Tomorrow night will have a David vs. Goliath feel, as the Detroit Lions visit Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, to play the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. The Lions are 1 of 4 active NFL teams that have never been to a Super Bowl. (The others would be the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, & Houston Texans.) The 49ers have won 5 out of their 7 Super Bowl appearances. Both teams want a trip to Las Vegas for Super Bowl 58, but the only standing in their way is each other.
For the Lions, they’re trying to end 66 seasons of misery (including the 2008-09 season, when they went 0-16). The last time they won a NFL championship was in the 1957 season. Earlier this month, they ended 32 seasons of misery by winning their first playoff game, since January 4, 1992 (when they defeated the Dallas Cowboys in a divisional round game).
After missing the playoffs in the previous 6 seasons, the Lions are 1 game away from going to the Super Bowl. With the Michigan Wolverines recently winning the National Championship in college football, maybe the Lions feel like they can bring the state of Michigan another championship in football.
For the 49ers, they’re trying to return to championship glory. The last 2 times they went to the Super Bowl, they lost. Coincidentally, the teams that they lost to (the Baltimore Ravens & Kansas City Chiefs) are playing in tomorrow’s AFC Championship game. Also, this is the 3rd season in a row that the 49ers are playing in the NFC Championship Game. In the previous 2 seasons, they lost on the road.
The time for a championship in the Bay Area could be running out. If they lose to the Lions, tomorrow, there will be some serious questions that need to be answered, during the off-season. However, if they defeat the Lions, they would make history. Brock Purdy would be the first “Mr. Irrelevant” to be a starting quarterback in a Super Bowl.
Remember how I said this match had a David vs. Goliath feel? November 2, 1975 was the last time that Lions won a road game against the 49ers. Since then, the Lions have lost 15 straight road games against the 49ers. However, this season’s Lions team is used to overcoming the odds. On kickoff night, they went to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, & defeated the Chiefs.
They won the NFC North, giving them their first division championship in 30 seasons. In the wild card game against the Los Angeles Rams, (Lions quarterback) Jared Goff had to defeat his former team in (Rams quarterback) Matthew Stafford’s return to the Motor City. If the Lions have a slingshot, they’ll be prepared to use it, tomorrow.
The 49ers would be wise to take the Lions more serious than any opponent that San Francisco has had, this season. This is a team that like to be aggressive on both sides of the ball. If that aggression becomes too much for the 49ers to handle, they’ll have a long night. However, if they can use Detroit’s aggression against them and make plays where they gain a decent amount of yards on a consistent basis, then the 49ers could finally get over 1 hump by winning the NFC Championship.
Fox will air the NFC Championship Game at 6:30pm ET (5:30 CT, 4:30 MT, 3:30 PT). When this game is over, we will have our match for Super Bowl 58 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The Lions have never won the NFC Championship. The 49ers have won it 7 times. Let’s see which team will be worthy of winning the George Halas Trophy, tomorrow night.
