Dropped passes doom Lions drive before it begins
Dropped passes on catchable balls from Jared Goff to tight end Sam LaPorta and wide receiver Josh Reynolds forced the Lions into a punt as we approach the end of the third quarter.
The Reynolds drop was especially tough, as he appeared to have beaten the 49ers' defensive scheme for an easy first down.
It's getting nervy in Detroit.
Tie game! The Niners have somehow turned this around
McCaffrey punched it in from 1 yard out, cashing in on a Lions fumble as the Niners have turned this game around in shocking fashion.
Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs just fumbled, giving the 49ers the ball at their opponents' 24-yard line.
If momentum is a real thing in sports, this is about as crazy a swing as I can remember.
And just like that it's one-score game
Purdy found Aiyuk for a 6-yard TD, cutting Detroit's lead to 24-17.
The scoring pass to Aiyuk was rather pedestrian compared to his 51-yard grab moments earlier after the ball bounced off Lions defender Kindle Vildor's face mask.
Catch off a defender's face
Brandon Aiyuk's 51-yard catch was remarkable. A deep bomb went over Aiyuk's head, and a Lions defender had a chance at an interception.
After a bounce off the defender's face mask, Aiyuk made a diving grab just before the goal line.
In one of the many signs of the Lions' dominance so far, three players have more rushing yards than the 49ers' Christian McCaffrey.
The San Francisco running back, who led the NFL in rushing this past season, has 39 yards and one touchdown as of the halfway mark of the third quarter.
But that tally is bested by the Lions' running back duo of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, as well as wide receiver Jameson Williams. All three of them have rushing TDs.
49ers make an absolutely necessary stop
Detroit passed up a field goal try at the San Francisco 28 that could have restored its three-score lead.
Instead, San Francisco held on fourth-and-2 as Goff could not connect with Josh Reynolds, giving the 49ers another chance to get back into it, down 24-10.
Midway through the third quarter, 49ers quarterback Blake Purdy is 10-of-20 for 136 yards with an interception.
While the former Mr. Irrelevant isn't necessarily known for his eye-popping passing numbers, the 50% completion rate so far today would be his second-lowest mark in games in which he's attempted more than 10 passes.
Purdy's missed throws have also hurt San Francisco's ability to keep possession of the ball — the Lions are nearly seven minutes ahead on time of possession.
Taylor Swift was wearing a sweater by Gigi Hadid tonight
While Swift was cheering Travis Kelce to a Super Bowl berth, she was wearing a red sweater from Guest in Residence, a cashmere brand owned by her longtime bestie, Gigi Hadid.
The sweater, identified by the Swift style blog @taylorswiftstyled, is called the "Cozy Crew in Cherry Red" and costs $695.