The San Francisco 49ers are back in the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2019 season after a 34:31 win over the Detroit Lions. They overcame a 17-point halftime deficit and now have a rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Lions @ 49ers: At a glance
- The San Francisco 49ers are in the Super Bowl, as they were last in 2019. Once again the opponent is the Kansas City Chiefs, like when they lost after a ten-point lead in the final quarter.
- The 49ers made their biggest comeback in the NFL since at least 2022, turning around a game that already seemed lost.
- The Lions had the chance to extend their lead, but their 4th-down decisions backfired this time.
Lions @ 49ers: The analysis
The first half belonged entirely to the guests, who took the lead straight away with their first drive. Wide receiver Jameson Williams opened the scoring with a 42-yard touchdown after a jet sweep. In return, Jake Moody missed a 48-yard field goal attempt, after which the Lions marched again. Finally, David Montgomery completed the score with a one-yard run to make it 14-0.
The Niners then sent their first sign of life, led by Christian McCaffrey, who put his team in position with a 28-yard catch-and-run and shortened it a little later with a short touchdown run.
The Niners managed a stop near the halfway line, but a throw forced by Purdy resulted in an interception by linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, giving Detroit the ball in the opponent’s half. Just five plays later, Jahmyr Gibbs ran for a 15-yard touchdown. The Lions got to the 3 again before the break, but there they settled for a field goal instead of going for a fourth attempt. Halftime score: 24:7 Detroit.
What then followed was a real meltdown for the guests in the third quarter. After a Niners field goal, the Lions faced a 4th&2 at the Niners’ 28. This time Dan Campbell decided to pass the try and Jared Goff had an open Josh Reynolds but he dropped the ball.
Lucky catch brings 49ers back into the game
The Niners thanked him and marched. A deep shot from Purdy bounced off Kindle Vildor’s helmet into the arms of Brandon Aiyuk, who turned it into a spectacular 51-yard catch at the 4. A little later, Purdy found Aiyuk again in the end zone for a six-yard touchdown. But that wasn’t enough, because on the Lions’ next offensive snap, Gibbs lost a fumble after a tackle by Tashon Gipson, which Arik Armstead recovered for the home team.
Just four plays later, McCaffrey ran for a one-yard touchdown to tie the game. And after a 3rd down drop from Reynolds (!), the Niners got the ball back again and finally took the lead in the game for the first time in the game, 27:24, at the start of the final quarter with another Moody field goal.
The Lions then briefly recovered and advanced into the opponent’s half, but it was over again on 4th down. This time, however, because Goff didn’t see the only open receiver on a crossing route. A 48-yard field goal would have at least equalized the score. Instead, the Niners were left with just over six minutes to play.
They then took time off the clock and Elijah Mitchell ended up scoring another touchdown. The Lions managed to score, but then ran out of time because they wasted a timeout just before the goal line with a stopped run attempt.
The Niners are in the Super Bowl for the eighth time and will meet the Kansas City Chiefs in Las Vegas, as they did in February 2020.
Detroit Lions (#3) @ San Francisco 49ers (#1)
Result: 31:34 (14:0, 10:7, 0:17, 7:10) BOXSCORE
Lions @ 49ers: Key stats
- With his touchdown in the second quarter, McCaffrey joined an illustrious circle: He is one of only four players to score at least one touchdown in each of their first six playoff games. The others are Terrell Davis, Marcus Allen and Damien Williams.
- This is the first win for the 49ers in a game in which they trailed by at least 14 points since 2022. They were previously 0-5 in such situations.
- While it is the Niners’ eighth NFC championship, the Lions have now also lost their second NFC Championship Game ever.
- This was Purdy’s fourth playoff win in his second season. That’s more than Tom Brady (3), Patrick Mahomes (1) and Peyton Manning (0), among others, had at this point.
The star of the game: Brock Purdy (quarterback, 49ers)
He again had a difficult time at the start and also threw an unnecessary interception. But he caught himself and then took what the defense gave him. And it was a lot. Not only did he move the chains with his passes, he also repeatedly found space in critical situations in the second half to run through the middle himself and thus cause damage. This was his signature win in his young career.
The flop of the game: Josh Reynolds (Wide Receiver, Lions)
You can question a lot after this game. But ultimately, Dan Campbell’s 4th-down calls were justifiable from an analytical perspective. Indefensible: Josh Reynolds’ two critical drops (one on 3rd down), which took the wind out of the Lions’ sails at a critical time while breathing new life into the Niners.
Analysis: Lions @ 49ers – that stood out tactically
- Dan Campbell’s reputation causes strange reactions from his opponents. On the 4th & 7 near the halfway line in the second quarter, the Lions lined up to punt, but the Niners deployed a sort of prevent defense with four down linemen in anticipation of a fake. The Lions still punted. In general, Campbell was more conservative than usual in this first half. Even before halftime, he opted for a field goal at the three-yard line instead of playing 4th & goal.
- Defensively, the Lions were very creative on the line. They often relied on sim pressure, but then let a lineman fall into coverage while a blitzer completed the 4-man rush. At times they overloaded the right side of the 49ers’ offensive line. Purdy was constantly put under pressure.
- The Lions defense repeatedly went for base on early downs, meaning they had heavy boxes and the Niners still ran against it, which unsurprisingly had little success. And that in turn often created long 3rd downs, which are inherently complicated. After the break, Kyle Shanahan corrected this and relied more on the pass in these situations, which was much more efficient.