Cal Sports Report

Goff-Mahomes Super Bowl Denied as Jared Goff, Lions Fall Short in NFC Title Game

Crowd was chanting the name of ex-Cal QB Goff when Detroit had a 24-7 halftime lead, but 49ers rally for the win

Jake Curtis

Goff-Mahomes Super Bowl Denied as Jared Goff, Lions Fall Short in NFC Title Game
Goff-Mahomes Super Bowl Denied as Jared Goff, Lions Fall Short in NFC Title Game /

At the end of the first half of Sunday's NFC championship game in Santa Clara, Calif., a small but loud portion of the Levi's Stadium crowd was chanting "Ja-red Goff, Ja-red Goff."

That's because Jared Goff, a Bay Area native and former Cal quarterback, had directed the Detroit Lions to a 24-7 halftime lead over the favored San Francisco 49ers. And his band of Bay Area supporters were loving it as Goff seemed to be on the verge of beating the team he loved growing up.  He wears Joe Montana's No. 16 as a tribute to the former Niners' star, who was present at Sunday's game.

There had been Jared Goff chants before Sunday's game started:

Those chants grew louder as the team left the field at halftime as it appeared Goff would become the fifth quarterback in history to get to the Super Bowl with two different teams, joining Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Kurt Warner and another former Cal star, Craig Morton. (Goff and the Rams lost the Super Bowl in the 2018 season.)

However, it was a different story in the third quarter as three pivotal plays turned things San Francisco's way, leading to the 49ers' 34-31 victory.

So it will be the 49ers facing the Kansas City Chiefs in the February 11 Super Bowl, and not the Lions, who were hoping to be in the Super Bowl for the first time in the franchise's existence. 

The Lions' run of consecutive seasons without a title increases to 66 straight years without a title, the fourth-longest active drought among the four major pro sports.  Only the St. Louis/Arizona Cardinals of the NFL, the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball and the Kansas City/Sacramento Kings of the NBA have gone longer without a championship.

Another former Cal star, Lions defensive tackle Tyson Alualu, was also hoping to get to the Super Bowl, and Alaulu had half a sack in the fourth quarter to keep the Lions in the game.  But the 36-year-old Alualu will not get to play in his first Super Bowl either. Whether he will play another NFL season is in question, with most people expecting him to retire.

The Lions won two playoff games this season after winning just one since they won the NFL title in 1957, more than a decade before the first Super Bowl..

Goff was the central figure in those two playoff wins this season and nearly did enough on Sunday to get his third career matchup against Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. 

When the Lions held a 17-point lead at halftime, some were already noting that Goff has a 2-0 record against Mahomes in the NFL.  In 2018, Goff and the Rams beat Mahomes and the Chiefs 54-51, and in the 2023 opener in Kansas City on September 7, Goff and the Lions topped the Chiefs 21-20. 

But there won't be a third Goff-Mahomes matchup, although Goff did his part to make it happen.

He was 25-for-41 for 273 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and an 88.8 passer rating on Sunday.  And his touchdown pass with 56 seconds left brought the Lions within three points.  

The Lions' ensuing onside kick got through the front line of the 49ers' receiving group, but was recovered by George Kittle to secure the 49ers' victory.

The game turned in the third quarter on three plays that occurred in a span of one minute and 43 seconds. 

First was Dan Campbell's decision to go for a first down on a fourth-and-2 play from the San Francisco 28-yard line with the Lions holding a 24-10 lead with 6:48 left in the third quarter. A field goal would have given the Lions a 17-point lead.  Instead Goff's pass to Josh Reynolds was not perfect but it should have been caught for a first down.  But it went through Reynolds' hands for an incompletion, giving the Niners the ball.

Soon there after came Brock Purdy's 51-yard completion to Bandon Aiyuk, as Aiyuk grabbed the ball after it bounced off the facemask of a Detroit defender..

That led to a touchdown that reduced the Lions' lead to seven points.

Then a fumble by Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs led to the 49ers' tying touchdown.

Suddenly it was 24-24, and the 49ers had all the momentum.  They went ahead 34-24 before the Lions' late touchdown to make it close.

Goff no doubt will remember the four of five passes that should have been caught by Lions receivers but resulted in incompletions.  Goff played well enough to win the game, but it didn't happen.

Now the question is whether Goff and the Lions can repeat this impressive 14-6 season next fall.  Or was it a fluke?

Cover photo of Jared Goff by Kelley L. Cox, USA TODAY Sports

Follow Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

Find Cal Sports Report on Facebook by going to https://www.facebook.com/si.calsportsreport

Published
Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

Home/Football