SANTA CLARA, Calif. — There are the months of preparation, movie examine, game-planning, accidents, ache, work and sacrifice. All of it’s important if you wish to get to the Tremendous Bowl. However typically, even in spite of everything of that, you continue to want a funny-shaped ball to bounce your approach.
“Clearly, no person wins with no little luck,” San Francisco 49ers left deal with Trent Williams mentioned within the locker room, a few hours after his staff’s 34-31 comeback victory over the Detroit Lions within the NFC Championship Recreation. “Tonight was simply our time to get it.”
The dialogue was about one key third-quarter play — a 51-yard Brandon Aiyuk catch of a Brock Purdy throw that had each proper to be an interception however as an alternative turned the play that turned the 49ers’ fortunes round. There was 6:29 left on the third-quarter clock, and the Lions led the 49ers 24-10. Moments earlier, San Francisco had stopped Detroit on a fourth-and-2 from the Niners’ 28-yard line. That appeared like a turning level, however the Niners nonetheless wanted to make a giant play or two on offense to money in.
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A 17-yard cross to receiver Deebo Samuel moved the ball to the Niners’ 45-yard line. Purdy lined up in shotgun and referred to as for the snap. Down the sector, he noticed the play unfold the best way he wished. Security C.J. Gardner-Johnson picked up Samuel on a crossing route, leaving Aiyuk one-on-one with cornerback Kindle Vildor. That, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan would clarify later, meant Purdy was alleged to launch it downfield to Aiyuk.
“We’d like an explosive play and BA is one-on-one? I’ll take that [opportunity],” Purdy mentioned. “I used to be giving my man a shot.”
What San Francisco did not rely on was how nicely Vildor would cowl, because the 2020 fifth-rounder stayed between Aiyuk and the objective line, placing himself in place to make an interception. However as he reached again to catch the ball, he tumbled, and the ball hit him within the chest and popped again up within the air.
“I used to be stunned,” Aiyuk mentioned. “I felt the look earlier than, pre-snap, and that I had an opportunity to get the ball, however he simply stayed on high. I do not even know.”
Being stunned did not value Aiyuk, although. He noticed the ball bounce up within the air off the defender, and he dove and caught it himself on the 4-yard line. Most of his staff was about 50 yards upfield, so it was powerful to know what occurred. A flag was down. Aiyuk had rolled into the tip zone with the ball. Was it a penalty? Was it a landing? Was it really a catch? Might he probably have caught it?
“I noticed the flag, however I could not see a lot,” Purdy mentioned. “Then I heard the stadium erupt, and it was like, ‘Oh my god, he caught that?'”
“BA’s had an incredible season making loopy performs for us,” defensive lineman Arik Armstead mentioned. “However that one was actually wild.”
“Simply the best way we meant it to look!” tight finish George Kittle deadpanned. “Off the man’s face masks into BA’s arms, dang, Brock Purdy’s good at soccer.”
1:07
Brandon Aiyuk follows up jaw-dropping catch with a TD
Brandon Aiyuk catches the deflected Brock Purdy cross off a Lions participant, and some performs later, he hauls in a landing.
“What are you able to say?” Williams mentioned with an enormous smile. “There isn’t any quantity of teaching, no quantity of movie watching that may put together him to make a catch like that. That is simply expertise and can.”
The Niners scored a landing three performs later, Purdy to Aiyuk appropriately sufficient. The stadium was pulsing. A 17-point halftime deficit was all the way down to seven. The Niners kicked off, and on the very first play of the Lions’ possession, working again Jahmyr Gibbs fumbled and Armstead recovered.
“Why do individuals in analytics say momentum is not actual?” Kittle requested the assembled media in his postgame information convention. “That is the most important load of horse crap I’ve ever heard in my life.”
It was inconceivable to be at Levi’s Stadium at that time and never really feel like one thing had shifted. The Niners had the ball on the Detroit 24. Purdy threw one to Kittle on first down that misplaced a yard. Then on second down, the pocket broke down, and Purdy took off, scrambling for 21 yards to the Lions’ 4-yard line. It was the primary of two 21-yard scrambles for Purdy — he had one other on third-and-4 within the fourth quarter on the drive that ended up placing the 49ers up by 10 factors with three minutes to go. He had not had a run of 20 yards all season previous to Sunday.
“Brock is an athlete,” Williams mentioned. “Clearly, his athleticism is underrated. Folks do not have a look at him and assume he may be tucking the ball and working with it like that. However he can do it. We see it in observe. He can run. So we wanted him to run, and he ran. He is been making performs for us all yr, and he is the explanation we’re within the Tremendous Bowl.”
Sunday’s third quarter may be an excellent greater purpose. After permitting 148 speeding yards, 18 first downs and 24 factors within the first half, the 49ers hit the halftime locker room nonetheless feeling OK about their scenario. Shanahan mentioned the sensation at halftime was, “We’re not going out like this,” and the gamers believed issues would flip round.
Getting into the postseason, the Niners had been 0-30 below Shanahan when trailing by seven or extra factors coming into the fourth quarter, per ESPN Stats & Data. They snapped that streak final week towards the Inexperienced Bay Packers, scoring 10 factors within the fourth quarter within the divisional spherical win. They had been additionally 0-19 below Shanahan when trailing by 17 or extra factors within the second half. They snapped that one this week. Per Elias Sports activities Bureau, the Niners joined the 1994 Chargers as the one groups with a number of seven-point second-half comebacks within the playoffs previous to reaching the Tremendous Bowl. (That Chargers staff misplaced to San Francisco within the Tremendous Bowl.)
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“We had been assured, really,” Williams mentioned. “Figuring out we had been going to get the ball first, particularly. The performs had been there, we simply weren’t making them. We have now Aiyuk, Deebo, we all know they’re finally going to place their stamp on a recreation like this. Plus, [the Lions] threw their finest punches within the first half. Trick performs, flea-flickers, all that. You knew finally all that stuff would decelerate and we would be OK.”
They had been proper. The Niners outscored the Lions 17-0 and outgained them 170 yards to 42 within the third quarter. However the Lions additionally fumbled and dropped key passes on third and fourth downs.
“Simply obtained to attend it out,” Williams mentioned. “You play lengthy sufficient, you keep on with your plan, you do it the best approach, issues finally flip your approach.”
After which, within the twenty first week of the season, after every part you have accomplished to place your self in place to get to the Tremendous Bowl, a ball bounces off the defender and into your receiver’s arms, and that is what it took to money in a yr’s value of labor. The 49ers are again within the Tremendous Bowl for the second time in 5 seasons, and it took a little bit little bit of every part in an epic, unforgettable third quarter to get them there.
