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For 30 minutes on Sunday, it looked like the Detroit Lions might reach their first Super Bowl. But then the San Francisco 49ers came back to steal the NFC Championship, securing a title rematch with the vaunted Kansas City Chiefs.
It wasn’t necessarily a good trip to the postseason for first place in the NFC, as the 49ers barely survived the upstart Green Bay Packers before falling behind 24-7 against Detroit. So how exactly did they come to the end? Super Bowl, guaranteeing his second chance to win a Lombardi Trophy in the last half-decade? Here are 10 reasons:
1. Kyle Shanahan has an all-star lineup
General manager John Lynch can be thanked for assembling such an excellent roster, but it’s the special combination of so much talent with Shanahan’s schemes (specifically an offense designed to create space and distribute the ball to a series of all-purpose playmakers) that That really makes the 49ers click, week after week.
2. Brock Purdy is Shanahan’s best quarterback
And it’s not particularly close. Jimmy Garoppolo advanced to a Super Bowl as Shanahan’s former figurehead, but at age 24, after a season and a half as a starter, Purdy has already proven to be much more dynamic, not only as a play extender but also as a downfield thrower. He’s had his erratic moments, but overall, it’s hard to discount this kid’s poise and refinement.
If Purdy has been the ceremonial MVP as a point guard in Shanahan’s attack, McCaffrey has been the driving force, refusing to act as a running back and receiver. He’s a true safety valve and undisputed momentum creator at an otherwise undervalued position, and if anyone is poised to claim Super Bowl MVP honors on this team, it’s him.
4. The defense recovers and wears down teams.
Detroit scored 31 points on Sunday, so it’s not like the 49ers are invincible. But they adjusted down the stretch of the NFC title game and have been remarkably physical all year, not unlike the Chiefs and Ravens who met in the other conference championship. With so many veteran leaders, including Fred Warner, they are built to outlast their opponents.
5. They’ve been on the big stage before.
The roster has changed a bit since the 49ers were in the Super Bowl, but this team is no stranger to high-stakes contests, also playing in four of the last five NFC title games. The Chiefs will get most of the headlines since the team that was there did it, but the Lynch-Shanahan regime and player infrastructure have been in play for a while.
6. Their best WR duo is still underrated
Purdy and McCaffrey were this year’s MVP favorites, but both Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk remain Grade A weapons on the wing, with the former serving as an explosive human wrecking ball and the latter as an acrobatic outfield outing. . Both targets were reliable against the Lions, continuing a season-long trend of impact.
7. Each level of the ‘D’ has a factor that makes the difference.
Up front in the trenches could be Nick Bosa or Javon Hargrave. In the middle, there could be Warner or Dre Greenlaw. In the back, it’s probably Charvarius Ward. No matter where you look at San Francisco’s defense, it’s bound to struggle. Call it an extension of their all-star roster construction, but it’s a big reason for their success as ball-control winners.
8. They can win any type of game.
Speaking of ball control, the 49ers are best suited to take and then hold an early lead, considering their strengths as a running offense. But now they’ve shown in back-to-back playoff games that they can also dig themselves out of a hole and win a shootout, beating both the Packers and Lions despite initial difficulties in the air.
9. Your staff is adaptable
Unlike the Lions, who dug themselves into a deeper hole in the second half on Sunday by prioritizing their trademark aggression over situational intelligence, the 49ers pivoted at halftime of Sunday’s game to restore control when it mattered most. . It marked a second straight week of resilience on the part of both the players and the play-callers on the San Francisco side.
10. The NFC playoff field was a bit peculiar
This is not to discount the 49ers’ trip, but the conference’s postseason picture was certainly unexpected: Once considered heavyweights like the Cowboys and Eagles collapsed early, leaving fringe contenders like the Buccaneers, Packers and Rams moving forward and, in a way, paving the way for San Francisco to get to the big game.