Sports
49ers head to Super Bowl LVIII after thrilling second-half comeback beats Lions
The San Francisco 49ers are heading to Super Bowl LVIII after winning an absolute thriller in the NFC Championship Game, 34-31, on Sunday night.
The Niners will meet the Kansas City Chiefs, who defeated the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game, in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11.
This game didn’t look like much after the first half, where the Lions completely dominated a 49ers team that looked like a shell of itself.
Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after a touchdown against the Detroit Lions during the first half of the NFC Championship football game at Levi’s Stadium on January 28, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
On the very first drive, quarterback Jared Goff executed a trick play Detroit as ran often, as he faked a handoff to his running back before flipping it to speedy wide receiver Jameson Williams. He made a few 49ers defenders miss and shook another tackle before running into the end zone from 42 yards out.
The Lions only needed four plays to get seven points on the board, setting the tone head coach Dan Campbell certainly wanted on the road.
San Fran would miss a field goal on their first drive, and Goff used that momentum to get another one on the board. This time, David Montgomery busted into the end zone from one yard out to quickly make it 14-0 in the first quarter.
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The 49ers would respond, though, and who else but Christian McCaffrey scoring from two yards out to get on the board.
But momentum shifted back to Detroit again when Brock Purdy threw an interception in his own territory to set the Lions up perfectly for their third rushing touchdown of the half. It was rookie Jahmyr Gibbs maneuvering his way 15 yards across the goal line.
The Lions finished the first half with 148 rush yards as a team with all three of their touchdowns coming on the ground.
But the second half brought trouble to the team that was up 24-7 when they went to the locker room. A turnover on downs, a fluke deep ball completion and a fumble all led to San Fran scores that eventually tied this game.
Jared Goff #16 of the Detroit Lions drops back to pass against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of the NFC Championship football game at Levi’s Stadium on January 28, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Purdy found the rhythm head coach Kyle Shanahan wanted in the second half, even if it didn’t result in a touchdown. A field goal from Jake Moody that went through the uprights this time made it 24-10.
But the Lions wanted to keep things going on the ensuing drive when Campbell gave Goff the nod to go for it on fourth-and-2 from San Francisco’s 28 instead of kicking their own field goal.
The result? A dropped pass by Josh Reynolds that forced the turnover on downs.
Two plays later, with the 49ers now having the ball, Purdy took a shot to Brandon Aiyuk down the field, but the ball appeared to be overthrown just a bit. Lions defender Kindle Vildor was tracking the ball along with Aiyuk and looked to have the right angle as it was coming down.
But when Vildor put his hands out, it went right through and hit him in the helmet, popping the ball in the air. Aiyuk had the awareness to stick his hands out and make the catch, landing at the five-yard line.
A couple plays later, Aiyuk caught a bullet from Purdy for the touchdown to get the game within seven points, 24-17.
The San Fran crowd was raucous, as they felt their team finally clicking on all cylinders. And when Detroit took the field, more momentum shifted to the 49ers.
Gibbs and Goff weren’t on the same page on the very first play, as they almost ran into each other on a handoff. Tashaun Gipson Sr. got his hands in Gibbs’ arm and ripped the ball out of his hands, and San Fran recovered.
Four plays later, McCaffrey cracked into the end zone one more time, tying the game and sending the Levi’s Stadium crowd into a frenzy.
Amon-Ra St. Brown #14 of the Detroit Lions celebrates after a play against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of the NFC Championship football game at Levi’s Stadium on January 28, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
San Fran would finally take the lead with 9:52 left in the fourth quarter when Moody kicked a 33-yard field goal to make it 27-24. Yet, the Lions could’ve gone for a field goal again to match Moody on the ensuing drive, but Campbell refused to do so again.
The attempt was futile, as Goff was forced out of the pocket and threw the ball into empty space to turn it over again.
Like it did earlier in the half, the turnover led to 49ers points. The run game was used for this drive, as Purdy and McCaffrey rushed their way downfield. But it was Elijah Mitchell, subbing in for McCaffrey who was gassed, finding his way into the end zone to give his team a 10-point lead.
It was the score the 49ers needed because Goff ended up finding Jameson Williams on fourth-and-goal to keep the game alive.
Detroit needed to try an onside kick to give themselves a miracle chance to keep this game going. But
Purdy started slow but finished 20-of-31 for 267 yards with one touchdown pass, and Deebo Samuel was his top target with eight catches for 89 yards. Aiyuk also had 68 yards on three catches, while McCaffrey had 132 total yards from scrimmage (90 rushing, 42 receiving).
Christian McCaffrey #23 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown during the second quarter against the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship Game at Levi’s Stadium on January 28, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
For the Lions, Goff was 25-for-41 for 273 yards with one touchdown pass, while Sam LaPorta led the way with 97 receiving yards on nine receptions. Amon-Ra St. Brown had seven catches for 87 yards.
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The PGA Tour has announced that it will not be hosting an event in Hawaii during the 2027 season, ending a 56-year run of holding a tournament in The Aloha State. The change comes as the Tour and CEO Brian Rolapp have consistently teased a revamped schedule beginning next year.
The Tour was forced to cancel The Sentry at the start of the 2026 campaign due to the dying grass on the Plantation Course at Kapalua amid a local dispute with the company responsible for delivering water to the area.
