didn’t want today to be the last day.”
Kyle Shanahan, 49ers coach
“I thought it was the difference between winning and losing,” Shanahan said. “He made some big plays with his legs, getting out of the pocket, moving the chains on some first downs, some explosives. He competed hard today. It wasn't easy for any of us. He Kept grinding, it was amazing out there in the second half.”
With this victory, the Niners are alone in NFL history with 38 playoff victories, surpassing the New England Patriots and the Packers.
After what Shanahan said was a time to celebrate Sunday night and into the wee hours of Monday, the Niners will turn their attention to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. That they will have the chance to atone for the loss to Kansas City in their last Super Bowl appearance in 2020 is icing on the cake. The Niners led this game by 10 and had the ball with 8:53 left, but fell 31-20 as the Chiefs scored the final 21 points.
Kansas City has since appeared in the Super Bowl twice, winning one, and will enter this one as the defending champion. The 49ers opened as 2.5-point favorites on ESPN BET, but their line fell to -1.5 within 20 minutes of posting and was as low as -1 at some sportsbooks Sunday night. The total opened at 47.5.
San Francisco's veteran core has been here before but still aspires to break through. To get there, the Niners will have to do what they couldn't do just four years ago.
“We accomplished what we wanted to accomplish,” guard Kyle Juszczyk said. “We're back in the Super Bowl and now we have one goal left to score. We have to win this game.
