{"id":22555,"date":"2024-01-29T18:04:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-29T15:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/22555\/49ers-second-half-comeback-vs-lions\/"},"modified":"2024-01-29T18:04:01","modified_gmt":"2024-01-29T15:04:01","slug":"49ers-second-half-comeback-vs-lions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/?p=22555","title":{"rendered":"49ers second-half comeback vs. Lions to go to the Super Bowl"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>49ers second-half comeback vs. Lions to go to the Super Bowl\u060c<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<ul class=\"authors\">\n<li class=\"mugshot-shown\">\n<div class=\"author-img\"><\/div>\n<p>Dan Graziano, NFL Senior National Reporter<span class=\"timestamp \">January 29, 2024, 6:45 a.m.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"author-overlay\">Close<\/p>\n<ul>Dan Graziano is a senior national NFL reporter for ESPN, covering the entire league and breaking news.  Dan also contributes to Get Up, NFL Live, SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, Sunday NFL Countdown and Fantasy <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/tag\/football\/\"   title=\"Football\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">Football<\/a> Now.  He is a New Jersey native who joined ESPN in 2011 and is also the author of two published novels.  You can follow Dan on Twitter via @DanGrazianoESPN.<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>SANTA CLARA, Calif. &#8212; There are months of preparation, film study, game planning, injuries, pain, work and sacrifice.  All of this is essential if you want to get to the Super Bowl.  But sometimes, even after all that, you still need a fun shaped ball to bounce on.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cObviously, nobody wins without a little bit of luck,\u201d San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams said in the locker room hours after his team&#39;s 34-31 victory over the Detroit Lions in the game. NFC championship.  \u201cTonight was just our time to get it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The discussion centered on a key third-quarter play \u2013 a 51-yard catch by Brandon Aiyuk of a Brock Purdy throw that had every right to be an interception, but instead became the play that turned the fortunes around of the 49ers.  There were 6:29 left on the clock in the third quarter and the Lions led the 49ers 24-10.  Moments earlier, San Francisco had stopped Detroit on a fourth-and-2 at the Niners&#39; 28-yard line.  It seemed like a turning point, but the Niners still needed to make a big play or two on offense to concede.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"inline editorial float-r\" data-behavior=\"article_related\">\n<h2 class=\"editorial-title\">Editor&#39;s Choice<\/h2>\n<p>2 Related<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>A 17-yard pass to receiver Deebo Samuel moved the ball to the Niners&#39; 45-yard line.  Purdy lined up with a shotgun and called for the snap.  On the field, he saw the game unfold the way he wanted.  Safety CJ Gardner-Johnson picked off Samuel on a crossing route, leaving Aiyuk one-on-one with cornerback Kindle Vildor.  That, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan would later explain, meant Purdy was supposed to throw it to Aiyuk.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We need an explosive game and BA is one-on-one? I&#39;ll take that [opportunity]&#8221;, Purdy said. &#8220;I was giving my guy a chance.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>What San Francisco didn&#39;t count on was the quality of Vildor&#39;s coverage, as the 2020 fifth-rounder stayed between Aiyuk and the goal line, putting himself in position to throw an interception.  But as he reached out to catch the ball, he fell and the ball hit him in the chest and flew back into the air.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was surprised,\u201d Aiyuk said.  &#8220;I felt the look before, before the snap, and that I had a chance to get the ball, but it just stayed at the top. I don&#39;t even know.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>However, being surprised didn&#39;t cost Aiyuk much.  He saw the ball bounce in the air at the defender, and he dove and caught it himself at the 4-yard line.  Most of his team was about 50 yards from the field, so it was difficult to know what happened.  A flag was lowered.  Aiyuk had rolled into the end zone with the ball.  Was it a penalty?  Was it a touchdown?  Was it really a trap?  Could he have caught it?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI saw the flag, but I couldn\u2019t see much,\u201d Purdy said.  &#8220;Then I heard the stadium erupt, and it was like, &#39;Oh my God, did he catch that?&#39;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBA had a tremendous season making some crazy plays for us,\u201d defensive lineman Arik Armstead said.  \u201cBut this one was really wild.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExactly as we wanted!\u201d  \u00bb Tight end George Kittle is impassive.  &#8220;Take the mask off the guy in BA&#39;s hands, damn, Brock Purdy is good at football.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div data-behavior=\"video_scroll\" class=\"contentItem__content contentItem__content--media-card contentItem__content--fullWidth contentItem__content--inline\">\n<figure data-video=\"watch,640,360,39413484\" data-cerebro-id=\"65b7090ebe6ab32a2b9e3500\" data-title=\"Brandon Aiyuk follows up jaw-dropping catch with a TD\" class=\"media-wrapper_image video\" data-source=\"espn\"><picture class=\"media-wrapper_image\"><source data- media=\"(min-width: 376px)\"><source data- media=\"(max-width: 375px)\"><img class=\" lazyload lazyload\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><span class=\"video-play-button\" data-id=\"39413484\">play<\/span><figcaption class=\"media-caption\">\n<p>1:07<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"contentItem__contentWrapper\">\n<p>Brandon Aiyuk connects breathtaking TD catch<\/p>\n<p class=\"contentItem__subhead\">Brandon Aiyuk catches Brock Purdy&#39;s deflected pass from a Lions player, and a few plays later, he scores a touchdown.