(Kelley L Cox, USA TODAY Sports)
And with that, the Detroit Lions 2023-24 season comes to an end. What a wild ride the Dan Campbell and Jared Goff experience has been this year. After ending last season winning 8 of their last 10, we were left wondering if the Lions were for real. The league thought so, giving Detroit the opening slot against the Chiefs on Week 1’s Thursday Night Football. They were most definitely for real. They beat the Chiefs that night and were one game away from the scriptwriters outdoing themselves again with a full circle Super Bowl rematch.
Momentum was the biggest factor in the game. Similar to their first two playoff games, the Lions came out swinging, scoring two opening-quarter touchdowns and holding the Niners to no points. Although liking Detroit to win, 14-0 was not on my bingo card. They drove down the field twice using their entire arsenal of weapons.
With the ball at the end of the half, they were up by two scores, and on 4th down all eyes were on Dan Campbell to see how aggressive he would be in the biggest game of his life. It seemed painful for him, but after what seemed like a 10-minute pause, he sent the field goal unit out and took a 3 score lead going into the half.
With 24 points going into the half, the Lions did not score again until there was 1:00 left on the clock in the fourth quarter.
The rest of the game was a series of unfortunate events for the Motor City. Niners FG, 4th & 2 stop, Niners TD, fumble, Niners TD. And in the blink of an eye, a 17-point deficit had been erased. With how smoothly and how little panic there was from San Francisco you would think there were only down 7.
With 7:40 left on the clock another 4th and 3 stepped into Campbell's office and without hesitation, he kept his offense out there. What would have been a 47-yard game-tying field goal turned into 0 points.
All of this writing and all I have talked about is the team that is going home. I think that’s just because I know this is the last bit of Lions talk for a while now, and I’m trying to hold on. Like most of the nation, I found myself falling for the team that hadn’t been to this stage since 1991. They were a team that was easy to get behind.
There are very few Quarterbacks in the league that have me say, “I want him to win one.” Jared Goff is definitely on that shortlist. His postgame press conference is worth the watch, reporters were begging for him to throw Reynolds, Gibbs, or his head coach under the bus and he answered those questions with two-word answers. Other reflecting questions he took the time to give a proper response.
I can’t help but think, should the Lions have kicked the two-field goals? But they should be doing exactly what got them to this stage. We can talk about the two 4th downs they did go for but Campbell might be at home thinking about the one he didn’t go for to close out the half and wishes he had that one back.
The Lions season is over, but their window has officially opened. They have a young skill core, a Quarterback who is believed in, and a coach who epitomizes his city. Great season Detroit! In a world where all we want are stories, thanks for giving us a good one.
27 unanswered points by the Niners showed why they were the undisputed best team in the NFC. Being down as much as 17, they stayed calm, cool, and collected and their playmakers showed up, Brock Purdy being the most relevant of them all. With almost 50 yards on the ground in the second half, Purdy took over. He found his targets, let CMC cook, and executed a great series of drives called by Kyle Shanahan. They were in complete control in the second half and are now going to their 2nd Super Bowl in the last 5 years, getting over the NFC Championship hump that has bested them two years in a row.
The dominant second half hid the first-half struggles that made them look like a completely different team out there. If they want to win one more game, they are going to have to look like the team we saw in the second half.
There’s going to be a healthy amount of Niners content these next two weeks, so I’ll leave it at that.
The Niners are going to the Super Bowl. Brock Purdy is about as relevant as it gets, and they are our last hope from the dynasty in the AFC getting another one.
Comments