SAN FRANCISCO – An epic second-half collapse doomed the Detroit Lions in San Francisco, as their magical playoff run came to an end one game short of a Super Bowl appearance.
Lions offense explodes early
The Lions couldn’t have asked for a much better start. San Francisco won the coin toss and deferred, so Jared Goff and the offense took the field first.
David Montgomery gained 19 yards on the first two plays before Goff hit Sam LaPorta on a play-action dump-off to the left. On the fourth play of the drive, Jameson Williams got an end-around handoff and took it 42 yards for a touchdown.
Moody misses
The biggest concern for the Lions coming into Sunday’s matchup is how the secondary would hold up against the likes of George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and Christian McCaffrey.
San Francisco moved the ball down the field on its first drive, including catches from Aiyuk and Samuel and a couple of solid runs from McCaffrey.
But the Lions stiffened up inside their own 40-yard line with a tackle for loss, a forced incompletion, and an open-field tackle on third down. They were rewarded when former Michigan star Jake Moody missed a 48-yard field goal wide right to keep the score 7-0.
Another scoring drive
Detroit took over on the 38-yard line and immediately got to work, crossing midfield with a pass to LaPorta and a pair of runs by Jahmyr Gibbs.
David Montgomery caught a 14-yard pass to San Francisco’s 31, and that’s where the Lions faced their first bit of offensive adversity.
On 3rd and 9 at the edge of field goal range, Goff tossed a quick pass out to Amon-Ra St. Brown in the flat, and he had LaPorta, Penei Sewell, and Graham Glasgow out in front of him. He picked up the first down easily, and four plays later, Montgomery powered his way into the end zone from a yard out to give the Lions an early 14-0 lead.
49ers answer
After a dominant first quarter by the Lions, the 49ers got off to a hot start in the second.
Brock Purdy completed a long pass to Kyle Juszczyk during a scramble drill to get the drive started, and then McCaffrey did the rest.
He gained 13 yards on three carries over the next three plays, and then gained 28 yards on a short pass because of a missed tackle by C.J. Gardner-Johnson that would have limited the play to about five yards.
From there, the San Francisco offensive line went to work. Juszczyk gained three yards on 1st and goal from the five, and then McCaffrey scored from two yards out on the next play.
Moody’s extra point pulled the 49ers within seven.
Lions finally punt, but Rodrigo makes play
The Lions’ offense finally faltered on the third drive, but not until it flipped the field with a couple of first downs from Montgomery and St. Brown.
Jack Fox punted to the 12-yard line, giving the defense a long field to play with. The 49ers picked up one first down before a pair of overthrows intended for Aiyuk set up and 3rd and 10.
Purdy felt pressure from Aidan Hutchinson and threw up a jump ball in the middle of the field. Malcolm Rodriguez, who was in for an injured Derrick Barnes, picked off the pass and returned it to the 21-yard line.
A 15-yard penalty on C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who blindsided personal nemesis Samuel, brought the ball back to the 46-yard line, but that couldn’t slow down the Lions’ offense.
LaPorta caught a short pass and plowed forward for 16 yards after a five-yard loss on the opening play. Then Goff hit St. Brown for 17 yards to the 15.
Gibbs got the first carry inside the red zone and turned what appeared to be a short gain into a 15-yard touchdown to put the lead back at two touchdowns.
Lions finish 1st half strong
The Lions’ defense got off the field quickly, forcing the 49ers to go three-and-out with two incomplete passes and a rush for no gain.
Detroit took over with 4:59 left on the clock and went to work. Montgomery took the ball on the first four plays -- three runs and a catch -- gaining a total of 26 yards.
Gibbs took over on the next series and took a 3rd and 12 draw 13 yards for a critical first down after the two-minute warning.
After a sack and a rush for no gain, Goff hit St. Brown for a 19-yard gain to move the sticks and set up a first down in the red zone. St. Brown converted another 3rd and long before the Lions settled for a field goal from the two-yard line to go into the half leading 24-7.
Halftime stats
The scoreboard was an accurate reflection of Detroit’s dominance in the first 30 minutes. The Lions picked up 18 first downs compared to just eight for the 49ers, and the yardage was a lopsided 280-131.
Goff completed 13 of his 20 first-half attempts for 145 yards, while Gibbs, Montgomery, and Williams combined for 148 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries.
That’s an average of 7.3 yards per pass and 7 yard per run.
McCaffrey, the best running back in the NFL, had just 29 yards on 10 carries at the break, and Purdy was 7-for-15 for 93 yards and a pick.
St. Brown led the Lions with five grabs for 73 yards, and LaPorta was right behind with four catches and 45 yards.
Disastrous 3rd quarter
The 49ers moved the ball on their first drive of the second half, picking up two first downs and getting down to Detroit’s 25-yard line.
But once again, the defense didn’t break, forcing back-to-back incompletions after a two-yard run on first down. Moody connected from 43 yards away to make the score 24-10.
The Lions looked like they were going to answer when they drove well into 49ers territory, but then Josh Reynolds dropped a key 4th and 2 pass that would have given the Lions a first down in the red zone.
Instead, San Francisco took over on the 28-yard line with a chance to pull within a possession.
Purdy’s first pass was a quick out to Samuel, who avoided several tackles and gained 17 yards out near midfield. The next play should have been picked off by Kindle Vildor inside the 10-yard line, but instead, the ball hit him in the face mask and popped right into the hands of Aiyuk, who caught it inside the five-yard line.
Three plays later, Aiyuk beat Sutton on 3rd and goal for a 49ers touchdown.
On the first play of the ensuing Lions drive, Gibbs fumbled the ball after an awkward handoff, and the 49ers recovered on the 24-yard line.
Purdy scrambled for 21 yards after a loss on the first play, and the 49ers scored two plays later to tie the game.
Just like that, Detroit’s 17-point halftime lead was erased in 12 minutes of game time.
On the next drive, Goff hit a wide-open Reynolds right in the hands on 3rd and 10, but he dropped the pass again, and the Lions were forced to punt.
Fox booted the ball right on the one-yard line, but Chase Lucas carried it right across the goal line to give San Francisco the ball at the 20.
Ifeatu Melifonwu should have sacked Purdy on the first play of the following drive, but he couldn’t make the tackle, and instead, Purdue hit a wide-open Kittle to move the chains. McCaffrey carried the ball twice out to the 44-yard line before the end of what was an absolutely disastrous third quarter for Detroit.
Lions trail for first time, 49ers put nail in coffin
The 49ers drove deep into Detroit territory to start the fourth quarter but stalled out in the red zone thanks to a pair of sacks from Melifonwu and McNeill.
Moody drilled a 33-yard chip shot to give the 49ers a 27-24 lead -- the first time the Lions have trailed in the postseason.
Detroit’s offense got off to a good start on the ensuing drive, as Goff hit Williams for a 22-yard gain. But on a fourth down at the edge of field goal range, Goff couldn’t find St. Brown and the Lions turned the ball over on downs.
Smelling blood, the 49ers’ offense went to work, driving 70 yards for a game-sealing touchdown. The backbreaking play was a 3rd and 4 near midfield, when the Lions couldn’t wrap up Purdy and let him scramble 21 yards. Elijah Mitchell put the nail in the coffin with a three-yard score.
Garbage time touchdown
The Lions drove 11 plays and 75 yards down the field, and Williams caught a three-yard touchdown on fourth down to pull them within three points.
But the Lions wasted a timeout by running the ball on 3rd and goal from the one-yard line, and that ultimately sunk them, as the 49ers recovered an onside kick and then easily ran out the clock.
Detroit’s playoff run came to an end by a final score of 34-31.