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cWhat can you say?\u201d  \u00bb Williams said with a huge smile.  &#8220;No amount of training, no amount of watching film can prepare him to pull off such a feat. It&#39;s just talent and will.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Niners scored a touchdown three plays later, Purdy to Aiyuk appropriately enough.  The stadium was vibrating.  A 17-point halftime deficit came back to seven. The Niners kicked off and on the Lions&#39; very first play of possession, running back Jahmyr Gibbs fumbled and Armstead recovered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy do analysts say momentum isn\u2019t real?\u201d  \u00bb Kittle asked the assembled media during his postgame press conference.  \u201cThat\u2019s the biggest horse bullshit I\u2019ve ever heard in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It was impossible to be at Levi&#39;s Stadium in that moment and not feel like something had changed.  The Niners had the ball at the Detroit 24. Purdy threw one to Kittle on first down who lost a yard.  Then, on second down, the pocket collapsed and Purdy took off, racing 21 yards to the Lions 4-yard line.  It was the first of two 21-yard runs for Purdy \u2013 he had another one in the third and fourth quarters on the fourth-quarter drive that ended up giving the 49ers a 10-point lead with three minutes to go. END.  He hadn&#39;t had a 20-yard run all season before Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBrock is an athlete,\u201d Williams said.  &#8220;Obviously his athleticism is underrated. People don&#39;t look at him and think he could take the ball in and run with it like that. But he can do it. We see it in practice. He can run. So we needed him to run, and he ran. He&#39;s made plays for us all year, and he&#39;s the reason we&#39;re in the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n<p>Sunday&#39;s third quarter could be an even bigger reason.  After allowing 148 rushing yards, 18 first downs and 24 points in the first half, the 49ers returned to the locker room at halftime still feeling good about their situation.  Shanahan said the feeling at halftime was, &#8220;We&#39;re not going to come out like that,&#8221; and the players thought things were going to change.<\/p>\n<p>Entering the playoffs, the Niners were 0-30 under Shanahan while trailing by seven or more points early in the fourth quarter, according to ESPN Stats &#038; Information.  They ended that streak last <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/tag\/week\/\"   title=\"week\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">week<\/a> against the Green Bay Packers, scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter in the divisional round victory.  They were also 0-19 under Shanahan when trailing by 17 or more points in the second half.  They took it this week.  According to Elias Sports Bureau, the Niners joined the 1994 Chargers as the only teams to complete multiple second-half seven-point comebacks in the playoffs before reaching the Super Bowl.  (That Chargers team lost to San Francisco in the Super Bowl.)<\/p>\n<aside class=\"inline float-r inline-track\">\n<h2 class=\"img-title\">Super Bowl LVIII: 49ers-Chiefs<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-lazyload=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/49ers-Chiefs-Super-Bowl-LVIII-predictions-picks-odds.png\" class=\"round lazyload\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\u2022 First look at the 49ers-Chiefs rematch \u00bb<br \/>\u2022 How SF achieved its comeback \u00bb<br \/>\u2022 Answering the Big Super Bowl Questions \u00bb<br \/>\u2022 Playoff Schedule \u00bb |  Expert Picks \u00bb<br \/><b>More Super Bowl coverage \u00bb<\/b><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cWe were actually confident,\u201d Williams said.  &#8220;Knowing we were going to get the ball first, especially. The plays were there, we just weren&#39;t making them. We have Aiyuk, Deebo, we know they will eventually put their mark on a game like this. Moreover. , [the Lions] threw their best shots in the first half.  Trick games, flea flickering, all that.  You knew it would all slow down eventually and everything would be okay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They were right.  The Niners outscored the Lions 17-0 and outscored them 170 yards to 42 in the third quarter.  But the Lions also fumbled and dropped key passes on third and fourth downs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just have to wait,\u201d Williams said.  \u201cYou play long enough, you stick to your plan, you do it the right way, and things eventually go your way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And then, in Week 21 of the season, after everything you&#39;ve done to put yourself in position to get to the Super Bowl, a ball bounces off the defender and goes into your receiver&#39;s hands, and it&#39;s what it took to put in a year&#39;s worth of work.  The 49ers are back in the Super Bowl for the second time in five seasons, and it took a little bit of everything in an epic and unforgettable third quarter to get them there.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>49ers second-half comeback vs. Lions to go to the Super Bowl\u060c Dan Graziano, NFL Senior National ReporterJanuary 29, 2024, 6:45 a.m. Close Dan Graziano is a senior national NFL reporter for ESPN, covering the entire league and breaking news. Dan also contributes to Get Up, NFL Live, SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, Sunday NFL Countdown and Fantasy [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22556,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[1227,1564,1745,629,9900,860],"class_list":["post-22555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-sports","tag-49ers","tag-bowl","tag-comeback","tag-lions","tag-secondhalf","tag-super"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22555"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22555\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22557,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22555\/revisions\/22557"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/22556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}