49ers rally to beat Detroit 34-31 in NFC Championship, will advance to Super Bowl

Football helmets of the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions

Brock Purdy 51-yard pass helped the San Francisco 49ers rally from 17 points down at halftime to beat the Detroit Lions 34-31 on Sunday, winning the NFC Championship and advancing the Niners to the Super Bowl. The 49ers scored 17 points in an eight-minute span of the third quarter to tie the game, then advanced in the fourth quarter to earn the rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs, who they lost to in the Super Bowl four years ago.

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said of his team at halftime: “We’re not going out like this. Guys didn’t want today to be the last day. We put ourselves in a hole. They played like it in the second half and we were able to get the ball to bounce the right way and we made up for what we did in the first half.”

Purdy finished with 267 yards passing and a touchdown, along with 48 yards rushing thanks to a pair of 21-yard scrambles. Running back Christian McCaffrey said of Purdy: “All he’s done since he’s been here is play at an elite level. Everything starts with him. We’re lucky he’s our quarterback. He takes a lot of heat for absolutely no reason.”

The San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs will face off against in Super Bowl LVIII, taking place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV on Sunday, February 11, 2024.

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