The San Francisco 49ers were not going to be denied. Despite facing a 17-point deficit at the halftime of the NFC Championship Game against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, the 49ers managed to rally back and claim a 34-31 win that will see them return to the Super Bowl.
The 49ers will now face Kansas City in Super Bowl LVIII, a rematch between the two teams that faced each other in Super Bowl LIV.
Despite entering the game as big favorites, the 49ers quickly got picked apart by the Lions’ high-octane offense. The Detroit team scored two touchdowns in the first quarter and added 10 more points in the second. Meanwhile, San Francisco managed to put just seven points on the board to finish the half down 24-7.
However, the second half saw a completely different game. The 49ers came out on the field with new-found resilience, and it immediately got them going. After scoring a field goal on their first drive of the third quarter, their second drive finished with quarterback Brock Purdy finding wideout Brandon Aiyuk in the endzone to make it a one-possession game.
From that point onward, the 49ers got into a rhythm, scoring on three more consecutive possessions.
Their defense also stepped up, closing the lanes for the Lions and keeping them scoreless for much of the second half.
The Lions managed to punch in another touchdown to make it 34-31 with less than a minute left of the clock. However, Detroit’s onside kick failed, allowing the 49ers to run down the clock and keep their Super Bowl hopes alive.
“The guys didn’t want today to be the last day,” said 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan after the game.
The 49ers are now looking for their first Super Bowl win since 1994. They have made two Super Bowls since then but lost in both.
