SANTA CLARA, Calif. — It came apart bit by bit for the Detroit Lions, slowly at first and then seemingly all at once.
A risky fourth-down call. A bobbled interception that turned into a big gain. A bungled handoff that led to a fumble. A dropped pass. A wasted opportunity on special teams. And too many missed tackles to count.
The Lions played their best first half of the season in Sunday’s NFC championship game, then crumbled in the second half amid a slew of self-inflicted errors, losing a heartbreaker to the San Francisco 49ers, 34-31, at Levi’s Stadium.
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That’s not like us,” a somber Lions coach Dan Campbell said after the game. “That hasn’t been on us all year, and it showed up today, at the worst time.”
The Lions fell one win short of reaching the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history, bringing their storybook season to an end at a stadium 37 miles from their last road postseason victory 66 years ago.
The Lions beat the 49ers, 31-27, at old Kezar Stadium on Dec. 22, 1957, to advance to the NFL championship game, where they beat the Cleveland Browns. They haven’t played for a title since, and will have to wait until next fall to try again.
For 30 minutes Sunday, the Lions seemed bound for Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. They moved the ball at will against a 49ers team that finished third in the NFL in scoring defense in the regular season and shut down San Francisco’s high-powered offense.
But the Lions’ Super Bowl dreams disappeared like a mirage in the Las Vegas desert when they gave up 27 straight points in the second half.
Trailing 24-7 at halftime, the 49ers kicked a 43-yard field goal on the opening drive of the third quarter then steamrolled their way to scores on their next four possessions.
The comeback started when the Lions failed to convert a fourth-and-2 from the 49ers’ 28-yard line midway through the third quarter. As has been the case for most of his three seasons as Lions coach, Dan Campbell passed on a 46-yard attempt to try and pick up the first down.
Jared Goff stepped up in the pocket to avoid pressure on the play, and threw a touch wide of Josh Reynolds beyond the sticks, who got two hands the ball but could not secure it.
The 49ers answered with a five-play, 72-yard touchdown drive to cut their deficit to 24-17. Brandon Aiyuk caught a 51-yard heave from Brock Purdy two plays after the failed conversion on an overthrown pass that bounced off Lions cornerback Kindle Vildor’s hand and facemask and gave the 49ers a first-and-goal at the 4.
