Last Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers played the Detroit Lions in the annual National Football League championship semifinals. With their win, the 49ers will go on to play in the Superbowl against the Kansas City Chiefs who won the American Football Conference semifinals against the Baltimore Ravens. 

Almost 57 million viewers tuned in to watch the semi-final game, which makes it the most-viewed NFC game since 2012, according to MLive. Fans of both the Lions and 49ers flocked to Levi’s Stadium, the home venue of the 49ers, and tensions were high as the scores fluctuated.

“At the start of the game, everyone was super excited, both Lions and Niners fans,” said Lauterbach. “Once we reached halftime, I think all 49ers fans were kind of skeptical as to how the game would go, and all Lions fans were super excited for the second half of the game,”

By the end of the first quarter, the Lions were ahead with 14 points while the 49ers were yet to score a single point, according to sophomore Francesca Lauterbach. However, in the 3rd quarter, the 49ers scored 17 points in just 8 minutes, which tied the score at 24-24. The 49ers pulled through and scored another 10 points in the final quarter, securing their victory and their ticket to compete in the Superbowl.

“The 49ers and Lions both had awesome seasons, and the Lions have not been to the playoffs in a long time, so it was wonderful to see that franchise make it to the NFC Championship Game,” said physics teacher Stacey Benson. “I applaud the 49ers for overcoming a steep deficit at the half to eventually win – that takes incredible focus and mental fortitude,” 

Soon after their victory, the 49ers shop released merchandise with the catchphrase, ‘NFC champions; 49ers are all in.’ However, purchasing this merchandise wasn’t the only way fans showed their support for the team. Flooding out from Levi’s Stadium, fans of the 49ers could be heard celebrating in the streets, and fireworks lit up the sky honoring the NFC championship win, according to freshman Lela Nachury-Reif.

“I’m super happy that the 49ers won, it was a very suspenseful game,” said Nachury-Reif. “I saw a lot of the bright fireworks from my house and people celebrating outside after the game,”

The 49ers will play the Kansas City Chiefs in the Superbowl on Sunday, February 11 at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, according to the NFL. This will be the team’s 8th Superbowl appearance and could result in their 6th win. In 2020, the 49ers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs at the Superbowl, which means that the 49ers will be trying to redeem themselves from that loss in the upcoming game. Many excited fans hope the energy from the semi-final game will carry over to the Superbowl, according to Lauterbach.

“I stayed in my seat since they had only scored touchdowns when I was sitting down, and my dad stayed standing because of that same superstition,” says Lauterbach. “It was super fun and I think the Super Bowl should be a really good game.”