49ers advance to SUPER BOWL, complete HISTORIC 2nd-half COMEBACK | Game Recap | CBS Sports

Summary

The video recaps the incredible 17-point comeback by the 49ers to defeat the Lions in the NFC Championship game. It focuses on 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy's gritty performance in leading the comeback, as well as key adjustments by 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. The victory means the 49ers will face off against the Chiefs in Super Bowl 58, a rematch of Super Bowl 54. The summary praises Purdy while sympathizing with Lions fans over the heartbreaking loss that dashed Detroit's hopes of their first Super Bowl appearance since 1991.

Takeaways

• 😲 The 49ers overcame a 17-point deficit to beat the Lions and advance to the Super Bowl, the largest comeback in NFC title game history
• 👏 Brock Purdy played with poise and made big plays in the second half to lead the comeback
• ❌ Dan Campbell's aggressive 4th down decisions backfired and cost the Lions the game
• 💪 The 49ers made key defensive adjustments in the second half, playing more man coverage and bringing pressure
• 🏈 The 49ers established the run game with CMC in the second half, which opened up their offense
• 🔥 Debo Samuel and the supporting cast stepped up hugely in the 2nd half after a flat first half
• 🚨 Jared Goff's fumble in the second half was a turning point that gave the 49ers momentum
• 👍 The Lions have a bright future with their young core, but the loss is still extremely disappointing
• ⭐ It's a rematch of Super Bowl 54 - the Chiefs vs the 49ers in Super Bowl 58
• 😪 The long-suffering Lions fans remain on the list of teams still waiting to reach the Super Bowl

Q & A

What was the previous record for largest comeback in an NFC Championship game?

The previous record was a 17-point comeback by the 49ers against the Falcons in the 2012 NFC Championship game, which the 49ers went on to lose to the Ravens in the Super Bowl.

How many total yards passing and rushing did Brock Purdy have in the first half versus the second half?

In the first half, Purdy had 132 yards passing. In the second half, he had 158 yards rushing and 158 passing for a total of 316 yards.

What adjustment did the 49ers defense make at halftime that helped shift momentum?

The 49ers switched to more man coverage and brought more blitz pressure in the second half. This took away the time Jared Goff had in the pocket.

What records will Brock Purdy hold as a Super Bowl starting quarterback?

At 24 years old, Purdy will be the third youngest quarterback to start a Super Bowl. He was also the third lowest drafted quarterback to start in the Super Bowl, and the lowest ever drafted Super Bowl starter since he was the last pick (Mr. Irrelevant) in the 2022 draft.

How did the 49ers rushing attack change in the second half versus the first half?

In the first half, the 49ers had 39 rushing yards. They finished the game with 158 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.

What coaching decisions by Dan Campbell may have cost the Lions the game?

Going for it on 4th down up 14 points instead of taking an easy field goal to make it a 3 possession game, and later passing up a potential game-tying 48 yard field goal.

What young Lions players give reason to be optimistic about Detroit's future success?

Aidan Hutchinson, Jameson Williams, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and others have shown a lot of promise and Detroit seems to have a good young core in place.

When was the last time the Lions played for the NFC Championship prior to this year?

1991

What rematch will we see in Super Bowl 58?

Chiefs vs. 49ers, which is a rematch of Super Bowl 54.

Who remains on the list of teams still looking for their first Super Bowl championship after this loss?

The Detroit Lions

Outlines

00:00

😊 49ers Complete Historic 17-Point Comeback Thanks to Poise and Grit from Purdy and Team

The 49ers trailed 17-0 at halftime but displayed mental toughness and resilience to mount a record-setting comeback victory against the Lions in the NFC Championship game. Quarterback Brock Purdy played with determination and led effective offensive adjustments, while the defense tightened coverage and dialed up pressure in the second half.

05:01

😟 Questionable 4th Down Decisions by Campbell Contribute to Lions' Collapse

The Lions held a 14-point lead and had momentum in their favor earlier in the game. However, head coach Dan Campbell's decisions to repeatedly go for it on 4th down instead of taking field goals came back to haunt them. This conservative approach may have cost Detroit an opportunity to play in the Super Bowl.

10:02

👍 49ers Lean on Rushing Attack and Key Adjustments to Shift Momentum

The 49ers emphasized their ground game in the second half, riding the rushing efforts of Christian McCaffrey and others to jumpstart their comeback. Critical defensive adjustments to play tighter man coverage and increase pressure also stifled the Lions. Big plays from Samuel, Purdy, and others provided additional sparks.

