The 49ers fought back from being down 17 points to beat the Lions. They will now play the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII.

The 49ers fought back from being down 17 points to beat the Lions. They will now play the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII.

Head coach Dan Campbell chose to go for the ball on the fourth play instead of going for a field goal when the Detroit Lions were ahead by 14 points in the middle of the third quarter.

Up to that point, the Lions had played much better than the 49ers. If the Lions passed incomplete on fourth-and-2, there was no reason to be scared.

But everyone in Michigan had to drop their hearts at that moment. It’s the Lions, after all. They’ve never been invited to the Super Bowl. It was true—the NFC title game was never comparable after that.

There was a miraculous catch that led to a touchdown for the 49ers and a turnover by Detroit that led to another touchdown.

The 49ers made a huge comeback against the Lions, who were ahead 24–7 at halftime. Detroit lost 34–31 and missed its chance to go to the inaugural Super Bowl to team history.

The Super Bowl will be held in Las Vegas on February 11, and the 49ers will face the Kansas City Chiefs, who won the AFC title.

This is the coach who goes for it the most on fourth down. Late in the game, he also went for it but missed a field goal attempt within the fourth quarter. At that point, the 49ers’ defense stopped the pass.

Once they did, San Francisco scored, making the win almost certain. In the last minute, though, the 49ers had to recover an onside kick. This off-season, the Lions will remember both of the field goals they missed.

The 17-point comeback was tied for the biggest in the history of the NFC title game and will go against the 49ers’ long and storied history.

Their fans will always remember Brandon Aiyuk’s amazing catch alongside other highlights like a few huge Brock Smith scrambles.

For months, you have to train, watch films, plan games, deal with injuries and pain, work hard, and make sacrifices.

You have to do all of these things to get into the Super Bowl. But occasionally, even after everything, you just need a weird-shaped ball to help you get where you’re going.

“Nobody succeeds without a little luck,” Trent Williams, left tackle for the San Francisco 49ers, said in the locker room a few hours after his team beat the Detroit Lions 34-31 in the NFC Championship Game. “Tonight was just a chance to get it.”

One important play in the third quarter—a 51-yard catch by Brandon Aiyuk of a Brock Purdy pass—was the topic of conversation. It should have been an interception, but it turned the 49ers’ luck around.

With 6:29 left in the third quarter, the Lions were ahead 24–10 over the 49ers. Detroit had a fourth-and-2 on the Niners’ 28-yard line, but San Francisco stopped them.

Even though that looked like an important moment, the Niners nevertheless needed to score a few big plays to win.

Deebo caught a 17-yard pass. It was moved to the 49ers’ 45-yard line by Samuel. Purdy got ready to shoot and called to take a snap. From the other side of the field, he could see the play going a certain way. Security C.J.

Samuel was picked up by Gardner-Johnson on a crossing route, putting Aiyuk alone alongside cornerback Kindle Vildor. After the game, 49ers boss Kyle Shanahan said that meant Purdy should throw it downfield to Aiyuk.

What San Francisco didn’t expect was Vildor to cover so well. The fifth-round pick in 2020 stayed between Aiyuk or the goal line, setting himself up to pick off the pass.

When he went to grab the ball, he tripped and fell. The ball hit him in the chest and soared back up in the air.

Aiyuk said, “I was shocked.” “I saw the look before the snap and thought I had a chance to get the ball, but he stayed on top.” “I have no idea.”