An aerial view of the golf course from over the ocean prior to The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on December 31, 2023 in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR)
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With The Sentry being canceled, the Sony Open at Waialae Country on Oahu served as the Tour’s season opener in ‘26, which was won by Chris Gotterup. The event was in the final year of its sponsorship, although the Tour has shared that it is working toward making the event the opening event on the PGA Tour Champions circuit.
Chris Gotterup of the United States celebrates with the trophy on the 18th green after his winning round of the Sony Open in Hawaii 2026 at Waialae Country Club on January 18, 2026 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images) (Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
The Tour’s removal of The Sentry and the Sony Open wipes out what has now turned into a traditional two-week stretch on the island to begin a new season.
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The PGA Tour did not share further details about the 2027 schedule upon its announcement about leaving Hawaii, but with Sentry reportedly being an event title-sponsor through 2035, it will need to find a new landing spot on the calendar. The logical stop would be Torrey Pines in San Diego, which checks the West Coast and great weather boxes, but the venue is also looking for a new sponsor, as its deal with Farmers Insurance ended in 2026.
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View of the 18th hole is seen during the final round of The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on January 5, 2025 in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
The Tour’s decision not to begin next season in Hawaii makes sense, as there are plenty of venues in the lower 48 states that are much easier to operate from, but the departure will have a tremendous financial impact on the state.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that The Sentry is estimated to have a $50 million annual impact on the community, while the Sony Open directly generates an estimated $100 million in revenue per year, plus another $1 million per year to Friends of Hawaii charities.
Martin Dugard is a prolific author and writer. He’s also an assistant cross-country coach at Santa Margarita after being head coach at JSerra for 15 years.
His newest book is “The Long Run,” which discusses the 1970s running boom and is a narrative history of four who sparked the marathon boom: Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit Samuelson and Grete Waitz.
He’s going to have a book signing on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, 26751 Aliso Creek Rd., Aliso Viejo.
Don’t be surprised if he tries to run from Rancho Santa Margarita to his book signing.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
For years, Stephen A. Smith’s many football blunders have been easy enough to explain away.
He’s not an NFL guy (remember when he said the three key players for a game were three guys who weren’t playing in the game?)
Stephen A. Smith falsely claimed the Warriors haven’t made the playoffs since 2022, but Golden State reached the second round in both 2023 and 2025. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)
He’s definitely not a college football guy (remember when he called Jalen Milroe Jalen “Milroy” multiple times and then read the wrong stat line after a College Football Playoff game?).
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ESPN forces him into those conversations because First Take has to talk football, and Smith knows that football is the most popular sport in the country and he needs to be seen as an authority (even though he isn’t).
But Monday’s latest mistake is a lot tougher to excuse, because this time Smith wasn’t talking about the NFL or college football. He was talking about the Golden State Warriors, one of the defining NBA dynasties of the last decade.
In other words, he was talking about the sport and the league that’s supposed to be his bread and butter.
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While discussing whether Steve Kerr has coached his last game with Golden State, Smith confidently stated the Warriors “haven’t been back to the playoffs since that championship in 2022.”
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr looks on during a game against the Sacramento Kings. (Robert Edwards/Imagn Images)
That’s not even close to true. Not only did Golden State make the playoffs last season, but they also reached the postseason in 2023. Last year, the Warriors made the playoffs, beat the Rockets in seven games and advanced to the second round before losing to the Timberwolves. In 2023, they beat the Sacramento Kings in the first round and before losing to the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals.
So, Smith wouldn’t even have been right if he said they haven’t won a playoff series since 2022. But he didn’t say that. He said they didn’t make the playoffs in any of the past four years, except they did it twice.
Yikes.
This is not an obscure piece of NBA trivia that Smith could be easily forgiven for not knowing. Perhaps he was too busy playing solitaire on his phone and just missed two of the past three NBA postseasons. That’s a tough look for the guy who fancies himself as the No. 1 NBA analyst in the country.
And it’s a terrible look for ESPN, as they keep selling Smith as one of the faces of their NBA coverage.
Stephen A. Smith made a brutal gaffe while talking Warriors playoff history
If Smith made this kind of mistake while talking about the NFL, nobody would be shocked. At this point, sports fans practically expect him to butcher football analysis. It’s almost endearing that a guy with the ego of Smith can be so consistently wrong while also delivering every “fact” with the utmost confidence. It’s part of the Stephen A. experience.
But this one hits differently because the NBA is where he’s supposed to at least know the basics. This is where Smith prides himself as being an authority figure.
Stephen A. Smith incorrectly stated the Golden State Warriors haven’t made the playoffs since their 2022 championship, despite the team reaching the postseason twice since then. (Candice Ward/Imagn Images)
And yet he couldn’t keep the recent playoff history of the Warriors straight. The team whose head coach is in the news every other week. The team that has won four championships since 2014. Arguably one of the most important franchises in the NBA over the past 15 years.
Yes, Golden State missed the playoffs in 2024 after getting bounced in the Play-In Tournament (although they won 46 games that season). And yes, it fell short again this season. But that’s a lot different from acting like Steve Kerr has spent four years wandering the basketball wilderness since winning that 2022 title.
He hasn’t. In fact, the team is 175-153 in the past four regular seasons.
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The Warriors made the second round in 2023. They made the second round again in 2025.
Before burying Steve Kerr on national television, maybe Stephen A. Smith could take 10 seconds to confirm whether the Warriors were actually, you know, in the playoffs.
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