Was Lions NFC Game An Example Of The Same Old Lions of 66 Years?

There was something very familiar to the way the Detroit Lions lost to the San Francisco 49ers during the NFC Championship, consistent with losses over the last 66 years.

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Still The Same Old Lions?

From the season the Detroit Lions had for 2023, I don't think they are the same old team but the second half of the NFC Championship game looked familiar to hundreds of losses over the past 66 years.

Over the years, how many times have we seen the Lions give the fans hope of winning a big game only to have it torn away because they blew a sizeable lead? Too many to count.

Was the Second Half of the NFC Game The Same Old Lions?

I will start with the two 4th down calls in the second half that Dan Campbell decided to go for when they could have kicked field goals. I get it that during the regular season making bold calls like this was how the Lions got to the playoffs. The difference between earlier in the season was the team was usually moving the ball well which was something that wasn't happening in the 2nd half. Going to a Super Bowl is on the line, and you have a chance not once, but twice to put 3 points on the board by kicking field goals, and Campbell elected to go for it were both huge mistakes but this was something the old Lions would not have done. Those 6 points were the difference in winning the game.

Did the curse of Bobby Layne rear its ugly head? When the Lions Kindle Vildor went for a possible interception only to have the ball bounce off of him and land right in the hands of 49ers' Brandon Aiyuk which led to a touchdown moments later? This was the point of the game when I went, oh no, here we go it's the same old Lions.

Jahmyr Gibbs was playing great in the first half but the fumble in the second half sealed the death of the Lions. When that ball was ripped out of his hands in Lions territory, I said this is the nail in the coffin and sure enough the 49ers scored a few plays later.

Lions receiver Josh Reynolds made some great catches in the first two playoff games but in the NFC Championship he dropped two balls that were put right in his hands and one of those drops was when they went for it on 4th down. Needless to say, Reynolds had a terrible a game.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff and an amazing first quarter and some great throws throughout the game so of which were dropped. Goff also sailed a few balls that would have been good for touchdowns by either throwing them too far or coming up way too short.

There was also the punt return the Lions could have downed on the one-yard line in the 4th quarter that would have pinned the 49ers deep but now I'm just nitpicking. The Lions gave us a great season and for most of the season showed they were no longer the same old Lions. They played a great first half in the NFC Championship game and gave us all hope they would move on to the Super Bowl but just couldn't hang on to a 17-point lead in the the second half. The back end of the game was all too familiar for us Lions fans, let's just hope they get past that in the 2024 season and become more of the new Lions like we know they can be.