30 January 2024 , 00:00
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The Detroit Lions' dream of reaching the Super Bowl was shattered in a devastating third quarter against the San Francisco 49ers. The Lions, led by Dan Campbell, had raced into a 24-7 lead at halftime, but a series of disastrous plays saw them surrender their advantage in a matter of minutes.
Running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs had been on top form, both scoring touchdowns for Detroit. However, five brutal third-quarter plays cost the Lions their shot at the Super Bowl.
These included a dropped pass on a fourth down, a potential interception hitting a defender's facemask before being caught by the Niners, a fumble from Gibbs, a dropped pass from Josh Reynolds on third down, and a punt that should've been downed at the one but ended up as a touchback.
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After a series of unfortunate plays in the third quarter, San Francisco bounced back to outscore Detroit by 20 points (27 to 7) in the second half. This was largely due to Christian McCaffrey's two rushing touchdowns while Elijah Mitchell contributed with a score.
Detroit's head coach Campbell expressed his disappointment after the game. He said: "It's hard when you lose that way. It's hard," and "You feel like you get your heart ripped out."
He added: "It's been very uncharacteristic of us. 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.
Dan Campbell's Detroit Lions had their Super Bowl dreams crushed by the San Francisco 49ers (Getty)"I just felt really good about us converting and getting our momentum and not letting them play long ball," and "It's easy hindsight, I get it. I get that. But I don't regret those decisions. It's hard. It's hard because they didn't, we didn't come through, wasn't able to work out. ... And I understand the scrutiny I'll get. It's part of the gig."
Looking ahead, the 49ers will face Kansas City in Las Vegas next month. Their quarterback Brock Purdy is strengthening his position for the league MVP award. Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson struggled earlier on Sunday against the Chiefs.
"It's gonna be sweet," Purdy said about the chance to play in the Super Bowl. He also shared his respect for Patrick Mahomes: "Very cool. Been watching that guy since I was in high school, really. The way he's taken over the NFL, it's been fun to watch. To have an opportunity to go up against him for a Super Bowl? Doesn't get any better than that. Does it?"
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