LAS VEGAS — For those on the 49ers team, it’s hard not to get emotional after what happened in the NFC Championship game.
The Niners had a home advantage, but were overworked by the Lions and were down 24-7 at halftime. Something had to change, and everything changed as the 49ers scored 27 straight points to overwhelm the struggling Lions, winning 34-31 and earning a berth to the 2024 Super Bowl.
Yes, the scene at Levi’s Stadium after this dynamic comeback was moving.
“We won the game against Detroit. I could see Jerry Rice running down the field,” 49ers safety Tashaun Gipson said. “I was running down the field and we were hugging each other, and then it hit me. Oh, I was hugging Jerry Rice. That’s kind of cool. That’s crazy. I know you can hear me.”
I don’t think that’s strange.
People of a certain age are familiar with the San Francisco dynasty of Rice, Joe Montana, Steve Young and coach Bill Walsh.
Although much younger people are well aware of the Niners’ recent success (four NFC title games in the past five years), they can’t be forgiven for not fully understanding the rich history of the 49ers franchise. It won’t.
Gipson, 33, was 4 years old the last time the 49ers won a title, defeating the Chargers 49-26 in Super Bowl XXIX after the 1994 season.
It’s been 29 years since the Niners hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. They have five of them, but the sixth is very difficult to achieve.
Rice, the NFL’s all-time leader in receptions, receiving touchdowns, receiving yards, scrimmage yards and total touchdowns, continues to move closer to the franchise that flourished with his presence for 15 years.
The same goes for Young, who replaced Montana and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, along with Montana and Rice.
Before traveling for a week of practice and media duties ahead of the Super Bowl, the Niners heard from Young what their recent run in the postseason means to the former players who donned the red and gold uniforms. I asked him if he would do it.
“It was just cool, because you get to see a guy like him grow up and see all the Jerry Rices of the world and understand what this means to them,” Gipson said.
“They’re legends, but they have 49er football in their blood. Like, [Young] “When you guys lose, it makes me feel like I lost, and it ruins my Sunday.” When you guys win, it makes me feel like I won, too. ”And when you sit here and realize that, you know these guys have been watching the game and they know the players really well. It’s great to be a part of something like that. These people are like superheroes. ”
