The Detroit Lions added a new chapter to the franchise’s novel of pain on Sunday: playoff meltdown.
Dan Campbell’s crew dominated out of the gate, bulldozing its way to a 17-point halftime lead against the NFC’s top-seeded San Francisco 49ers.
A party in Detroit quickly turned into heartbreak as everything came unglued for the Lions, and the Niners stormed back for a 34-31 victory to advance to Super Bowl LVIII.
“It’s hard when you lose that way. It’s hard,” an emotional Campbell said. “You feel like you get your heart ripped out.
Leading, 24-10, early in the third quarter, Campbell eschewed a 45-yard field goal on fourth-and-2.
Jared Goff avoided pressure and had Josh Reynolds open, but the wideout couldn’t corral the pass. Turnover on downs. The Niners have life.
On the ensuing drive, Lions corner Kindle Vildor had a potential interception ricochet off his facemask caught by Brandon Aiyuk for a 51-yard gain the Niners turned into a touchdown.
On the next Detroit snap, rookie Jahmyr Gibbs fumbled the ball. Four plays later, tie ballgame.
Another Reynolds drop on a third down. A missed downed punt at the 1-yard-line.
A second failed fourth down instead of attempting a 48-yard game-tying field goal. Missed tackles. A brutal goal-line run call, burning a much-needed timeout.
Despair in Detroit.
“We feel like we should have won that game, obviously,” Goff said.
“I don’t think it was anything that we’ve done all year up to this point.
Not doing what we want on offense in the second half, ultimately lose the game for a variety of reasons. You tip your cap to San Francisco.
They played well in the second half.”
Teams leading by 17-plus points at halftime in Conference Championship games were 21-0. The Lions added a one to the loss column.
It marked the third-largest comeback in a Conference Championship game in NFL history and the largest for an NFC team, per NFL Research.
“It’s been very uncharacteristic of us,” Campbell said. “We’ve always been able to get our momentum back. It’s hard to say, honestly, right now. I can’t put my finger on that.
That’s not like us. We had plays to be made that we just didn’t make. We normally do.”
Detroit built its big halftime lead by bullying the 49ers on offense, gobbling up 148 rushing yards and three ground scores.
The Lions’ elite offensive line dominated, pushing the line of scrimmage three to five yards into the Niners’ defense.
A maligned defense got off the field and generated an interception with pressure.
Then it all fell apart in a third quarter that felt like the past 30 years of pain for Lions fans wrapped into 15 minutes.
