Post by D6 on Jan 29, 2024 7:03:38 GMT -5
Instant observations: Lions’ unforgettable season ends in historical collapse
Thoughts in ****
Instant observations: Lions’ unforgettable season ends in historical collapse
Updated: Jan. 28, 2024, 11:19 p.m.|Published: Jan. 28, 2024, 10:00 p.m.
Detroit Lions take on San Francisco 49ers in NFL NFC Championship Game
By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- A one-of-a-kind season.
An all-too-familiar heartbreak.
Stunning, historical heartbreak.
The Lions raced to a 24-7 lead against the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game on Sunday night, the kind of lead that no team has ever squandered in the history of the conference championship games, the kind of lead that has always -- all 21 times -- led to a trip to the Super Bowl.
Until the Detroit Lions came along, allowing 27 consecutive points in an unthinkable 34-31 loss at Levi’s Stadium.
**** The Falcons led the 49ers 17-0 in the first half of the 2012 season NFC Championship game. The 49ers, the road team, came back to win 28-24 to advance to the Super Bowl. This doesn't take away the disappointment of the Lions 2nd half performance at San Francisco, which resulted in the 49ers coming back from a 17 point halftime deficit to reach the Super Bowl. ****
Head coach Dan Campbell is the biggest reason the Lions have risen from the ashes, and came within 30 minutes of their first trip to the Super Bowl. But he’ll be heavily criticized for a pair of fourth downs that failed in the second half, one of which came instead of attempting a game-tying 48-yarder in the fourth quarter, and both of which were followed by 49ers points.
**** The first 4th Down situation in which the Lions failed on 4th Down, was a 4th and 2 from the 49ers 28 Yard Line with the Lions leading 24-10 at the time. Considering that a 46 yard FG attempt is far from automatic and that Josh Reynolds should have caught the pass on the play, despite the ball being somewhat off target (but certainly catchable) because of pressure Taylor Decker gave up off the edge, Dan Campbell doesn't deserve criticism for his decision.
The second 4th Down play that was incomplete, was a 4th and 3 situation from the 49ers 30 yard line, with the 49ers leading 27-24. The 49ers going to zone coverage, after they had a man to man pre-snap look, combined with interior pressure, led to an incompletion. The decision whether to go for a 1st Down or to attempt a 48 yard FG in the middle of the 4th QTR, wasn't clear cut either way. It shouldn't be assumed that the Lions would have tied the game at 34-34, if the outcome of the 49ers drive in a 27-27 would have resulted in a TD. Not to mention, the 49ers missed a 48 yard FG in the first QTR. In a pressure situation of an NFC Championship Game when trailing 27-24, a 48 yard FG attempt in the middle of the 4th QTR had between significant and substantial risk. ****
Rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs also fumbled as the tide turned in the third quarter, while Josh Reynolds dropped one fourth-down pass and another on third down that would have been a conversion.
**** This, combined with the dropped ball that should have been an interception by CB Kindle Vildor, but instead resulted in a reception by 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk (great concentration and effort by Aiyuk) that gave the 49ers 1st and Goal from the Lions 4 yard line, when trailing 24-10, were the plays that were the most costly for the Lions. Far more costly than any coaching decision by Dan Campbell or by any of his Coordinators, in this game. ****
Good players that got Detroit here. Big mistakes sent them home, ending one of the most memorable seasons in Lions history.
**** Good players and good coaches got Detroit here. ****
They won a franchise-record 14 games, captured their first NFC North title, and didn’t trail while advancing to the NFC Championship game, capturing the heart of America along the way. The Lions looked like they might run away from San Francisco early, too.
**** This was probably the Lions best first half of the season. The reality is an NFL game also has a second half. The Lions deserved to lose the game. The 2nd half was atypical of the Lions this season. To the 49ers credit, they handled the big stage better than the Lions when it mattered most. ****
Jameson Williams opened the game by weaving through the 49ers defense for a 42-yard touchdown on the fourth play from scrimmage, and David Montgomery (1 yard) and Gibbs (15 yards) ran for scores of their own in the first half. Once Michael Badgley tacked on a 21-yard field goal with 7 seconds left before intermission, Detroit had opened a 24-7 lead heading into the break.
But an avalanche of mistakes led to five straight scores for San Francisco to open the second half, turning a potential rout into more heartbreak for a franchise that is defined by it.
**** The Lions came a very long way this season. But not far enough to reach the Super Bowl this season. ****
After the 49ers opened the third quarter with a field goal, the Lions were on the move when they faced a fourth-and-2 at the 49ers’ 28-yard line. Campbell is going for that every time, and it often works. Only this time, Reynolds -- running a comeback route in coverage -- dropped a ball that hit him in both hands.
