Sports Illustrated

The San Francisco 49ers were in need of a spark, and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk delivered it.

After opening the game with a two-touchdown deficit, the 49ers were fighting to stay competitive with the Detroit Lions in the NFC championship on Sunday night.

The San Francisco defense came up with a huge stop on fourth down, and just a few plays later, Aiyuk came through with the play of the game.

Quarterback Brock Purdy dropped back and sailed a deep ball down the center of the field. Aiyuk was smothered by Lions’ cornerback Kindle Vildor, who was tracking the ball well. Vildor had a shot at intercepting the pass, but the ball sailed through his hands and bounced off his helmet back into the air.

Aiyuk never lost track of the ball, and hauled it in for the 49ers’ biggest play of the game.

OH MY WORD!? Brandon Aiyuk are you kidding me??

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/JD6tw9M02f

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 29, 2024

NFL fans were stunned at the 49ers’ sudden turn of good fortune.

NFL scriptwriters went crazy on this one https://t.co/zLGCVfAMXp

— Cornell (@Ethanjonc) January 29, 2024

What. A. Play!!!! Wooooww! https://t.co/lkCEeIjukM

— Shanda (@shanda) January 29, 2024

This catch is absurd https://t.co/97OjBIlm6I

— Sara Palczewski (@SaraPalczewski) January 29, 2024

Oh my https://t.co/DPEeHfYyvM

— davina (@pristinedavina) January 29, 2024

What in the Madden-computer-AI was this lol #49ers #aiyuk https://t.co/rUGWjYCP5A

— Chris Bolseng (@highlevelchris) January 29, 2024

What a catch. https://t.co/UgH5BXn5xB

— tbjstudios (@tbjstudio1) January 29, 2024

Aiyuk would finish the drive with a touchdown a few plays later.

BRANDON AIYUK MAKES IT A ONE-SCORE GAME!

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/PSd0FpeGFQ

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 29, 2024

On the ensuing possession, the Lions fumbled the ball back to San Francisco immediately, setting up another touchdown to tie the game 24–24 late in the third quarter.

We got ourselves a ballgame.

Patrick Mahomes is headed back to the Super Bowl yet again.

The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback steadily guided his team to a 17–10 win over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday afternoon, clinching the fourth Super Bowl appearance of his career.

Mahomes completed 30 of 39 passes for 241 yards and one touchdown without an interception and benefited from a stout effort by the Chiefs defense against Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

After the Chiefs’ emphatic victory, Mahomes posted a gif from The Hangover in a nod to Las Vegas, the site of Super Bowl LVIII. He simply captioned it with the “Chiefs Kingdom” hashtag.

#ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/4i5b2b0ZUy

— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) January 29, 2024

While it will be Mahomes’s fourth appearance on the NFL’s biggest stage, it will be the first Super Bowl to be contested in Las Vegas.

The Chiefs will oppose the winner of the NFC championship game between the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 11.

The Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl bound once again, punching their ticket to Las Vegas for their fourth championship appearance in the past five years after taking down the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship on Sunday.

After the game, star cornerback L’Jarius Sneed was overcome with emotion. He fought through tears during his postgame interview with Fox Sports’ Kristina Pink, who asked him what the moment meant to him.

“Just joy, you know? Just thankful,” said a teary-eyed Sneed. “What this team faced this whole entire year, the adversity we faced. I’m just thankful, man. Going back to the Super Bowl again.”

.@jay__sneed is so happy to be back in the Super Bowl 🥺

(via @NFLonFOX) pic.twitter.com/swPrli6zLE

— NFL (@NFL) January 29, 2024

Sneed, of course, was a key cog in Kansas City’s Super Bowl winning setup last season, during which he started all 17 games for the team and was second on the defense with 108 tackles. 

He made his presence felt during the game against Baltimore, coming up with one of the biggest defensive plays of the game when he forced Ravens receiver Zay Flowers to fumble in the end zone on what would’ve been a touchdown. 

With the opportunity for another Super Bowl ring looming, Sneed wasn’t able to hide his emotion while soaking in the moment Sunday evening.

Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Donovan Smith held nothing back while celebrating the team’s 17–10 victory Sunday over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship.

In the locker room after the game, Smith took to Instagram Live to gloat about the Chiefs clinching a Super Bowl berth, and he took a moment to brutally rip Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith.

A monitor in Kansas City’s locker room displayed a clip of Roquan speaking to reporters following Baltimore’s loss, at which point the Chiefs’ offensive tackle made his opinion of his opponent abundantly clear, ripping into him for his trash-talking antics.

“He’s sad. Look at his sad a--. He’s sad!” he said of Roquan. 

Editor’s Note: The video below contains NSFW language.

Donovan Smith is a fool 😂😂 #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/2TPxvaU37I

— Dante' Jones (@Dantej21) January 28, 2024

The 30-year-old apologized for his language, though he certainly didn’t seem remorseful about bashing Roquan after the Chiefs’ win.

