The Detroit Lions came out opening up several cans of you-know-what against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, dashing out to a 24-7 lead at the half. But as much as Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers teams have not been known for their comebacks, something different was in the water in this game. Christian McCaffrey’s one-yard touchdown run with 3:12 left in the third quarter saw the score tied all of a sudden at 24-24.
How did this happen? The 49ers smartly got the ball into the hands of Deebo Samuel more often, and when Detroit safety Kerby Joseph was briefly injured, Brock Purdy hit Brandon Aiyuk on a 51-yard rebound catch that turned into an Aiyuk touchdown three plays later.
This was after a failed fourth-and-2 conversion when Lions head coach Dan Campbell got too cute, and when running back Jahmyr Gibbs fumbled the ball at his own 25-yard line, that set up McCaffrey’s touchdown run.
THE 49ERS TIE IT UP.
📺: #DETvsSF on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/4d3C2XNeiY— NFL (@NFL) January 29, 2024
Now, we’ll see what the Lions are made of, and if Shanahan can overcome his unfortunate late-game history.