It wouldn’t be his last drop.
**** Josh Reynolds has often been an asset for the Lions. But as a receiver in the 2nd half of this game, he had two very costly drops. He also got beat on an attempted block, that contributed substantially to Jahmyr Gibbs' fumble. ****
The winds of momentum had shifted decidedly, and 49ers wideout Brandon Aiyuk played that wind perfectly. Lions cornerback Kindle Vildor broke up a bomb for the goal line, but Aiyuk somehow ran under the carom for a 51-yard pickup. Quarterback Brock Purdy threaded a 6-yard touchdown pass to Aiyuk between Cam Sutton and Ceedy Duce, and the Lions’ lead was down to 24-17. Gulp.
**** Kindle Vildor should have come down with the interception. At the very least, he couldn't let Brandon Aiyuk have an opportunity to catch the ball on a deflection. ****
Gibbs compounded the Lions’ issues moments later, fumbling deep in his own territory. Four plays later, Christian McCaffrey barreled into the end zone to force a 24-24 with 3:02 left in the third.
**** The fumble is primarily Jahmyr Gibbs' fault, as he probably didn't even execute the handoff from Jared Goff properly. That still doesn't change the fact that Josh Reynolds was beat by S Tashaun Gipson, who forced the fumble. ****
The Lions entered the third quarter with a 17-point lead, the kind of cushion that led to victory 21 straight times in conference championship games. They ended the frame all knotted up, and San Francisco holding the momentum.
**** In recent games, the Lions improved greatly in 3rd QTRs, after the 3rd QTR was problematic for the Lions far too often prior to that point of the season. In this game, the Lions probably had the worst 3rd QTR of the entire season. ****
The Lions needed to get something going offensively to turn the tide back their way. Instead, Reynolds dropped a wide-open pass that hit him in both hands on third down. The Lions went three-and-out, which San Francisco turned into a go-ahead field goal.
**** This pass was in essence perfectly thrown by Jared Goff. ****
The Lions finally got something going after that, moving to the 49ers’ 30-yard line. But facing fourth-and-3, Campbell decided to go for it rather than attempt a potential game-tying field goal from 48 yards.
Goff’s pass for St. Brown fell incomplete deep over the middle of the field. That decision -- and the fourth-down decision before that -- will be heavily scrutinized. Because the hole just kept growing after that. Purdy and McCaffrey got loose for huge chunks in the running game, and Elijah Mitchell scored on a 3-yard touchdown run that stretched San Francisco’s lead to 34-24 with 3:02 left in the fourth.
Jameson Williams added a touchdown in the final minute, but the Lions needed the onside kick to have a shot at completing the comeback and it didn’t happen.
**** Very good catch for a TD by Jameson Williams. The ball that he didn't catch that would have resulted in a TD on a Flea Flicker prior to the second 4th Down failure, was another costly play result for the Lions. Williams seemed to misjudge the ball. ****
With that, the magic was over.
You have to figure the Lions will be back next season. They’re one of the five youngest teams in the league, and almost all their key players are under contract for next season. With the way Brad Holmes reloads in the draft, help at cornerback and in the pass rush is inevitable in the coming months. The payroll is in good shape too, and the Lions are going to be one of the hottest destinations for prospective players.
The Lions could be even better next season. They really could be.
Then again, Lions fans have seen that one before too. And the what-ifs about this game, this season, what could have been, what should have been, will echo forever.
**** Considering there's a good chance Ben Johnson will become the HC of Washington or Seattle and he very realistically could bring Lions O-Line Coach with him, and the Lions will have a much more difficult schedule on paper next season, it's going to be a major uphill battle for the Lions to even get back to the NFC Championship Game. Winning the NFC North is going to be quite a challenge, especially with the emergence of QB Jordan Love and his very young WRs. ****
Let’s get to some more observations:
-- Gibbs isn’t just good. He’s historically good. Last week, he became the youngest player ever to run for a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter of a playoff game. This week, he became just the sixth player ever to run for a touchdown in his first three playoff games. Gibbs took a pitch right in the second quarter, followed his blockers through a hole and then -- you guessed it -- broke a poor man’s ankles on his way to a 15-yard touchdown run.
But disaster struck in the third quarter, when Gibbs fumbled the ball while San Francisco was on a 10-0 scoring run to open the second half. Purdy wound up scrambling inside the 5-yard line, and McCaffrey barreled into the end zone to tie up the game.