Tempers had been flaring throughout the game, and it seems that Roquan and Donovan developed a bit of bad blood as the contest went on. With the win, Kansas City got the last laugh, and the veteran tackle did not mince words when mocking Baltimore’s star linebacker in the aftermath. 

Roquan is no stranger to talking trash. During the Ravens’ win over the Houston Texans in the divisional round, footage of the linebacker chirping at his opponents went viral. It seems those antics did not cease during the AFC championship, only this time his team came out on the losing end of things. 

Will the real Detroit Lions fans please stand up?

Many of them are, as it turns out, standing up at Ford Field watching their team play the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game.

Ford Field was sold out on Sunday as thousands of fans gathered to cheer on the Lions at a watch party for the ages, complete with mega-television screens, cheerleader performances, and pyrotechnics. Fans went wild every time the Lions’ offense had the ball, and in the first half, they had the ball quite a lot.

Detroit put up the first two scores of the game thanks to rushing touchdowns from Jameson Williams and David Montgomery. Up 14–0, the Lions couldn’t have asked for a better start, and their fans tried their best to channel their juiced-up energy all the way over to their team playing 2,500 miles away on the West Coast.

The @Lions watch party ERUPTS during Jameson Williams’ game-opening touchdown! #AllGrit

📹: @lilyalta pic.twitter.com/ZmII0bxyMY

— Detroit Free Press (@freep) January 28, 2024

Ford Field on 🔥
Detroit Lions fans losing themselves in the moment as David Montgomery scores a touchdown.
Lions - 14
49ers - 0 pic.twitter.com/W414fuN7nH

— Coy Wire (@CoyWire) January 29, 2024

go off, @fordfield!!! pic.twitter.com/R6FjjU7wdE

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 29, 2024

The Lions scored on four of their five offensive drives in the first half, taking an early lead and never looking back.

“The excitement is palpable. You can feel it in the air," Emily Griffin, the Lions' marketing chief, said ahead of the matchup. “Tickets sold out unbelievably fast. We made an offer to our season ticket holders, and then opened it up to the public. After just a few hours, 34,000 tickets sold.”

Given that the Lions are playing for their first-ever trip to the Super Bowl, the hype feels very much warranted, as every fan from Benjamin Capp to Eminem has been waiting for this this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 

The Lions are not blowing their shot so far, up 24–7 over the No. 1-seeded 49ers going into the second half.

Many football fans who are tired of seeing Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and TV shots of Taylor Swift were let down by the Baltimore Ravens.

Turns out, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens weren’t ready to dethrone the Kansas City Chiefs, despite looking far more formidable during the regular season. Experience matters, which is why the Chiefs are heading to another Super Bowl after defeating Baltimore in Sunday’s AFC title game.

Related: Chiefs Land More Punches in Bout for AFC Championship

What else can the Ravens do to return to the Super Bowl? They already had a dominant defense and a quarterback who will likely earn his second career MVP in the coming weeks. There’s a stud running back in Tennessee who could help out next season.

It’s time for another edition of “Fact or Fiction”—and we have plenty to discuss about the coaching carousel.

Kelce had 11 receptions for 116 receiving yards on Sunday, his most in either category since Week 6.

Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports

The Chiefs’ regular season offensive issues were overblownManzano’s view: Fiction

No, our eyes weren’t deceiving us all year about the Chiefs’ offense. Mahomes still lacks playmakers, but the Chiefs, as they always do, made adjustments with their coaching and personnel. Rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice has been more of a focal point in the offense, and Kelce has stepped up in the playoffs after his first season with fewer than 1,000 receiving yards since 2015. But the Chiefs are also familiar with the intensity of the playoffs and took advantage of the lack of experience from the Ravens, who appeared tense throughout and committed four personal foul penalties (eight total) while Kansas City was flagged just three times. Experience and execution matters this time of year—two areas Mahomes, Kelce and coach Andy Reid have excelled in the past six years.

Ravens should sign RB Derrick HenryManzano’s view: Fact

The Ravens made it work most of the season with an unheralded cast of running backs, but it cost them at the worst moment, as Baltimore only gained 81 rushing yards in the 17–10 AFC title game loss against Kansas City. Jackson had a team-high 54 rushing yards, with running back Gus Edwards being the second-leading rusher with 20 yards. Edwards is more of a goal-line running back, and Justice Hill and a 28-year-old Dalvin Cook won’t strike much fear into opposing defenses.

Derrick Henry, a pending free agent of the Tennessee Titans, is also up there in age, but the 30-year-old had another 1,000-yard rushing season in 2023. The Ravens should still draft a running back, but Jackson, Henry and an incoming rookie would do much better than the effort the Ravens made against the Chiefs, who entered Sunday allowing 129 rushing yards per game.

Morris previously served as an interim head coach, assistant head coach, defensive coordinator, defensive backs coach and wide receivers coach for the Falcons between 2015-2020.

Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

Falcons will regret not hiring Bill BelichickManzano’s view: Fiction

The Falcons got it right with the hiring of Raheem Morris, who checked many boxes as an experienced former head coach who went on to have plenty of success as a defensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Rams. Yes, Morris did struggle as a first-time head coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because he lacked experience at the time, but he got the job in part due to his infectious upbeat personality. He also had (and still does have) the ability to create a productive, enjoyable working environment; similar to what Dan Campbell has done in Detroit and Antonio Pierce with the Raiders.

Related: Takeaways: Why Bill Belichick Won’t Get the Head Coaching Job He Wanted

The 47-year-old Morris is now well seasoned with a Super Bowl ring and several ringing endorsements from Rams coach Sean McVay and several star defenders that crossed paths with Morris in Los Angeles, including Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey. For a while, it seemed Morris would be forced to wait again for next year’s coaching carousel because he had to compete with big names such as Bill Belichick, Jim Harbaugh and Mike Vrabel. Also, teams tend to favor coaches with offensive backgrounds.

But this new trend of leaders who can oversee all three phases of a football operation worked in Morris’s favor. And, obviously, it’s hard to say no to someone as personable as Morris—or the polar opposite of Belichick. That’s not a slight at Belichick, but his methods appear to be outdated and he’s coming off a few rough years in New England.

Chargers got it right by going all in for Jim HarbaughManzano’s view: Fact

This was an easy verdict because of Jim Harbaugh’s track record of turning programs into winners, from the University of San Diego to Stanford to the 49ers and most recently at Michigan. As his older brother, John, said, “he’s the best team builder” in football. The Chargers haven’t done much winning in the past decade and have struggled building a consistent football team. I don’t know if the Chargers will win instantly with Harbaugh, but he has Justin Herbert, and Harbaugh knows how to develop disciplined, smart and physical players, which could end the franchise’s reputation of blowing late leads.

Related: Jim Harbaugh’s Move Back to the NFL Is As Complex As the Man Himself

Plenty of credit to the Spanos family for reeling in Harbaugh. They put all their chips into one candidate—possibly the best one available, even with Mike Vrabel, Pete Carroll and Belichick out there—made a lucrative offer and likely met many demands when it comes to the power structure of football operations. They got their guy in Harbaugh. Welcome to the national spotlight, Chargers.

Seahawks should hire Ravens DC Mike MacdonaldManzano’s view: Fact

The Seahawks likely fired Carroll because they wanted a new head coach who could keep up with innovative offensive minds (Kyle Shanahan, McVay) in the NFC West. It would be a significant get if Seattle lands Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, but what about a coach who could neutralize the offensive schemes of Shanahan and McVay? Instead of trying to outscore the teams in the division, the Seahawks could go all in for Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, whose scheme stifled the San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins in the regular season (Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel was a disciple of Shanahan’s).

Macdonald, however, struggled against McVay’s Rams in the regular season and his top-ranked defense couldn’t contain Mahomes, Kelce and the rest of the Chiefs’ offense in the AFC title game. But Macdonald has made many star quarterbacks look ordinary this season, and he would definitely be worth the wait for the Seahawks. Seattle reportedly has interest in interviewing Baltimore’s defensive wizard. Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, however, remains the favorite to land the job, according to multiple reports.

Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers have had their hands full with the Detroit Lions in the first of Sunday’s NFC championship game, but it’s something the QB did before the game that had fans going off (in a fun way) on social media. 

In case you missed, Purdy arrived at Levi’s Stadium with a little pep in his step. The second-year QB has been a big reason why the 49ers are just a win away from a trip to the Super Bowl. 

Here he is making his way to the home team’s locker room a few hours before kickoff. 

Brock Purdy strolling into the NFC Championship Game like 🙂 pic.twitter.com/4wgxvXowHR

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) January 28, 2024

Fans had a lot of fun with that casual look for the QB: 

dads getting to the airport 6 hours early just to be safe pic.twitter.com/UpThPDW8ts

— smalls (@StephieSmallls) January 28, 2024

Brock Purdy rolled up to the NFC Championship looking like he just raised a $100m for the hottest AI seed round of the yearpic.twitter.com/I7mAMrsIwa

— Trung Phan (@TrungTPhan) January 29, 2024

.... the cool history teacher who tells the kids to call him by his first name https://t.co/EB8495jlN8

— Jay Busbee (@jaybusbee) January 28, 2024

walking out of kohls at age 14 after my mom bought me my back to school outfit https://t.co/g3m6UxkWXr

— josh, local man (@Whoabot) January 28, 2024

got that heading to equinox after staring at bloomberg terminal flow https://t.co/USn2LlIWC2

— Shawn Hils (@ShawnHils) January 28, 2024

This man definitely makes the bed at a hotel room before he checks out https://t.co/HVX4STCicG

— Liz J 🕶 (@EMJBomb) January 28, 2024

Heavy George Michael Bluth vibes https://t.co/kgIwT1LiXf pic.twitter.com/9MmH1uLSK4

— Dive Bar Dana™️ (@DiveBarDana) January 28, 2024

he's getting sent home because he didn't dress up enough for the debate meet. https://t.co/ZD3btbjq2T

— Liz Roscher (@lizroscher) January 28, 2024