Detroit Lions safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was ready to pack his bags for Super Bowl LVIII.
The only issue was there was still over a half to be played in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.
The FOX broadcast caught Gardner-Johnson celebrating prematurely after the Lions took a 21-7 lead with 5:54 left in the second quarter on a 15-yard touchdown run by Jahmyr Gibbs. Following the score, Gardner-Johnson stood on the Detroit sideline and waved goodbye to the crowd. You can watch it here.
Gardner-Johnson surely thought the Lions, who pushed their lead to 24-7 by halftime, had it all wrapped up even with so much time left. So he had to be stunned when the 49ers came roaring back and capped off a historic comeback with a 34-31 victory to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl and send the Lions home.
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It was a monumental defeat for the Lions, who have never appeared in a Super Bowl. Gardner-Johnson was there last year as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles and certainly could taste another appearance in the big game.
Instead, the 49ers flipped the script and waved goodbye to Gardner-Johnson and the Lions.
Featured image via Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK Images