**** Moving forward, it's a play Jahmyr Gibbs needs to learn from. He's a highly talented RB, with very good intangibles. Gibbs is a foundation player on the Lions!****
-- Reynolds has been an incredible value for Detroit, going from a waiver claim in 2021 to Goff’s favorite wide receiver not named after an Egyptian sun god. Reynolds was one of the heroes in the wild-card round too, but did not have his best stuff in San Francisco. He dropped a fourth-down pass as the tide began turning against Detroit in the third quarter -- it was a tough, well-defended play on a comeback route, but the ball hit him in both hands -- then dropped a wide-open pass on third down on the following series. The 49ers had just tied up the game, and the latest drop gave the ball right back on a three-and-out. Reynolds finished with more drops (two) than catches (one) and had 25 yards.
**** Josh Reynolds is scheduled to be an UFA. Even with this being his most costly receiving game with the Lions (his overall blocking was a mixed bag), he's well worth trying to bring back if the price makes sense. ****
-- While Reynolds faded in San Francisco, Amon-Ra St. Brown was his usual indomitable self. He caught passes in the first half, all of which moved the chains, and four of which came on third downs -- all of which were 7 yards or longer. Third-and-longs are tough, and against that top-five defense, tougher still. Everyone knew where the ball was going. And St. Brown still made hay. He’s a first-team All-Pro for a reason, and on a field full of them, he shined bright. He’s headed for a big payday soon, perhaps as soon as next offseason. He embodies everything this rebuild is about, and finished with seven catches for 87 yards against San Francisco.
****Amon Ra St. Brown has earned a lucrative contract. He was amongst the Lions best players, if not the best, in the 3 combined Lions playoff games.****
-- Campbell’s daring ways are part of his DNA, and helped get Detroit this far. They also helped torpedo this season. The first fourth-down attempt is understandable, with 2 yards to go while at San Francisco’s 28-yard line. The play worked, too, and Goff had time to work through his progressions. Reynolds just didn’t hang onto the pass. But that last fourth-and-3, with the chance to get back on the board, stop a scoring run and knot up the game, yeah, that felt like the moment where he crossed the line. San Francisco came back the other way for yet another score, and the Lions never had a serious chance at a tie game again.
**** The Lions aggressive 4th Down approach easily could have been the difference in the Lions winning on the road at the LA Chargers. Like I expressed above, I don't think the 4th and 3 decision from the 49ers 30 yard line was clear cut. ****
-- Williams’ development has come slower than anyone would like. But he’s been coming on strong for weeks now. On Sunday, he arrived. He took a pitch from Goff on the fourth play from scrimmage, cut upfield through the heart of the defense. Williams went 42 yards for a touchdown, giving Detroit a 7-0 lead just 102 seconds into the game, then added another score late.
**** The 42 TD run by Jameson Williams illustrates his immense talent with the ball in his hands. Hopefully, Williams has a full off-season and summer, with no significant injury or off the field setbacks moving forward. If that happens, his future with the Lions looks bright!****
-- Campbell’s Lions are a story about resiliency. And you can’t talk about resiliency without talking about Malcolm Rodriguez. He broke out as a rookie linebacker last season, but watched the Lions use the 18th overall pick to replace him in the starting lineup, then was passed by Derrick Barnes in training camp. But he never complained. He leaned into his expanded special teams role, and turned himself into one of the team’s best players in that phase. Then when Barnes went down with a knee injury in the first half, Rodriguez found himself back on the field at linebacker, and needed just a few plays to pick off Brock Purdy. That led to another touchdown, expanding the Lions’ lead to 21-7. Hats off to a team player who came up big when needed on the biggest stage yet.
****Hopefully, Derrick Barnes didn't suffer a major knee injury.
Malcolm Rodriguez is a team player and at the very least, a good depth piece at LB, and a winning caliber Special Teams player. His team approach and professionalism are evident. Great job by Josh Paschal in hitting Brock Purdy's arm, on the play that resulted in Rodriguez' interception. ****
-- The Lions also lost linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin to a groin injury, while safety Kerby Joseph briefly left the game with an arm injury before returning.
**** I can't recall when JRM was injured. ****
-- The Lions fell to 10-1 when leading by double digits this season. They’ve always been at their best while playing from ahead, but fell on their face in historical fashion against San Francisco.
**** The Lions meltdown in the 3rd QTR probably was the difference in the Lions failing to reach the Super Bowl this season. ****
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This new thread is a continuation of the following thread:
Lions at 49ers preview info: NFC Championship Game ( 2023 )
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/2010/lions-49ers-preview-info-championship
