Rapid reactions, observations from Sunday's NFC Championship game

The NFC Championship game played out just the way everyone expected through the first half, if everyone was a diehard Detroit Lions optimist. The Lions offense could hardly be stopped in a first half that saw the underdogs grab a 24-7 lead going into halftime, but the 49ers were working their way back in the 3rd quarter. Detroit racked up 148 rushing yards in the first half, the quickness and power of their running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery finding holes and running room against former Arizona Cardinals head...