Why 49ers were worried about facing Buccaneers in NFC championship game

Kyle Shanahan: Big Baker Mayfield guy.

The San Francisco 49ers punched their ticket to Super Bowl LVIII with a thrilling NFC championship game victory over the Detroit Lions.

While the Lions’ sensational first-half performance forced a dramatic comeback by the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium, Detroit nearly didn’t get out of the divisional playoffs after an eight-point victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday told reporters he wasn’t excited about the prospect of facing the Buccaneers and quarterback Baker Mayfield.

“I think Baker is a stud,” Shanahan said. “I think last year, I thought he was at the top of his game last year playing real well and this year I think he’s the same, if not better. I think he’s one of the main reasons I think they were a couple plays away from playing us in the NFC Championship last year. We were worried, real worried about him going into that game. He just got hotter as the whole year went. And he’s playing at such a high level right now.”

The 49ers saw Mayfield up close in Week 11 last season. He completed 29-of-45 throws for 246 yards with one touchdown and one interception in a 27-14 San Francisco victory at Levi’s Stadium. The numbers weren’t great, but he made some sensational throws in that game that helped paint a picture of what he might be capable of in a better offense.

This year, Buccaneers new offensive coordinator Liam Coen has gotten the most out of Mayfield. Even without his top two wide receivers, Mayfield managed to go into Kansas City in Week 9 and go 23-of-31 for 200 yards and two touchdowns.

Shanahan was worried about facing Mayfield in January, but now in Week 10 the 49ers will have to face him with their chances of playing next January hanging in the balance.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Sacramento Kings troll Detroit Pistons with video of Brandon Aiyuk catch

The Sacramento Kings used the 49ers’ NFC championship win over the Lions to troll the Detroit Pistons.

The Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night got in on the Northern California sports love action when they faced the Detroit Pistons at Golden 1 Center.

During the introduction of the Pistons’ starting lineup, the Kings in-game ops team played a highlight on repeat of Brandon Aiyuk’s diving 51-yard catch against the Detroit Lions that turned the tide of the NFC championship game at Levi’s Stadium a couple of weeks ago.

The Pistons fan in attendance was probably furious.

The Kings, who ended a 16-year playoff drought last season and are now the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference vying for another playoff trip this year, are trying to find the same type of sustained success the 49ers have had the last few years.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]

Meanwhile the Pistons are in the earliest stages of a full rebuild and entered Wednesday night with an NBA-worst 6-43 record.

Perhaps Detroit fans get the last laugh in this one though since the Pistons’ 2004 championship is the most recent among any of the four teams involved in this bit of light trolling.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Brock Purdy’s playoff performances, ranked

Ranking Brock Purdy’s five playoff starts for the #49ers:

Brock Purdy is gearing up to play in the Super Bowl to cap his first full season as an NFL starter. He’s been impressive in the regular season during his two years as a pro, amassing a 17-4 record and leading the 49ers to a pair of NFC West titles. He’s also notched a 4-1 postseason record after a massive comeback in the NFC championship game vs. the Lions.

So how good has Purdy been in the playoffs? And was the 17-point comeback in the NFC title game part of Purdy’s best playoff performance?

We dug through his five postseason starts and ranked them:

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]

NFC Championship: The good and bad from the 49ers’ comeback win over the Lions

Looking at all the good and bad from the 49ers’ thrilling comeback win over the Lions in the NFC Championship game.

For the second straight week, the San Francisco 49ers used a thrilling second-half comeback to advance to the postseason. However, on Sunday, their comeback helped secure not only a win but also a ticket to the Super Bowl.

After a rough first half, the 49ers found themselves trailing by 17 points at halftime to the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship. However, a strong second-half performance from Brock Purdy, some drops from the Lions and questionable decisions from Dan Campbell, the 49ers surged to a fiery comeback on their way to a 34-31 win in the NFC championship.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]

Before the 49ers prepare for their date with the Kansas City Chiefs in Las Vegas, here’s a look at all the good and bad from the 49ers’ 34-31 win over the Lions in the NFC championship.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

NFL Twitter reacts to 49ers punching ticket to Super Bowl with comeback win vs. Lions

Here’s what fans and analysts were saying on Twitter after the 49ers punched their ticket to the Super Bowl behind a comeback win against the Lions in the NFC championship.

