There are months of preparation, film study, game planning, injuries, pain, work and sacrifice. All of these are essential if you want to make it to the Super Bowl. But sometimes, even after all this, you still need a fun-shaped ball to bounce around.

Hours after the San Francisco 49ers’ 34-31 comeback win over the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship Game, left tackle Trent Williams said in the locker room: “Obviously, without a little bit of luck, , no one can win.” “Tonight is when we get it.”

The discussion focused on a key play in the third quarter – Brandon Aiyuk’s 51-yard pass from Brock Purdy had every right to be intercepted, but But it became the game that turned the fortunes of the 49ers around. With 6 minutes and 29 seconds left in the third quarter, the Lions led the 49ers 24-10. Not long ago, San Francisco stopped Detroit on fourth-and-2 from the Niners’ 28-yard line. This feels like a turning point, but the Niners still need a big game or two on offense to cash in.

A 17-yard pass to receiver Deebo Samuel moved the ball to the Niners’ 45-yard line. Purdy lined up his shotgun and asked for a shot. On the court, he saw the game play out the way he wanted it to. Safety CJ Gardner-Johnson caught Samuel on a crossover route, leaving Aiyuk one-on-one with cornerback Kindle Vildor. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan later explained that meant Purdy should pass the ball to Aiyuk downfield.

“We need an explosive game and BA is one-on-one? I’ll take that [opportunity],” Purdy said. “I’m giving my guys a chance. “

What San Francisco didn’t expect was how well Verdot covered the ball, as the 2020 fifth-rounder stayed between Aiyuk and the goal line, putting himself in blocking position. But as he reached back to catch the ball, he fell and the ball hit him in the chest before bouncing back into the air.

“I was surprised,” Aiyuk said. “I felt what it was like before, the pre-snap, I had a chance to get the ball, but he just kept it on top. I didn’t even know it.”

However, Aiyuk did not pay the price for his surprise. He saw the ball bounce off the defender into the air and he leaned down to catch it at the 4-yard line. Most of his team was about 50 yards downfield, so it was hard to know what was going on. A flag has fallen. Aiyuk rolled the ball into the end zone. Is this a penalty? Is this a touchdown? Is this really a trap? Is it possible for him to catch it?

“I saw the flag, but I couldn’t see much,” Purdy said. “Then I heard the stadium erupt and was like, ‘Oh my God, he caught that?’”

“BA had a great season and gave us a crazy run,” defensive lineman Arik Armstead said. “But that one was really wild.”

“Exactly what we wanted!” tight end George Kittle deadpanned. “Take this guy’s mask off and put it in BA’s hands, man, Brock Purdy has good football skills.”

“What can you say?” Williams said with a big smile on his face. “No amount of coaching, no amount of film watching, could prepare him to catch a ball like that. It’s just talent and will.”

The Niners scored a touchdown three plays later, and Purdy’s response to Aiyuk was fitting enough. The stadium pulsed. The 17-point gap was reduced to 7 points at halftime. The Niners took the kickoff and on the first play of the Lions’ next possession, running back Jameer Gibbs fumbled the ball and Armstead recovered.

“Why do analysts say the momentum isn’t real?” Kittle asked the assembled media at his postgame press conference. “That’s the biggest horse shit I’ve ever heard in my life.”

It was impossible to be in Levi’s Stadium back then and not feel like something had changed. The Niners had the ball at the Detroit 24. Purdy threw a ball to Kittle on the first down, and Kittle lost a yard. Then on second down, the bag burst and Purdy took off and sprinted 21 yards to move the ball to the Lions’ 4-yard line. It was the first of Purdy’s two 21-yard rushes in the game — and he did so again on third-and-fourth carries in the fourth quarter, ultimately putting up 49 with three minutes left. The team leads by 10 points. Before Sunday, he had not rushed for 20 yards all season.

“Brock is an athlete,” Williams said. “Obviously his athleticism is underrated. People don’t look at him and think he might be able to run with the ball like that. But he can do it. We saw that in practice. He can run. So we When he needs to run, he runs. He’s been making plays for us all year, and he’s the reason we’re in the Super Bowl.”

Sunday’s third quarter may be a bigger reason why. After allowing 148 rushing yards, 18 first downs and 24 points in the first half, the 49ers still felt good heading into the halftime locker room. Shanahan said the feeling at halftime was, “We’re not going out like this,” and the players believed things would get better.

Entering the playoffs, the Niners are 0-30 under Shanahan when trailing by seven or more points entering the fourth quarter, according to ESPN Stats & Information. They ended that streak last week against the Green Bay Packers, scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter in a divisional round win. Under Shanahan, they are 0-19 when trailing by 17 points or more in the second half. They took this photo this week. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Niners joined the 1994 Chargers as the only team to post multiple second-half comebacks of seven points in the playoffs before reaching the Super Bowl. (The Chargers lost to San Francisco in the Super Bowl.)

“We’re pretty confident, actually,” Williams said. “Especially we knew we were going to get the ball first. The games were there, but we just didn’t create them. We had Aiyuk, Deebo, and we knew they were ultimately going to make their mark on games like this. Plus, [the Lions] The first half delivered their best punch. Tricks, flea flickers and more. You know eventually everything will slow down and we’ll be fine. “

They are right. The Niners outscored the Lions 17-0 and led 170 yards to 42 in the third quarter. But the Lions also committed turnovers and dropped key passes on third and fourth downs.

“Just waiting,” Williams said. “You play long enough, you stick to your plan, you do it the right way, and things will eventually go your way.”

Then, in Week 21 of the season, after you’ve set everything up to get to the Super Bowl, a ball bounces off a defender and into the hands of a receiver, and that’s a year’s worth of work you need to cash in on. The 49ers were back in the Super Bowl for the first time in four years, and during an epic and unforgettable third quarter, they gave it everything they had to make it happen.