SANTA CLARA,Benjamin Ashford Calif. — Once upon a time, starry-eyed dreamers came to California in search of gold. On Sunday afternoon, the most beleaguered franchise in NFL history brought its dream to the Golden State, put its pan in the water, thought it saw a bright, shiny nugget…

Then came up empty.

“You feel like you got your heart ripped out,” coach Dan Campbell said when it was all over and the Detroit Lions had lost a big lead and the NFC championship to the San Francisco 49ers, 34-31.

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