It’s so Detroit: Lions’ first Super Bowl was in sight before a meltdown for the ages
For all that has changed with the culture under coach Dan Campbell, the Lions reverted to the disappointing team that longtime followers had hoped was a thing of the past.
But to fall short at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday, just like the Detroit Lions did? That is really cruel. Despite leading the San Francisco 49ers by 17 points at the half, the Lions were ultimately defeated.
What an amazing crash after such a massive tease.
In an intense NFC championship game, the Lions lost 34–31, but there were no kneecaps to bite.
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Rather, the 49ers overcame all odds to equal the greatest comeback victory in NFC championship game history and secured a spot in Super Bowl 58, where they will face the Kansas City Chiefs in a Super rematch.Oh my.
Meanwhile, Grit was struck hard in the stomach.
It feels like your heart is being torn out,” said regretfully Lions coach Dan Campbell.
Campbell is aware. This one felt more like a big, fat, ugly Lions loss, even though the top-seeded 49ers showed incredible resiliency to finally win a Super Bowl berth after losing the previous two NFC title games and a week after barely surviving against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC divisional playoffs.
How is it possible for a team to rush for 148 yards in the first half of a game—more than the 49ers, under Kyle Shanahan’s coaching, have given up in the whole contest—and still lose?
When a Super Bowl berth is on the line, how can a team with all those weapons get shut out for all but the last minute of the second half?
It was so Detroit, in a lot of ways. Despite all of the positive changes brought about by Campbell in the organization’s culture, the Lions have regressed to the dismal squad that many fans had thought would never return.
Campbell argued differently.
That’s not who we are, he remarked. There were plays that needed to be written that we just didn’t like to write.
Anatomy of the Lions’ Collapse
They will now have the full offseason to analyze what went wrong in a breakdown that involved:
The spectacular 51-yard reception by 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk early in the third quarter had echoes of Lynn Swann, the legendary Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl player.
It was a portent. As Aiyuk hit the ground, the football bounced off Kindle Vildor and advanced to the 6-yard line. After three plays, Brock Purdy moved up in the pocket and found Aiyuk for a 6-yard touchdown pass.
Jahmyr Gibbs, the rookie running back for the Lions, fumbled on the opening play of the subsequent drive.
The 49ers recovered at Detroit’s 24-yard line thanks to Arik Armstead. Christian McCaffrey’s 1-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 24 was made possible by it.
some severe doubting of Campbell’s actions. Rather than try a field goal twice in the second half, Campbell went for it on fourth-and-short.
The Lions attempted a 46-yard field goal attempt midway through the third quarter on a fourth-and-2 from the 49ers’ 28; however, Jared Goff’s pass to Josh Reynolds was incomplete. A three-possession game would have resulted from a trey, which would have extended the lead to 17 points.
With a three-point deficit in the fourth quarter, Campbell attempted a 48-yard pass that could have knotted the score. Rather, they attempted to score on fourth-and-3 from the thirty.
Goff struggled to get out of his pocket and attempted a throw to Amon-Ra St. Brown, but it was incredibly poor and ended up in the mud.
Regarding the latter instance, Campbell remarked, I tried to regain the upper hand.” “I understand that it’s simple in retrospect. However, I don’t regret the choices I made. And that is challenging. We didn’t make it through, so that’s challenging.
I am aware that I will be scrutinized. That’s just part of the job, dude.
The turn of events was quite dramatic. The Lions bungled the difficult receptions they had made in the first half of the game.
During the third quarter, Reynolds failed to complete a third-and-nine throw from Goff. Chase Lucas narrowly missed the end zone on the ensuing punt, a 74-yarder from John Fox, as he attempted to bring the ball down inside the 1-yard line. Rewind.
The breaks were those.
By then, school had ended. Something had changed in the momentum. Following a second field goal attempt by Campbell, the 49ers gained the ball and drove 70 yards, ending with a 3-yard touchdown run by Elijah Mitchell. At that point, the game was effectively over. The 49ers led by ten points.
Purdy, the 49ers’ quarterback who joined the league as Mr. Irrelevant the previous season, is leading the team on a historic comeback as they go to Las Vegas.
OPINION: Shall we try this again? 49ers and Chiefs battling back in Super Bowl 58
However, the other side of this is also fascinating. The first Super Bowl berth in franchise history was finally within the Lions’ grasp, but they let it slip away.
St. Brown remarked, I don’t think any one of us wants to have that sensation that we all felt going off of that field again.
That might have been their only opportunity, Campbell informed his teammates in his postgame speech. He might be in the right.
Do I believe that? No, he replied. Do I think that is true? No. But I am aware of how difficult it is to get here. I know that it will be twice as difficult to return to this position the following year. That’s how things really are.
