San Francisco, CA
10 reasons why 49ers are headed to 2024 Super Bowl: San Francisco with historic second-half comeback vs. Lions
For 30 minutes Sunday, it looked as if the Detroit Lions might reach their first-ever Super Bowl. But then the San Francisco 49ers stormed back to steal the NFC Championship, ensuring a title-game rematch with the vaunted Kansas City Chiefs.
It wasn’t necessarily a pretty postseason journey for the NFC’s No. 1 seed, as the 49ers barely survived the upstart Green Bay Packers before falling behind 24-7 against Detroit. So how, exactly, did they surge all the way back to the Super Bowl, guaranteeing their second crack at 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 a sterling roster, but it’s the special pairing of so much talent with Shanahan’s schemes — specifically an offense designed to generate space and spread the ball to an array of multipurpose playmakers — that really makes the 49ers click, week in and week out.
2. Brock Purdy is Shanahan’s best QB
And it’s not particularly close. Jimmy Garoppolo advanced to a Super Bowl as Shanahan’s former figurehead, but at 24, through one-and-a-half seasons as the starter, Purdy’s already proven much more dynamic, not only as a play-extender but a downfield thrower. He’s had his erratic moments, but all in all, the poise and polish on this kid is hard to dismiss.
If Purdy’s been the ceremonial MVP as the point guard of Shanahan’s attack, McCaffrey has been the engine, refusing to go down as both a runner and receiver. He is a true safety valve and an undisputed momentum-maker at an otherwise devalued position, and if anyone’s poised to claim Super Bowl MVP honors on this team, it’s him.
4. The defense rallies, and wears teams down
Detroit put up 31 points Sunday, so it’s not like the 49ers are invincible. But they settled in down the stretch in the NFC title game and have been noticeably physical all year, not so unlike the Chiefs and Ravens who went head to head in the other conference championship. With so many veteran leaders, including Fred Warner, they’re built to outlast opponents.
5. They’ve been to the big stage before
The roster has shifted some since the 49ers were actually in the Super Bowl, but this team is absolutely no stranger to high-stakes contests, also playing in four of the last five NFC title games. The Chiefs will get the majority of headlines as the team that’s been there, done that, but the Lynch-Shanahan regime and player infrastructure has been in the mix for a while.
6. Their top WR duo is still underrated
Purdy and McCaffrey were this year’s MVP darlings, but both Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk have remained Grade-A weapons out wide, with the former serving as an explosive human wrecking ball and the latter starring as an acrobatic downfield outlet. Both targets were reliable against the Lions, continuing a season-long trend of impact.
7. Every level of the ‘D’ has a difference-maker
Up front, in the trenches, it might be Nick Bosa or Javon Hargrave. In the middle, it might be Warner or Dre Greenlaw. On the back end, it’s probably Charvarius Ward. No matter where you look on San Francisco’s defense, you’re bound to run into trouble. Call it an extension of the all-star roster-building, but it’s a huge reason for their success as a ball-control winner.
8. They can win any kind of game
Speaking of ball control, the 49ers are best suited to take and then maintain an early lead, considering their strengths as a rushing offense. But they’ve now shown in back-to-back playoff games they can also dig themselves out of a hole and win a shootout, outgunning both the Packers and Lions despite initial struggles through the air.
9. Their staff is adaptable
Unlike the Lions, who dug themselves into a deeper second-half hole Sunday by prioritizing their trademark aggression over situational smarts, the 49ers pivoted at halftime of Sunday’s game to restore control when it mattered most. It marked a second straight week of resilience from both the players and the play-callers on San Francisco’s side.
10. The NFC playoff field was kind of peculiar
This isn’t to discount the 49ers’ journey, but the conference postseason picture was certainly unexpected: Once-perceived heavyweights like the Cowboys and Eagles collapsed early, leaving fringe contenders like the Buccaneers, Packers and Rams to advance and, in a way, smooth the path for San Francisco to get to the big game.
