DETROIT: In the second quarter of their divisional round matchup with the Tampa Bay Bucs, the Detroit Lions became the first team in the end zone when quarterback Jared Goff connected with wide receiver Josh Reynolds for a 9-yard score
With 12:33 left in the first half, Goff found Reynolds for a short pass in the back of the end zone, giving Detroit a 10-3 lead.
Reynolds’ first-ever postseason touchdown occurred. During the Lions’ 14-play scoring drive, Goff completed 9 of 10 passes for 60 yards and the touchdown.
Then, at 3:48 of the third quarter, running back Craig Reynolds gave the Lions a 17-10 lead with a score from the goal line on his first rush since October 30.
The Lions’ second touchdown on fourth down this postseason was scored by Reynolds, who was scoring his first-ever playoff touchdown. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Lions ran for it on fourth down 34% of the time during the regular season, which was the greatest percentage of any team this century.
A few minutes later, Jahmyr Gibbs looked anything but a rookie as he raced into the end zone to kick off the fourth quarter and burst loose into open field.
After Gibbs’ score, there was 13:13 left in regulation and the Lions led 24-17.
His 31-yard rushing touchdown was the longest by a Lions player in a postseason game since Barry Sanders’ 47-yard touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round of 1991.
Together with Doak Walker, who scored a touchdown on the ground in both the 1952 and 1953 NFL Championship Games, Gibbs became the second player in Lions history to score a touchdown on the ground in back-to-back playoff games. He was also the first to do so in a single season.
INSANITY, California Months of training, movie watching, strategy sessions, injuries, agony, toil, and sacrifice are all involved. To make it to the Super Bowl, you must complete all of the requirements. Sometimes, though, you still need a funny-shaped ball to bounce in your direction, even after all of that.
In the locker room, San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams stated, “Obviously, nobody wins without a little luck,” just hours after his team’s NFC Championship Game comeback triumph over the Detroit Lions, 34–31. “Tonight was just our time to get it.”
One pivotal play from the third quarter, a 51-yard Brandon Aiyuk reception on a Brock Purdy pass that could have easily been an interception but instead turned the 49ers’ season around, was the topic of discussion. With 6:29 remaining in the third quarter, the Lions had a 24-10 lead over the 49ers. When Detroit was facing a fourth-and-2 from the Niners’ 28-yard line, San Francisco had stopped them moments before. Though it appeared to be a turning point, the Niners still needed to score big offensive plays in order to win.
A 17-yarder to Deebo, the receiver Samuel advanced the ball to the 45-yard line of the Niners. Purdy called for the snap while positioned shotgun. He watched the play develop as he had hoped down the field. Security After Samuel was scooped up by C.J. Gardner-Johnson on a crossing route, Aiyuk was left playing one-on-one with CB Kindle Vildor. Later on, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said that Purdy was meant to pass it downfield to Aiyuk.
“BA is one-on-one, but we need an explosive play, right? Purdy declared, “I’m going to seize that opportunity.” “I was giving my guy a shot.”
The 2020 fifth-round pick Vildor positioned himself to make an interception by staying between Aiyuk and the goal line, something San Francisco was unaware of. However, he stumbled as he reached back to grab the ball, causing it to strike his chest before shooting back into the air.
Aiyuk expressed amazement. “I sensed the vibe prior to the snap, knowing that I had an opportunity to catch the ball, but he simply held the advantage. I have no idea.”
It didn’t cost Aiyuk to be shocked, though. At the 4-yard line, he dove to catch the ball after seeing it bounce off the defender in the air. It was difficult to tell what transpired because the majority of his team was located roughly 50 yards upfield. One of the flags was down. With the ball, Aiyuk had rolled into the end zone. Was there a fine? Was that a touchdown? Was there a catch, after all? Is there any chance he caught it?
Purdy remarked, “I could see the flag, but not much.” “Then I heard the stadium erupt, and it was like, ‘Oh my god, he caught that?'”
DE Arik Armstead stated, “BA’s had an incredible season making crazy plays for us.” However, that particular one was
Tight end George Kittle deadpanned, saying, “Just the way we intended it to look!” “Off the guy’s face mask into BA’s hands, dang, Brock Purdy’s good at football.”
“What can you say?” Williams grinned broadly as she spoke. No amount of film watching or coaching will ever be able to get him ready to make a catch like that. Well, that’s just will and talent.”
Three plays later, an ideally timed touchdown was scored by the Niners from Purdy to Aiyuk. The stadium throbbed. It had narrowed a 17-point halftime deficit to seven. The Niners took off, and the Lions’ first play was a fumble by running back Jahmyr Gibbs, which Armstead recovered from.
“Why do people in analytics say momentum isn’t real?” In his post-game news conference, Kittle posed this question to the gathered journalists. “That’s the biggest load of horse crap I’ve ever heard in my life.”
At that point, it was hard to be at Levi’s Stadium and not feel like something had changed. At the Detroit 24, the ball was with the Niners. On the first down, Purdy threw one to Kittle that was lost for a yard. However, the pocket collapsed on second down, and Purdy took off, running 21 yards to the Lions’ 4-yard line. It was the first of Purdy’s two 21-yard scrambles; the other came on a fourth-quarter third-and-four drive that put the 49ers ahead by 10 points with three minutes remaining. Until Sunday, he had not had a run of 20 yards in the whole season.
“It’s an athlete, Brock,” Williams declared. “His athleticism is obviously underappreciated. No one looks.
“It’s an athlete, Brock,” Williams declared. “His athleticism is obviously underappreciated. It’s not like they look at him and assume he’s tucking the ball and running with it. But he’s capable of it. In practice, we observe it. He is able to run. He ran, therefore, because we needed him to. We are in the Super Bowl because of the plays he has made for us throughout the season.”
The third quarter on Sunday could be much more significant. Despite giving up 148 running yards, 18 first downs, and 24 points in the first half, the 49ers went into the locker room at halftime with confidence in their circumstances. “We’re not going out like this,” Shanahan claimed the team felt at halftime, and they had faith that things would improve.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Niners were 0-30 entering the postseason under Shanahan when behind by seven or more points at the halfway point of the fourth quarter. They broke that run last week when they defeated the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round, scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter. Additionally, under Shanahan, they had a 0-19 record when down by 17 or more points in the second half. This week, they broke that one. The Niners and the 1994 Chargers are the only teams who have made multiple seven-point comebacks in the second half of the playoffs before winning the Super Bowl, according to Elias Sports Bureau. (That Chargers squad lost the Super Bowl against San Francisco.)
Williams remarked, “We were actually pretty confident.” Specifically, knowing we would get the ball first. All the plays were there; we were simply not producing them. We are aware that Aiyuk and Deebo will eventually add their own touch to a game such as this. In addition, the first half saw [the Lions] deliver their strongest punches. Tricks, pranks, flea flickers, etc. You knew in due course that everything will settle down and we would be alright.”
They were accurate. In the third quarter, the Niners outgained the Lions 170 yards to 42, and outscored them 17 to 0. However, on third and fourth downs, the Lions also stumbled and misdirected important throws.
“You just have to be patient,” Williams stated. “You play long enough, you stick to your plan, you do it the right way, things eventually turn your way.”
And that’s what it takes to cash in on a year’s worth of labor when, in the 21st week of the season, after all the hard work you’ve put in to get to the Super Bowl, a ball bounces off the defender and into your receiver’s hands. For the second time in their five seasons, the 49ers are back in the Super Bowl, and they got there with a third-quarter comeback that was nothing short of spectacular.
