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

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

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

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

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

Oh my https://t.co/DPEeHfYyvM

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

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

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

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

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

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.