San Francisco, CA
Maria Isabel Is a Masterclass in Mariscos and Moles
San Francisco first came to know chefs Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz through their pop-up Istanbul Modern, and later through their breakthrough Presidio restaurant Dalida. The duo’s success is grounded in their take on Eastern Mediterranean food, which they made a conscious decision to champion 10 years ago.
Fast-forward to 2026, and now Laura is taking on a personal project of her own, with Sayat by her side, placing foods from Mexico’s Guerrero and Sinaloa center stage at Maria Isabel. It’s a refreshing menu that combines both Mexican and local ingredients, through the lens of the Ozyilmazes cooking backgrounds.
Reservations are released on OpenTable 30 days in advance, but Laura confirmed that they do take walk-ins depending on space. Smaller parties or solo diners might have better luck sliding in, thanks to the counter in the brighter, “Maria” portion of the restaurant.
The cocktails from consulting bar director Evan Williams are always worth a glimpse, whether at Dalida or at Maria Isabel. They’re well-balanced and have incredible depth and technique behind them. That being said, the team sourced wines from woman-led wine brands such as LOTIS Wines and Amevive Wine, if you’re looking to explore past the usual selections you’ll see elsewhere.
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco considers closing some permanent supportive housing
In San Francisco, homeless advocates are expressing concern as the city considers potentially closing some of its permanent supportive housing sites. As the San Francisco Chronicle reported, homeless service providers reported that the mayor’s chief of health and human services met with housing providers last month that the city was working on a list of potential buildings to be closed.
Multiple homeless advocates told NBC Bay Area they had heard about this proposal and the general approach by Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office to reexamine how the city uses permanent supportive housing.
“This is something that’s been discussed for a few months at this point,” said Christin Evans, a former San Francisco Homeless Oversight Commissioner and current small business owner in the city.
Advocates describe permanent supportive housing (PSH) as a more stable and long term option for people experiencing homelessness, providing a place to live that is directly connected to the health and social services a person needs when transitioning out of homelessness. San Francisco currently has more than 9,000 site-based permanent supportive housing units.
Mayor Daniel Lurie’s press secretary, Charles Lutvak, shared a statement on Thursday, noting, “… our administration is prioritizing tools to get people struggling with addiction into treatment and the path to stability.”
“Permanent supportive housing is a critical one, but we need to make it work better,” Lutvak continued, noting the city is spending $300 million a year while also facing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal cuts.
Lutvak also said it is not determined yet whether the city will be closing permanent supportive housing beds in the coming months.
Still, the conversations so far are enough to have advocates worried.
“Every housing unit you get rid of, you’ve got additional homeless people on the streets,” said Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director with the Coalition on Homelessness.
Friedenbach said there are currently thousands of people on the city’s waitlist to get into permanent supportive housing.
“Permanent supportive housing does work. It has been studied to death, and it is the primary resolution of homelessness that has the highest level of success,” she added.
This conversation about permanent supportive housing units is unfolding as the city already faces a 643 million dollar budget gap. But advocates argue, while housing is expensive, it will cost the city even more to have unhoused people in the city who are disconnected from a place to live or support services.
“We’re cutting really essential services for our most vulnerable san Franciscans, and its actually going to harm our recovery as a city,” Evans said.
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco tops US housing market as homes sell far over asking, report says
The average San Francisco home sold for nearly 90% over the asking price in March, according to Redfin.
The city is now the most expensive metro area in the country.
Artificial intelligence is driving much of those costs, as companies grow and hire, with many requiring staff to work in person.
Housing inventory, on the other hand, isn’t keeping up.
NBC Bay Area spoke with Arrian Binning, an agent with the Binnings Team at Christie’s San Francisco, who said the city is expensive but worth the investment.
“San Francisco is one of the best markets in the world,” Binning said. “I’ve seen supply constriction benefit property owners, so when you’re a property owner in a market that has scarce inventory but also is an engine of growth, that’s kind of the trifecta in terms of investing your hard-earned dollars into a new home.”
San Francisco bumped San Jose out of the top spot.
In San Jose, the median home price in March was more than $1.46 million, about what it was a year ago.
NBC Bay Area’s Kris Sanchez has the full report in the video above.
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