15:03

😢 Tough Loss Dents Lions' Super Bowl Hopes But Future Remains Bright

Despite the devastating defeat, Detroit has assembled an impressive core of young talent that should make them contenders for years to come. However, nothing is guaranteed and Lions fans know reaching this level is exceptionally hard. For now, they can only rue missed chances in a game that slipped away.

Keywords

💡comeback

A 'comeback' refers to a team or player overcoming a large deficit to win a game. In the video, the San Francisco 49ers made the largest comeback in NFC Championship Game history after trailing the Detroit Lions 17-0 at halftime. Their ability to come back from such a big deficit and win the game shows their mental toughness and resilience as a team.

💡momentum

In sports, 'momentum' refers to the advantage that a team gains during a competition through events going in their favor. The video discusses how the momentum completely shifted to the 49ers in the second half after they struggled in the first half. Their key defensive adjustments allowed them to gain momentum and ultimately ride it to victory.

💡adjustments

In football, 'adjustments' refer to strategic or tactical changes that coaches and players make at halftime or during the game in response to how the opposing team is playing. The video praises 49ers' defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans for making effective scheme adjustments at halftime, like playing more man coverage and blitzing more, which stifled the Lions offense.

💡playoffs

The 'playoffs' refer to the postseason tournament after the regular season that determines the league championship. The video discusses the NFC Championship Game, which determines who represents the NFC in the Super Bowl. Winning this game means the 49ers advanced to the Super Bowl.

💡draft

The 'draft' refers to the NFL Draft, an annual event where teams select newly eligible players to join their rosters. The video mentions that 49ers QB Brock Purdy was the very last pick in the draft but is now starting in the Super Bowl, an underdog story.

💡Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is the championship game of the NFL, played between the champions of the AFC and NFC conferences. The video looks ahead to the 49ers facing the Chiefs in Super Bowl 58 in two weeks, a rematch of Super Bowl 54.

💡offense

An NFL team's 'offense' refers to the players and unit responsible for advancing the ball and scoring points. The video praises the 49ers' offensive adjustments in the second half, especially committing to the run game with Christian McCaffrey.

💡defense

An NFL team's 'defense' refers to the players and unit responsible for preventing the opponent from scoring. The video credits the 49ers defense for shutting down the Lions in the second half after struggling initially.

💡coach

The 'coach' is the leader of a team responsible for game strategy and motivating players. There is discussion of both 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and Lions coach Dan Campbell's coaching decisions influencing the outcome.

💡quarterback

The 'quarterback' is the offensive leader who throws passes and leads the team. The video focuses on the play of 49ers QB Brock Purdy, who led the big comeback despite being a late-round rookie.

Highlights

Largest comeback in NFC Championship history - 17 points

Brock Purdy showed poise and made big plays when 49ers were struggling

49ers made key halftime adjustments on both offense and defense

Dan Campbell's aggressive 4th down decisions backfired and cost Lions

At 24 years old, Brock Purdy becomes 3rd youngest QB to start a Super Bowl

Christian McCaffrey key to 49ers' 2nd half running game resurgence

Multiple 49ers made big hustle plays to shift momentum in 2nd half

Jared Goff turned ball over in 2nd half leading to 49ers touchdown

Future looks bright for young Lions core, but nothing guaranteed

Rematch of Super Bowl 54 - Chiefs vs 49ers in Super Bowl 58

At halftime, many looked up flights from Detroit to Las Vegas

Learning experience for Dan Campbell to not stay aggressive in key spots

Minimal talent gap between 49ers and Lions

Want to capitalize when you get this close to a championship

Future bright but not guaranteed, injuries and changes can happen

Transcripts

the largest comeback in NFC title game

history that was a record that

previously belonged to yes the 49ers it

was a 17-point comeback in the NFC

championship game in 2012 against the

Falcons which they went on to lose to

the Ravens in the Super Bowl but it'll

be a different opponent on the AFC side

this time the Kansas City Chiefs waiting

in Vegas ners and Chiefs Super Bowl 58

on

[Music]

