Inside Levi’s Stadium, Detroit Lions collapse leaves fans crushed, in tears

SANTA CLARA, California — A catastrophic Lions collapse in the second half allowed the San Francisco 49ers to overcome a 17-point lead Sunday night, upsetting Detroit fans, especially hundreds who traveled to Levi’s Stadium from all over to see a promising season end one victory shy of the Super Bowl.

Free Press writers and photographers documented the day’s hope, followed by the heartbreaking finale to a game that had started so brightly.

Agony as the clock ticks away…
Lions fans at Levi’s Stadium watched in anguish as time expired in their team’s loss against the 49ers.

Tears for a Little Lion.
With two minutes remaining and the Lions losing by ten, a little child in Detroit colors descended from the upper tiers of the stadium in tears. His father and other Lions fans consoled him, as 49ers fans rejoiced on the winning team.

James McClain, 53, of Detroit, watched as the 49ers took advantage of the final few seconds on the clock. A San Francisco supporter passed by, waving his hand in his face.

But McClain wasn’t letting the outcome take away from a special season.

“We battled it out, we even went to the end … we couldn’t pull it off though. 31-34, still a good game.”

He admitted that during the Lions’ really strong first half, he started to get his hopes up for the team’s first Super Bowl appearance.

“It was a good season, we haven’t had a season like that in a long time. Go Lions!” Fans: We’re not in Kansas any more

Earlier in the game, fans learned they sure were no longer in Ford Field.

Raucous San Francisco fans roared “Niners!” as a handful of Detroit Lions-clad men and women slowly made their way through a packed concourse. A flurry of boos rained down when the Lions took the field for final warmups, only to be surpassed by cheers for the 49ers when they exited the tunnel.

Chris Ehmann of Lake Orion and Chad Day of Oxford attended both home Lions playoff games. But they knew, on the road, the Lions faced a whole new challenge.

Wearing a full-body Lions suit, Ehmann said he wasn’t worried.

“We have a big contingency of Lions fans. There’s a lot of blue out there. So the momentum that they got from the two home wins, everything’s going to carry through,” Ehmann said.

Day agreed, adding he was confident coach Dan Campbell would have the players ready to ignore the “white noise” of the opposing fans.

No matter what happened, it was crucial to see it in person.

“You want to see the wave of blue. It’s FOMO at this point man,” Day said.Inside the stands, expletives of love

Detroiters Jennifer Ingram and Nikki Parrish did not miss a chance to scream “Go Lions!” inside the stadium. If their blue pompoms don’t shout their passion for the Lions, their energy said it all.

“Go (expletive) Detroit!” said Ingram, who left Detroit 10 years ago to work in the Bay Area. “I’m super excited for my home team to take it all the way. I left Detroit 10 years ago, and for me, this is like a monumental occasion. And to see so many Detroit fans throughout the stands is energizing and exciting.”

Surrounded by 49ers fans chanting, “Go Niners,” Ingram said she was looking toward the future.

“Jared Goff is from this area,” Ingram said. “I hope he comes home and feels proud of what he’s accomplished and takes us all the (expletive) way.”

Hoo boy, she thought. These tickets. But then she saw his face

Pamela Evan Scott said she tossed and turned for two nights after buying a pair of tickets to see the Lions face the 49ers. But, looking into the beaming face of her husband, Will Scott, she said the steep price was worth it.

“I’ve had to watch him watch the Lions lose for season after season after season. His birthday is in two weeks, and I had to have him here,” Pamela said, smiling. She did not reveal how much she dropped for the tickets.

“Just the joy of seeing him, with this facial expression, and just the excitement. … There’s not a word to express the joy.”

Asked how Will’s mood is after a Lions loss, Pamela didn’t hesitate.

“Horrible, horrible, horrible!” she said, as Will laughed.

The Detroit natives, who’ve since relocated to South Lyon, are season ticket holders. But Pamela is relatively new to the fandom. Will is a lifer, accustomed to the ups — and many more downs — of dedicating oneself to the Lions.

“I was there when they were 0-16, a season ticket holder, faithfully,” Will said.

“You want (a Super Bowl run). You desire. I desired it every year.”

A split house, but it’s his dream

Pontiac native Levi Hirsch used to watch games on a black-and-white TV. He moved to the Bay Area in 2004 after meeting his now-wife, Sonya Taylor-Hirsch, who became a football fan in 1982. Since she’s from the area, she supports the 49ers.

“We dreamt of this game today,” Hirsch said. ”I’ve been to probably over 100 Niners games with her. Never did we think that we’re going to get a Niners-Lions in the championship.”

Taylor-Hirsch had season tickets for 20 years. While she supports the 49ers, she supports her husband’s dream.

“This is his dream,” she said. “I’m very happy for him but, ‘Go Niners.’ ”

Hirsch, grabbing his chips and drink in a tailgate lot full of 49ers fans, has felt nervous throughout the Lions season and playoffs.

“We’ve only won one game and since 1991, everything negative comes to my mind. I get nervous about all of this stuff. If they win, I’m going to cry,” Hirsch said.

An early start for a fan and a coach

When Joe Otto, 44, of Clarkston, walked out of his hotel in the San Jose area Sunday morning, he noticed a Tesla surrounded by cones. Watching, he said he saw San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan get in and drive away.

Both arrived at Levi’s Stadium around the same time: about 12:30 p.m., six hours before kickoff of the game. Can’t arrive to the biggest Lions game in decades too early, especially amid the sun and balmy breeze welcoming fans to 65-degree Santa Clara.

Cars lined up in parking lots as fans poured in Sunday morning to kick off the tailgate in the gorgeous atmosphere. Despite the home team’s red splashing in and around the stadium, Detroit Lions fans pridefully draped themselves in Honolulu Blue.

Giant speakers led up to the entrance as fans prepared their tailgates. Temperatures may have felt a little cooler to some of the locals wearing jackets and sweatshirts. Michiganders, however, were in shorts, cutoff shirts and fewer layers than typical for a January game — a complete change-up from the first two Lions playoff games in Detroit — played inside, yes, but celebrated outside in sometimes frigid temperatures before and after the games.

“I’d rather go to the NFC Championship game than actually go to the Super Bowl, so to me, this is the game to be at,” Otto said. “Super Bowl’s a little commercial; this is more special.”

Otto joined Randy Blomberg, Blake Blomberg, and Justin Harrell on a grassy knoll designated as the go-to spot for Lions tailgaters. It’s as far away as a fan can get and still park in the vicinity of the stadium. But after this group flew more than 2,500 miles, a short walk wouldn’t matter.