A Terrible Ending to an Awesome Season

Championship Sunday was a tough one for those of us rooting for the Lions today.  We first had to endure the Chiefs beating the Ravens easily.  It wasn't that we necessarily disliked Kansas City, but hoped to not have to see Taylor Swift anymore.  Her dating Travis Kelce had been big NFL news all season and I know that I for one had grown tired of hearing about it.  According to Cameron, Cal and Meg, I was not alone.  The real tragedy happened in the second game, however, and was big enough that it will take some time to get over.

The Lions started off strong.  For awhile it looked like they were going to hold the 49ers scoreless.  I texted Cameron and said, "Unbelievable."  He agreed completely.  All of us were shocked when Detroit headed into the half up 24-7.  Even more surprising was that their coach had kicked a field goal on fourth and goal.  He has a tendency to "go for it" on 4th down and we all agreed that it was a smart decision to kick take the 3 points instead of trying for a touchdown.

Around here, everyone was all smiles during the break in the game.  I remember Doug saying not to get too comfortable and my Dad stating something about us being in for a big heartbreak.  I didn't think anything of it.  The Lions looked unstoppable and I already started planning the food that we would have during the Super Bowl.  Just thinking about it now makes me really sad.

The second half started much like the first.  The Lions still looked good.  With seven minutes to go in the third quarter, they reach field goal range, but their coach decided to go for a first down instead.  It was only two yards and seemed doable.  No one was surprised as he was known for being aggressive.  Unfortunately, a dropped pass gave the ball back to the 49ers.  The second guessing began immediately and only intensified when San Francisco scored and then got a lucky rebound off a Lions helmet for a touchdown.  The Lions missed one more 4th down try and soon enough the game was tied and the momentum had completely changed.  Detroit's defense couldn't stop anything and the 49ers' quarterback caught on fire.  San Francisco went up 34-24 giving the Lions only a few minutes in the game to tie them.  They got the touchdown, but not the field goal and lost by three.  It was absolutely horrible to watch.

I texted Cameron after the game.  He said that he was doing ok, just really disappointed.  I felt terrible for him as he had such high hopes for the Lions this year and they almost exceeded even his expectations for them.  Doug told Cameron that it was a great season with a terrible ending.  He was right, but it still stung.  It will definitely take a few days before anyone is saying, "Wait until next year."