Jan. 28 (UPI) — Christian McCaffrey scored twice and the San Francisco 49ers completed a feverish rally, overcoming a 17-point deficit to beat the Detroit Lions and advance to Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday in Santa Clara, Calif.
The 49ers, who trailed 24-7 at halftime, scored 27-unanswered points in the 34-31 NFC Championship game victory at Levi’s Stadium.
McCaffrey totaled 132 yards from scrimmage on 24 touches.
The 49ers, who allowed 148 rushing yards in the first half, held the Lions to just 34 over the final two quarters. They also scored on six second-half possessions.
The Lions finally scored their first points of the second half with just a 56 seconds remaining in the game. Lions quarterback Jared Goff hit Williams with a 3-yard touchdown toss in the back of the end zone for that score, which cut the deficit to three.
The Lions then failed to recover an onside kick, allowing the 49ers to drain the remaining time off the clock and secure their ticket to the Super Bowl.