Sunday, January 28, 2024, the Detroit Lions went to Levi’s stadium to head off against the San Francisco Forty-Niners in a highly anticipated NFC championship showdown. The Lions started extremely strong, heading into halftime with a 24-7 Lion lead. The turning point of this Detroit Lions dominance was a risky call by Lions head coach Dan Campbell. On fourth and 2 the Detroit Lions decided to go for the first down instead of taking the field goal. Jared Goff threw to Josh Reynolds who dropped the easy catch to hand the ball back over to the Forty-Niner offense who pushed the ball down for a touchdown. The momentum continued to swing in favor of the Forty-Niners when star rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs fumbled the ball on the first play of a Lions leading to another Niner touchdown. 

Tensions rose in the fourth quarter with the Lions being down 3 points. The Lions had the ball and for the second time, Coach Campbell risked it on a fourth down. Once again the Lions did not succeed and turned the ball over to the Niners. Instead of tying the game up and giving our defense a chance at a stop, we give them a touchdown and a 10-point lead. 

In the aftermath of our loss, Coach Campbell addressed the controversial decisions to the post-game reporters. “I get that, and I don’t regret those decisions and that’s hard. It’s hard because we didn’t come through. It wasn’t able to work out. And I understand the scrutiny I’ll get. That’s part of the gig, man,” He expressed.

Despite the disappointment, the Lions showcased resilience and determination throughout this game and the season as a whole. While the outcome may not be what fans wanted, the team’s journey to the NFC championship showed the spirit and determination that was within this team. If anything is known about these Lions, it is that they will undoubtedly use this game as fuel and drive them to more success in the upcoming seasons.