CBS

in studio alongside the two time Super

Bowl champ Bryant mcf I'm your host Joe

muso Ma I don't know what just happened

over the last 30 minutes of football

we're going to dig into all of it right

here but how do you characterize that

shift in momentum and then the ability

of San Francisco to ride it to this

Victory uh just grit you know toughness

mental toughness more so than anything

and just understanding and knowing

knowing the moment and capitalizing on

miscues from the Detroit Lions on either

side of the football field offensively

and defensively and let's let's give

Brock py his Jus yes I mean this guy has

been overly criticized I believe

throughout his professional career

especially this season people not really

giving him his praise and saying that he

is only this type of quarterback because

of what is around him because of the

coaching blah blah blah blah blah blah

this is a man that showcased nothing but

Poise determination never wavered was

cool com collected and made plays

certainly made plays in a half of play

when his back was against the wall his

entire team their back was against the

wall it seemed like they could do

nothing right this is a guy that came

out in the second half and played high

level football get this at halftime

Brock had 132 yards passing he finished

the ball game with 158 rushing the

football they had 39 yards on the ground

they finished the ball game with 158

yards mhm this is a team that made

critical adjustments based on the scheme

and just playerwise EX executed from

start to finish not to mention 48 yards

on the ground by Brock pry Timeless

moments that he made things happen with

his leg this was his legs this was an

unbelievable second half of play by

Brock pie and the entire San Francisco

49ers team yeah it would start to finish

in that second half if only they would

have started a little sooner maybe they

could have given the faithful a little

bit more room to breathe but in the end

the faithful are headed to Las Vegas Mac

we were sitting there watching this game

and we we physically felt the turning

point I mean I think everybody in the

country felt the turning point and I

want to take you to that moment because

in the third quarter Dan Campbell up 14

elects to go forward on fourth down

instead of making it a three possession

Excuse me yes a three possession game up

by 17 he made that same decision just

minutes earlier in the first half going

in instead of going forward on fourth

down near the goal line he kicks it to

make it a 17-point game I understand

what the identity is and you stick to

that identity that got you there but

makes the right decision from a

numerical standpoint and then goes ahead

and makes a different decision and then

even later in this game down three

passes up on a potential game tire from

48 yards what did you make of the

difference in philosophy that we saw

over just this 60 Minutes of football by

Dan Campbell I think Dan Campbell is a

high level coach I think he's a great

coach motivator I think he has a bright

future as a coach for the Detroit Lions

but in tonight's matchup he cost them an

winning opportunity in my opinion I

think so talk about being up 14 points

in a half of play you have all the

momentum you have all the momentum in

your favor on your team's side you have

an opportunity to go up 17 points a

makeable field goal I understand people

are saying well that has been their MO

the entire season but yet and still in

moments like this you're in a place

where you've never been before as a

coach you never been before as a player

when you play the National Football

League you're one game you're a quarter

and a half from advancing to playing a

super Super Bowl change up your

mentality there's nothing wrong with

Ever settling for points you're up 14

points if you go up 17 points you still

control the game you control the flow of

the game points but possession Crossing

points making it a multi- possession

game and then a thre possession game I I

just didn't understand for people that

are saying well the play was there yes

it was there it was a makeable play it

was a catchable pass you didn't catch it

because of your thought process of

foregoing the field goal opportunity I

feel like and EK said it best during the

halftime show shouts out to EK he said

it best if you hit on 18 and you hit

Blackjack it's still the wrong thing to

do yes you might have hit 21 it's still

the wrong thing to do you up you playing

with house money add more to your pot

there's no reason to gamble it all way

and that was the first major your

mistake in the second half as Joe

mentioned you had an opportunity to TI a

game mhm a 48 y it was fourth in three a

48 Yer you had an opportunity to kind of

correct your first mistake in the second

half guess what he decides to do go for

it now the in the small piece of

momentum you kind of was trying to get

back it instantly leaves you those are

critical moments you cannot coach

Conference Championship games like you

coach week three week four you cannot do

it you cannot do it you have to be able

to change up the flow of your mentality

in the flow of a ball game great

Fighters can adjust in the flow of a

game in the flow of a fight sometimes

you might want to be a power puncher you

know what let me go ahead and finesse a

little bit that's what make Floyd so

great when he was a f a fighter Dan

Campbell you yeah you live by the sword

you die by the sword but for Detroit

Lion fans their fan base I feel for them

Joe M because you don't know when when

you're going to get back to this moment

again the last time they played for a

conference Championship ball game was

1991 we're in

2024 check so for the fans that have

been rooting for Detroit their entire

life adults they've seen more down times

than good times and they had opportunity