Trailing by 17 points at halftime, it looked like the end of the San Francisco 49ers season was looming. However, Brock Purdy and Kyle Shanahan didn’t fade with the chance of punching a ticket to the Super Bowl.

Starting with a crucial stop on fourth down in the second half, the 49ers went on a 27-point unanswered run to a comeback win over the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship game.

After a rough start, Purdy finished with 267 yards with a touchdown and an interception. In arguably one of the most impactful moments of the game, Purdy slung a 51-yard pass downfield that was deflected into Brandon Aiyuk’s diving arms.

Deebo Samuel led the 49ers with 89 yards through the air on eight receptions. Christian McCaffrey finished with 90 yards on the ground with two touchdowns and 42 yards receiving in San Francisco’s 34-31 win over Detroit.

Following the Niners win in the NFC championship, the NFL community on Twitter exploded with a flurry of reactions. Here’s a look at what fans and analysts were saying on Sunday night.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

Notes and observations from a wild 49ers NFC championship victory

What. A. Game. The #49ers are going to the Super Bowl.

Things couldn’t have gotten off to an uglier start for the 49ers in the NFC championship game. They fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter and 24-7 at halftime. They ripped off 27 consecutive points to go ahead 34-24 and wound up pulling out a 34-31 win to punch their ticket to Super Bowl LVIII.

Here are our notes from a WILD game at Levi’s Stadium:

Watch: Brandon Aiyuk grabs must-see diving catch off deflection vs. Lions

Brandon Aiyuk provided a much-needed spark with an acrobatic diving catch on a long pass from Brock Purdy.

Trailing by a pair of touchdown in the second half of the NFC championship to the Detroit Lions, the San Francisco 49ers desperately needed a spark. A connection between Brock Purdy and Brandon Aiyuk provided that spark and more for the 49ers.

After a clutch stop on fourth down, the 49ers defense gave the ball back to Purdy with the chance to cut into the Lions’ advantage. With the 49ers driving, Purdy dialed up a long pass to Aiyuk. As the ball fluttered the air, Lions’ safety Kirby Joseph looked like he was nearing an interception. However, the ball bounced off his facemask and into the hands of Aiyuk for a 51-yard gain.

Via @NFL on Twitter:

Three plays later, Purdy ripped a pass over the middle of the field to Aiyuk for a touchdown. Behind the acrobatic catch from Aiyuk, the 49ers’ cut the Lions’ lead down to only seven points.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Watch: Christian McCaffrey gets 49ers on the board in NFC Championship vs. Lions

The 49ers leaned on their All-Pro running back to get on the board in the NFC Championship against the Lions.

After falling down by 14 points in the opening quarter of the NFC Championship, the San Francisco 49ers finally got on the board in the opening minutes of the second quarter.

On their way to their first trip to the end zone of the game, the 49ers leaned on unanimous All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey. After delivering a nasty stiff arm to Lions safety Chauncy Gardner-Johnson, McCaffrey set the 49ers up at the goal line.

Similar to most of the season, McCaffrey punched in a two-yard run for a touchdown to cut the Lions’ advantage to 14-7.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Behind Enemy Lines: Can Lions QB Jared Goff beat the 49ers?

We talked Lions-49ers with our buddy and Lions Wire managing editor Jeff Risdon:

It’s been two seasons since the 49ers and Lions last squared off. Since that meeting in Week 1 of the 2021 season Detroit has elevated itself into the NFC’s upper echelon alongside San Francisco, and now the two teams will face each other with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.

To get some more insight into how the Lions have managed this turnaround, we got in touch with our buddy and Lions Wire managing editor Jeff Risdon. He answered a few questions for us to help grasp what the 49ers are up against Sunday at Levi’s Stadium:

3 reasons for optimism for 49ers in NFC championship game

3 reasons the 49ers should be optimistic about winning the NFC championship:

The 49ers have every reason to be confident entering their NFC championship showdown against the Lions. They’re heavily favored, they have a better roster, and they’ve been in this situation twice in the last two years. This is perhaps their best chance to win an NFC title game since they hosted the Green Bay Packers in January of 2020.

We’ve covered some of the causes for concern, now here are some reasons the 49ers should be optimistic Sunday at Levi’s Stadium: