Coming back from a 17-point deficit after halftime is no easy feat. The Detroit Lions were absolutely smoking the San Francisco 49ers in all aspects of the game. However, everyone on Kyle Shanahan's squad decided to flip the switch whether it was Brock Purdy, Deebo Samuel, Nick Bosa, or Brandon Aiyuk. Although, one member of the squad was the clear star in this Super Bowl-clinching win and it was Christian McCaffrey.
The 49ers would not have been able to get back into it without their star running back. Christian McCaffrey was beating out a tough defense with CJ Gardner-Johnson and Alex Anzalone among others. But, that was not the only thing that was giving him a hard time. He said that his shoulder ‘felt a little weird.' As a consequence, Kyle Shanahan elected Elijah Mitchell to make their late-game runs. McCaffery did have to clear up his situation after they had won over the Lions, via Matt Barrows of The Athletic.
“I feel fine now,” was all that the 49ers running back could say.
This makes his feats to get a spot in the Super Bowl more impressive. With an aching shoulder, McCaffrey was still able to notch 20 carries for the 49ers which got them 90 rushing yards. In two of those attempts, he even led them to the end zone for six points. There is still no update about whether or not this affects his status for the games moving forward. But, if the player says it should not be a concern, then it shouldn't.
How the 49ers mounted an insane comeback against the Lions
It was all Lions in the first quarter of this conference championship matchup. Jameson Williams and David Montgomery put Dan Campbell's squad up by 14 points. Then, McCaffery started to get aggressive with the help of Brock Purdy and the rest of the 49ers offense. He notched a seven-yard run for a touchdown. Jahmyr Gibbs saw this and got their lost points back. It made for an intense second quarter which ended in a Michael Badgley field goal.
All of a sudden, everything started clicking for the 49ers. First, they got Jake Moody to start off the barrage with a field goal. Then, Brandon Aiyuk and Purdy connected for a six-yard touchdown. McCaffery eventually evened up the game with a 1-yard rush to end the third quarter.
With McCaffery's shoulder pain, the 49ers had to take the load off of him. But, this did not mean no longer running through the Lions' defense. Mitchell secured the game-winning three-yard rush to seal the deal. There may be injury concerns for the 49ers' stars but other players are ready to step up in the Super Bowl.
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