to taste what victory really feels like

competing for a championship and because

of your head coach who I like I said I

applaud him he's done a phenomenal job

but because of his video game like style

of coaching prevented them from an

opportunity of reaching the Pinnacles of

Pinnacles playing for a championship in

my opinion K take the points Joe they

call him Dan gamble uh crapped out in

this instance and will not be at the

tables in Las Vegas instead a rematch of

Super Bowl 54 and we saw some things out

of San Francisco that we have not seen

under Kyle janahan remember they put to

sleep that trailing by five in the

fourth quarter 0 and 31 previously they

take care of that in the divisional

round trailing by 17 or more points in

the second half of a game 0 and9 under K

janahan they put both of those streaks

to sleep in an 8-day span usually we're

sitting here talking about how the San

Francisco 49ers in one of the biggest

moments of the Season squandered a

multi-p possession lead instead they're

on the other side of that heartache this

time around and it's only because the

flip side of the coin we just spoke of

being able to change who you are

throughout the flow of a game where did

you see the adjustments specifically

defensively by San Francisco that

allowed them to capture this sort of

momentum because in the first half we

were sitting there saying they're flat

there's no flow there's no momentum and

then all of those things appeared in the

blink of an eye in the second half they

played man and they brought pressure

Steve wols was so generic in the first

half basically all Zone Concepts Jared

go had a field day his pass catchers had

a great day in creating separation in

the second half with their backs against

the wall kind of standing on their heels

Steve wils brought pressure he he

decided to minimize the space and

curvage and let's play manto man and

let's see if they can win those matchups

and that was the Difference Maker I

think I don't think I know in the first

half compared to the second half you

cannot consistently play the same thing

time and time again against an

experienced quarterback like Jared G I

said during the halftime show Coach it's

okay to turn the heat up on in the house

don't be concerned about what whatever

the light bill is going to be turn the

heat up put make him feel some type of

pressure make the pass catches feel some

type of pressure and that's we saw

tighter curvage from the guys in the

back end and we saw that we we saw

Concepts blit Blitz Concepts coming down

the teeth of the offense for the Detroit

Lions that was the biggest adjustment

from what I witnessed from the San

Francisco 49ers into the second half

because as we watched this game together

Jerry G was able to go through 10

progressions better yet three or four

cuz that was the time he had in the

pocket because of the generic Zone

Concepts that he was was facing and

because of that Brock P at the age of 24

becomes the third youngest quarterback

to start a Super Bowl he's also the

third lowest drafted quarterback that's

going to appear in a Super Bowl only

other two were undrafted that was Jake

delom and Kurt Warner so if you want to

say technically the lowest ever drafted

because he can't get any lower than Mr

Irrelevant Brock pie will be starting on

a Super Bowl Sunday in his sophomore

season here for the 49ers and almost

appropriately Brock pie was the last

picked in the draft that happened in Las

Vegas he will go on to play in a Super

Bowl in Las Vegas ma we've talked about

py but The Supporting Cast really showed

up in the second half as well Debo

Samuel featured in those first couple

drives get Debo the ball he creates

momentum and a snap get the ball to CMC

allow him to move the the chains allow

him to do exactly what he's done all

season long what was the most important

part of this offensive attack in the

second half that allowed San Francisco

to not only take the momentum ride the

momentum but really change that

scoreboard at about an eight 8 Minute

span running the football like I said at

halftime Christian mcaffry had 39

yards he finished the game with 90 yards

on 20 attempts over 100 on purpose over

100 on purpose two touchdowns that's

what San Francisco is this offense is an

offense that's predicated on running the

football and being able to do so and

then opening up passing Lanes via the

play action that's what we saw then as

you mentioned I don't know what happened

with Debo Samuel I don't know exactly

what type of meds they gave him at

halftime but we saw a different Debo

Samuel in the second half compared to

the first half and he played with energy

he played with emotions then Brandon IU

you can say whatever you want to say but

one thing I know about sports especially

football sometimes it's better to be

lucky more lucky than good that tip

deflected pass and just hustling to the

football was a big time defining moment

for them because that kind of jump

started the entire Stadium the crowd the

fan base and then of course they added

points after that play as well so little

small things that circulated in the

second half played a big part in their

efforts to be able to come from behind

in the second half and win this ball

game against the Detroit Lions but it

starts and stops with the ground and

pound attack for me because if you look

at the success that Detroit had in the

first half it was hung on there what

rushing an attack we didn't see the same

success from Detroit running the

football in the second half it was

flipped it went to uh San Francisco and

that paved the way for them to be able

to do what they were able to do which is

win the ball game we saw jir put the

ball on the ground in the second half a

big moment in this game that offered a

short field to that offense your sort of

