The Detroit Lions have turned the page to the 2024 NFL season. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t still resentment over what happened in the NFC championship game.
Lions cornerback Kindle Vildor is the latest Lions player to publicly express strong disappointment over what occurred during the second half of the loss.
Vildor told reporters at Lions minicamp that he grew so frustration about seeing the NFC championship versus the San Francisco 49ers on NFL Network this spring that he turned his television off.
He did, though, watch long enough to see Brandon Aiyuk’s 51-yard reception during the third quarter. That play definitely hit a nerve with the veteran cornerback.
was just watching, and I’m like, ‘They got so damn lucky, man,” Vildor said on June 4, via The Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett. “I’m like, Dang, man. This is crazy.’ I ended up going to the store with my family.”
Aiyuk’s 51-yard catch could have been a Vildor interception. The pass first hit Vildor in the face mask. But off the ricochet, Aiyuk hauled in a reception inside the Lions 5-yard line.
Brandon Aiyuk’s 51-Yard Catch Turned the Tide in the NFC Championship
San Francisco had already kicked a 43-yard field goal and stopped the Lions on a fourth-and-2 to begin the third quarter. So momentum was shifting.
But Aiyuk’s catch turned the entire game. Three plays after his 51-yard grab, the 49ers were in the end zone, which cut the Lions lead to 7 points.
