The Detroit Lions have taken a 21-7 lead as they look to upset the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game and earn a place in the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history.
It was a perfectly-balanced opening drive from the Lions, whose high-powered offence was firing on all cylinders early as David Montgomery got things started with two runs for 19 yards.
Quarterback Jared Goff then found tight end Sam LaPorta for a 14-yard gain before a brilliant play design saw Lions speedster Jameson Williams race away and beat multiple 49ers defenders on the way to a 42-yard end-around touchdown run.
The touchdown, while a promising start for Detroit, wasn’t going to mean much if the Lions defence couldn’t stop the 49ers from marching up field and answering back.
While San Francisco has a multitude of weapons on offence, Lions coach Dan Campbell had said earlier in the week that stopping the run game, led by Christian McCaffrey, would be key.
“Stop the run. You’ve got to stop the run, because if you don’t they’ll rush for 250 (yards) on you and they won’t even worry about passing. Everything has to start there,” he said.
McCaffrey had six runs on San Francisco’s opening drive of the game and managed 19 yards while chain-moving catches for Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel moved the 49ers into field goal range.
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Lions down Bucs to secure NFC final game | 01:20
Jake Moody’s 48-yard attempt though was no good, seeing Detroit take over with favourable field position and a chance to push even further ahead.
The Lions went on to do just that, with Montgomery punching it in from close range as he has done all season long, seeing Detroit take a stunning 14-0 lead on the road on the back of dominant play from their offensive line.
Having contained McCaffrey well in the first quarter, a missed tackle by C. J. Gardner-Johnson opened up space for the 49ers running back to rumble 28 yards and into the red zone.
Only two plays later McCaffrey went straight through a gaping hole created by the San Francisco offensive line to rush two yards for a much-needed touchdown.
The 49ers looked to be building some momentum but pressure from the Lions defence, and in particular Joshua Paschal, led to Purdy’s first interception of the game.
Paschal was able to get a hand to the ball as Purdy looked to force it into Samuel, with Malcolm Rodriguez in position to pick the 49ers quarterback off.
It led to points too as a monster block from Sam LaPorta helped open up space for dynamic rookie running back Jamhyr Gibbs, who cut back inside for a 15-yard touchdown.
LaPorta had a big 16-yard gain only minutes earlier after Gibbs lost five yards on the first run of the drive while a sensational adjustment from Amon-Ra St. Brown on a tight throw from Goff put the Lions in the red zone.
The 49ers are looking to avoid a third straight loss in the championship game on Monday having previously gone down to the Eagles and Rams.
The Lions, meanwhile, have defeated the Rams and Buccaneers to keep themselves in the running for an unlikely Super Bowl berth.
It has been a long way for Detroit fans and rapper Eminem was taking the opportunity to celebrate mid-game, spotted in the crowd flipping the finger at 49ers fans.
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