heated warning to Detroit the fan base

in this team because nothing is

guaranteed in getting back to A Moment

Like This especially as you said when

you're a franchise that's weighted 20

some odd years just to sniff this sort

of grass that they did on this day what

does that future look like because they

are young they have drafted well they

have put this team together for the long

haul or so it appears like where are you

despite this loss as heartbreaking as it

is where are you right now on the

Detroit Lions and their long-term

success I I think Detroit they have the

ability to be a very very relevant

steady team in the National Football

League based on the Personnel they

currently have Brad Holmes has done a

marvelous job in putting together a

gritty physical smart team that plays

football the right way right you look at

some of their young contributors on

their team look at the rookies that

played a big hand in their postseason

success Lea lineer Branch yes I mean

Jameson Williams who's still a young

player you remember he missed his whole

rookie campaign as well he showed up

first go he showed up in the postseason

play look at some of the other young

guys Amar ra St Brown you know what I

mean you talk about some of these guys

that have really played a big part in

their success and it also means that you

know Jared G has found his place in

Detroit he is their franchise

quarterback I don't know exactly what

his contract situation is currently but

you better believe he's setting up

himself to have a nice pay race coming

in the near future so yeah I I like

Detroit it just the moment right now it

feels so bad for their fan base when you

watch Detroit throughout the course of

the season and as as more fans continue

to believe in what they could do and

they understanding the moment is right

now here you want it now you don't want

to think about what about next year

because of what it took to get here yes

think about we saw a watch party in Ford

Field it looked like Detroit was playing

there instead of in San Francisco it was

filled watching the game in the stadium

so you had people to leave their house

to go to the stadium and watch three

years ago three years ago they struggled

to get that number of people in the

stadium to watch team play football

years ago they start off and 10

something like that so I I played you

know in the National Football League and

I was fortunate enough to get to a Super

Bowl my rookie year win a Super Bowl my

rookie year so that's all I knew I

didn't know EX how difficult and how

hard it was to get to that moment until

I talked to other guys that were around

in the National Football League and they

were saying oh man you made it to a

Super Bowl your rookie year I like

that's it didn't it wasn't hard if it

felt like it was that was supposed to

happen but you have guys who' played in

the National Football League you have

organizations who play who've been

around for quite some time never get to

that moment and for Detroit as far as as

long as I can remember in even that 91

season you felt like they had a legit

shot you felt like not only having a

legit shot to get to the Super Bowl but

you felt like if they got there they can

win it yeah it wouldn't have been a

surprise like wow you remember most

recently when Cincinnati made it to the

Super Bowl against the Rams we were

still waiting for Cincinnati to do a

Cincinnati like thing M even though they

played good football they were peing at

the right time it was like well we just

don't know Cincinnati is always the best

team we were even surprised when he went

to Tennessee in the second round and

took care of business against Tennessee

right in this Detroit Lions team based

on the Personnel how it's been

orchestrated it like yo this is a

talented team even in tonight's matchup

it wasn't like it was a a big gap in

Talent between San Francisco and the

Detroit Lions and remember San Francisco

many felt like this was the most

talented team in the National Football

League but it wasn't a big gap in Talent

based on the personnel and how well the

Lions played so it was like you want

this moment now the future is bright I

believe it's bright you believe it's

bright you believe it's bright but no

one cares about that now if you're

cheering and you love the Detroit Lions

it's about what just took place now

because you never know how things can

circulate next year injuries to keep

players you know what I mean guys not

sustaining the level success they had

the year before there are so many things

that can happen that can CH from a year

a year between making a trip and trying

to be who they were this year yes a lot

can happen in a in a year based on your

team so it's a it's a learning

experience I'll say this and I'll say

this as well I often times say when

players get to this moment Joe it's more

of a learning experience for players

than coaches M and this situation this

is a learning experience more for the

coach and Dan Campbell the future is

bright but the future is not guaranteed

our future is a rematch of Super Bowl 54

and Super Bowl 58 the Chiefs and the

49ers in two weeks on

CBS here's a look at a list you were

trying to get off I mean there was more

than one person in Detroit looking up

flights to Vegas that that's where we

were at you better believe it we were

looking at 24 to7 at halftime you were

looking at a team that was ready to go

full circle our Thursday night matchup

week one Lions versus Chiefs we're going

to get that as our final m not so fast

you remain on this list and waiting for

that Super Bowl quench of The Thirst

that

[Music]

remains plenty more post games coming on

CBS Sports HQ as Brock pie and the ners

have punched their ticket to the big one

we come at it from all angles

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