A providential third quarter has San Francisco in the Super Bowl. The 49ers have won the National Conference title in the best game of the day. Those from California had to cancel the aggressive running game proposed by the Detroit Lions, who this Sunday sought to stop being one of the four teams that has never played in an NFL final. San Francisco heads to Las Vegas thanks to a comeback of 17 points in eight minutes led by Brock Purdy and receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who scored a touchdown after having amazingly caught a ball bounced off an opponent’s mask on a 51-yard pass.
San Francisco has thus settled a pending account this Sunday night. The team had lost three consecutive conference finals. Purdy saw his season slip through his fingers last year after an injury suffered in the first quarter of the semifinal against Philadelphia. This Sunday, at 24 years old, he has vindicated himself and has become the third youngest player in history to compete for a title despite having been the last selection in the draft in 2022. Purdy threw for 267 yards and a score in which It is already his best appearance in the playoffs.
The Super Bowl will be played on February 11. This year’s game will be a repeat of the 54th edition with a clash between San Francisco and Kansas City, winners also this Sunday, in the first of the conference finals. Patrick Mahomes, leader of the team today and 24 years old in that game against the 49rs, won his first championship and was MVP by leading his team to score 21 points in the last quarter against the team of Jimmy Garoppolo and coach Kyle Shanahan. These saw the germ of the dynasty that Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs represent today.
In the second of the day’s finals, Detroit, who was playing at home, made 65,000 fans dream thanks to a first half of overwhelming dominance. Jared Goff commanded a huge rushing offense that put San Francisco on the ropes with 148 yards and touchdowns by Jameson Williams, David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. The team went into halftime leading 24-7, but upon returning from the break a couple of costly mistakes gave Purdy and the San Francisco team oxygen. One of these was coach Dan Campbell’s decision to play a fourth down when the Lions were 46 yards from the end zone. On the play, Goff, who finished the night 25 of 41 and 273 yards, threw an incomplete pass.
Elsewhere in the third quarter, Jahmyt Gibbs fumbled the ball at his 24-yard line and allowed San Francisco to score with a rushing touchdown by Christian McCaffrey. Detroit’s mistakes changed the fate of the game. Four positions were enough for the visitors to go from being down 14 points to winning by 10. Elijah Mitchell, with a three-yard run, made the score 24-34 with three minutes left in the fourth quarter. Jameson Williams scored to bring the Lions within three points. But the clock had only 50 seconds left. “When you lose like that, it’s hard, you feel like your heart has been ripped out,” said Dan Campbell after the defeat.
Mahomes prevails
A few hours earlier, Baltimore, the best team of the season, had run into the Kansas City wall. And the Chiefs won the American Conference final. Patrick Mahomes has commanded an offensive display with Travis Kelce to take his team to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five years. Kansas City will seek its fourth title against San Francisco. The American champion will also be able to defend the title he won in 2023. At 28 years old, Mahomes pursues the legend of Tom Brady.
The quarterback faced one of the most difficult tests in the conference final. This had not been his best season: he recorded the lowest passing percentage since he began his career in 2019. But, the first quarter made it clear that he appeared in his best form. The team has become a dangerous visitor in the playoffs. In previous years, the Chiefs had played to go to the Super Bowl at home five times. Now they have clinched the conference title in front of a hostile crowd and defying statistics. Visiting teams had a record of 35 wins and 71 losses in championship finals. Only Patrick Mahomes can buck this trend.
Kansas had received good news on Saturday, when it was confirmed that Isaiah Pacheco was healthy and could play. The running back has been a centerpiece in the Chiefs’ running game. Against the Bills, the player recorded 97 yards and a touchdown in the divisional game against Buffalo. This Sunday, Pacheco had four receptions for 66 yards and a score. Pacheco capped Kansas City’s second possession by scoring on the ground in the first quarter. The team put on a masterful offensive class with a 16-play, 75-yard drive that lasted nine minutes. In the first half, the Chiefs had the ball for 20 minutes compared to nine for Lamar Jackson’s team.
The conference final began as an electrifying clash of attacking players. But the game evolved into a defensive battle, confirming an old American football adage. These are the ones who win the titles, despite the fact that glory is usually reserved for the attackers. Defensive tackle Charles Omenihu sacked Lamar Jackson at his 29-yard line during the second quarter. He quarterback fumbled the ball, thwarting Baltimore’s chance to respond to the Chiefs’ second score. Jackson went 20 of 37, gaining 272 yards. He had one of the best moments of the game in the second quarter, when he caught a pass of his that hit a defender and was close to being intercepted. On the other hand the quarterback He added 13 yards. Jackson, 27, is still aiming for his second MVP after the season.
The fate of the game was sealed by Kansas defensive back L’Jarius Sneed in the third quarter, when the Ravens were only down 10 on the scoreboard. A slap led to a fumble when rookie Zay Flowers was crossing the goal line. The moment was a collective disappointment for Maryland, who hosted the first conference semifinal since 1971 (then they were the Baltimore Colts and played in Miami).