49ers/Lions Game Put Up Outrageous TV Ratings

America was captivated by the NFC Championship game between the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions.

The 49ers roared back from a 17-point halftime deficit to beat Dan Campbell and the Lions 34-31. It was a hell of a game that was amazing for 49ers fans and downright right breaking for Detroit supporters.

The Lions were close enough to taste the Super Bowl at halftime. Then, it was ripped away from the team and fans in brutal fashion.

Well, it turns out a large chunk of America was also watching it happen.

49ers beating the Lions puts up monster ratings.

Brock Purdy and the 49ers pulling off the incredible win averaged nearly 56.7 million viewers on Fox and peaked with 58.967 million viewers between 9:15-9:30 EST as the 49ers were pulling off the unlikely comeback.

It was the most watched NFC Championship game since 2012 and up 19%over last year's game between the Eagles and 49ers.

To put it as simply as possible, America couldn't get enough of the Lions and 49ers.

Why were the ratings so high? There's probably a lot of reasons, but the biggest one is likely the fact people wanted to see what would happen with the Detroit Lions.

Detroit has been a punching bag and complete joke for decades. The team has been an embarrassment for fans prior to Dan Campbell's arrival.

The Lions were four quarters away from playing in the Super Bowl this past Sunday, and it looked like that's exactly what was going to happen when the team was up 24-7.

Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey had other plans, and more than 56 million people watched the Lions collapse in epic fashion. I guess that's why they're Detroit.

The 49ers beating Dan Campbell and the Lions put up huge ratings. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

The ratings for the Super Bowl between the Chiefs and 49ers should be massive given the viewership we've seen through the playoffs. It's always a win for America whenever football is rolling. Let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.