49ers vs. Lions NFC Championship Live Blog
SANTA CLARA -- This is the live blog of the NFC Championship Game between the 49ers and the Detroit Lions. I will update this after every drive with information and analysis from the press box.
1:55 The Lions best chance to win this game involves intercepting Brock Purdy, and to do this they will attempt to pack the intermediate level of the field (10 to 20 yards past the line of scrimmage) where Purdy likes to force passes. Which means all Purdy has to do is check it down and the 49ers will win. Because they're 11-0 this season when he doesn't turn the ball over, and they're better than the Lions. In the Super Bowl against the Chiefs or the Ravens, Purdy would have to do more than not turn the ball over. But against the Lions, all he has to do is be careful and not take risks. The more he hands off and checks down, the better the 49ers' chances of winning. Let's see how disciplined he is. Recently, he's been trying to show that he's a gunslinger, and a gunslinger forces passes into tight windows because he has to. Because there's no other way for him to win. That's Purdy's situation. He's on the best team in the NFC. All he has to do is distribute the ball to his playmakers and let them do all the work. That's called dinking and dunking, and it's perfectly acceptable in the playoffs if it leads to a Super Bowl appearance.
2:25 Here are the 49ers' inactives: Samuel Womack III, Ronnie Bell, Brandon Allen, Jalen Graham, Curtis Robinson, Matt Pryor and Willie Snead.
2:26 Here are the Lions' inactives: Kalif Raymond, Hendon Hooker, Tracy Walker, Steven Gilmore, Charles Harris, Jonah Jackson and Brodric Martin.
3:38 The 49ers win the toss and defer. The Lions will receive the opening kickoff.
FIRST QUARTER
3:44 On 1st and 10 from the 49ers 42-yard line, Jared Goff pitches the ball to Jameson Williams running a reverse and he weaves through the 49ers defense for a touchdown. Dre Greenlaw missed a tackle at the end of the play. What an incredibly easy four-play, 75-yard touchdown drive.
49ers 0, Lions 7.
3:44 On the fourth play of the 49ers' first drive, Brock Purdy throws a deep pass that's dropped by Lions cornerback Cam Sutton. Then on 3rd and 11 from the Lions 35, Purdy checks down to Christian McCaffrey for five yards. Then on 4th and 6, Jake Moody misses a 48-yarder wide right. He has missed kicks in three straight games. The Lions take over at their 38.
4:01 The Lions are playing 8 in the box on first down. Kyle Shanahan needs to counter by calling play action on 1st down and runs on 2nd down.
4:08 On 2nd and goal from the 1, David Montgomery powers through the 49ers defensive line for the touchdown. Another incredibly easy drive. The Lions had one third down -- third and 9 -- and they converted with a wide receiver screen to Amon-Ra St. Brown. The Lions are averaging 10.8 yards per carry.
49ers 0, Lions 14.
SECOND QUARTER
4:20 On 1st and 10 from the Lions 33, Purdy checks down to McCaffrrey who breaks a tackle and runs for 28. Then on 2nd and goal from the 2, McCaffrey scores a rushing touchdown. The 49ers absolutely needed that drive. Now lets see if their defense can stop the Lions.
49ers 7, Lions 14.
4:28 After a sack by Nick Bosa on 2nd and 10, on 3rd and 15 from the Lions 45, Jared Goff hits Sam LaPorta for 9 yards, then the Lions punt. The 49ers take over at their 12.
4:35 On 3rd and 10 from the 49ers 24, Brock Purdy forces a pass over the middle and gets intercepted by Malcolm Rodriguez. Just a terrible decision and pass by Purdy. The Lions take over at the 49ers' 46.
4:40 On 1st and 10 from the 49ers 15, Gibbs runs around the right end where Nick Bosa fails to set the edge and scores a touchdown. The 49ers run defense is just terrible. It already has given up 113 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
49ers 7, Lions 21.
4:46 On 3rd and 10 from the 49ers 25, Purdy scrambles to his left and throws back to his right to Brandon Aiyuk who dives and drops the pass, and the 49ers go 3 and out. After the punt, the Lions take over at their 29.
5:07 On 3rd and goal from the 6, Goff completes a 4-yard pass to Gibbs, and then the Lions make a 21-yard field goal with 7 seconds left in the half. On that series, the 49ers gave up conversions on 3rd and 12 and 3rd and 18. Unnacceptable. The Lions have 148 rushing yards before halftime.
49ers 7, Lions 24.
THIRD QUARTER
5:30 On 3rd and 8 from the Lions 25, Purdy throws a hospital ball over the middle to Jauan Jennings who leaps but can't get a finger on the pass. Then Moody makes a 43-yard field goal.
49ers 10, Lions 24.
5:39 On 4th and 2 from the 49ers 28, the Lions go for it and Jared Goff throws an incomplete pass to Josh Reynolds who dives and drops the ball. Huge plays. The Lions clearly should have kicked the field goal. The 49ers take over at their 28.
5:47 On 1st and 10 from the 49ers 45, Purdy throws a deep pass that hits cornerback Kindle Vildor in the face, bounces off his facemask and lands in the arms of Brandon Aiyuk for a gain of 51. Then on 3rd and 6, Purdy scrambles to his left and hits Aiyuk for a touchdown. What a lucky series. And just like that, the 49ers are back in the game.
49ers 17, Lions 24.
5:51 First play of the drive, Gibbs fumbles and the 49ers recover at the Lions 24. Tashaun Gipson forced the fumble and Arik Armstead recovered it.
5:54 On 2nd and 11 from the Lions 25, Purdy scrambled for 21 yards. Two plays later, McCaffrey scores a rushing touchdown, and now the game is tied. That was fast!
49ers 24, Lions 24.
6:00 On 3rd and 10 from the Lions 25, Josh Reynolds drops a pass over the middle and Detroit goes three and out. That pass hit Reynolds in the chest. After the punt, the 49ers take over at their 20.
FOURTH QUARTER
6:15 After back-to-back sacks, on 3rd and 19 from the Lions 22, Purdy completes a 7-yard pass to Deebo Samuel, then Jake Moody makes a 33-yard field goal with 9:52 left.
49ers 27, Lions 24.
6:24 On 4th and 3 from the 49ers 30, the Lions go for it and Goff throws an incomplete pass to no one. Just kick the freaking field goal. The 49ers take over at the Detroit 30.
6:30 On 3rd and 4 from the Lions 49, Purdy scrambles for 21. Then on 1st and 10 from the Lions 28, McCaffrey runs for 25. Next play, Elijah Mitchell scores from 3 yards out. What an incredible comeback.
49ers 34, Lions 24.
6:41 On 4th and goal from the 3, Goff throws a touchdown pass to Jameson Williams with 56 seconds left. The Lions might be winning right now if they hadn't gone for it unsuccessfully twice on fourth down.
49ers 34, Lions 31.
6:44 George Kittle recovers the onside kick. The 49ers will win and advance to the Super Bowl. Stay tuned for their grades.
