Lions disappear for the third quarter and dash Super Bowl dreams.
By: Blake Metiva
“The tragedy of man is not that he loses, it’s that he almost wins.” This was said by Heywood Broun, and it couldn’t encapsulate the end of the Lions season any better.
The Detroit Lions entered halftime of their NFC Championship Game up 3 scores, up 17 points, and 30 minutes from a Super Bowl date with the Kansas City Chiefs. The state of Michigan hadn’t been so unified behind one sports team since the 1984 Detroit Tigers. But the third quarter started, and the hope ran out.
As the Lions had done all season, their third quarter adjustments did not exist. In the third quarters this season, the Lions had been out scored 129-83. And against the 49ers they lost that 3-score lead. In the span of 11:56 the 49ers erased the deficit.
The 49ers came out of halftime held only to a field goal – a great start for the Lions who looked incredibly strong, even only holding a 2-score lead. The Lions started their next drive looking for a response. They drove 42-yards downfield, but they were facing a tough fourth-and-2 on San Francisco’s 28-yard line. The obvious decision was to kick the field goal, but in the Dan Campbell system? Anything beyond the 40-yard line is free game.
It looked like it would be an easy first down. The ever-reliable Josh Reynolds was open; Jared Goff sensed the pressure coming from the 49ers’ Nick Bosa and threw it to Reynolds. The ball hit Reynolds in the hands and he dropped it. This forced a turnover on downs, which appeared to be no big deal; the defense had been playing well. But then the football gods stepped in.
After a 17-yard screen pass to Deebo Samuel, the next play turned the momentum of the game. The 49ers were lined up on their own 45-yard line. Brock Purdy took the snap and threw a deep ball downfield. It wasn’t a great pass, thrown beyond his receiver Brandon Aiyuk and into the hands of the Lions’ Kindle Vildor. The pass went through Vildor’s hands, bounced off his helmet, and sent the ball into the air. Where did it land? Right into the waiting arms of Brandon Aiyuk. But, there was a flag on the play; it was for defensive pass interference which changed nothing. The play was a 51-yard pass, and the 49ers would score 3 plays later.
This did not seem to be a major problem as the Lions were still up by a touchdown. All they had to do was go down and score again. On the Lions’ first play of their next drive, Jahmyr Gibbs fumbled the ball. Whether he was lined up in the wrong spot and the adjustment was missed or fumbled during his spin move, it didn’t matter. The gassed defense had to go out and play again. San Francisco started their drive on the Lions 24-yard line, and 4 plays later the game would be tied 24-24. A 17-point lead was erased in just under 12 minutes.
To start the fourth quarter, the 49ers would score a field goal to give them a 27-24 lead. The Lions came out and built a drive; they were down to the San Francisco 30-yard line, down a field goal.
It seemed the easy choice would be to take the points. But kicker Marvin Badgley was anything but automatic in his successful kicks all season. Bagley had a career 61% on field goals in outdoor environments when kicks were greater than 40 yards.
This season the Lions were 18 of 21 on fourth-down with 3 yards (or less) to go. Dan Campbell was aggressive as ever and went for it. The pocket Goff had collapsed, and he had to throw on the run. It was short of Amon-Ra St. Brown, and it resulted in a turnover on downs. On the following drive the 49ers scored a touchdown, thereby putting the nail in the coffin.
The Lions would score a late touchdown to bring it to a 3-point game, but it was too little, too late. The 49ers recovered an onside kick attempt and would run out the remaining time on the clock. The Lions were held scoreless for 29 of the 30 minutes in the second half. Their defense allowed 24 points during the half. They failed to convert two fourth-down attempts. They never regained the momentum of the game after Vildor missed an interception.
It’s hard to put a good spin on such a bitter loss. The Lions were 30 minutes from their first Super Bowl appearance. But, there is light on the horizon for the Lions. General Manager Brad Holmes has another draft to load up on talent. Detroit is a free-agent destination, and Coach Campbell is someone players want to be associated with.
The fans (and state as a whole) are more invested in the team than ever. Much like the city of Detroit’s motto, “Speramus Meliora, Resurget Cineribus,” we all hope for better things, and the Lions will rise from the ashes.