NFC Championship Game 2024: Winner, Score Predictions for Lions vs. 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers will host the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday. In many ways, it will be a tale of two very different franchises.
The 49ers have won five Super Bowls and while their last came in 1995, the team has been a force during the Kyle Shanahan era. Sunday will mark the fourth time in five years that San Francisco has appeared in the NFC title game.
The Lions, meanwhile, have never appeared in a Super Bowl, and their last trip to the NFC title game came after the 1991 season. Both teams are talented enough to advance to the Super Bowl LVIII, though, and Sunday's contest promises to be a thriller.
Below, we'll dive into the looming matchup and make a few predictions.
Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers
Date: Sunday, January 28
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
TV and Live Stream: Fox, Fox Deportes, Fox Sports app
Line: San Francisco -7
Over/Under: 51 Points
Money Line: San Francisco -325 (bet $325 to win $100), Detroit +260 (bet $100 to win $260)
Check the latest lines at DraftKings.
Preview
There's a lot to love about this matchup, including the quarterbacks involved. Jared Goff is a former No. 1 overall pick who has found redemption in Detroit. Brock Purdy has defied the odds as a seventh-round draft pick and spent much of his second season as a viable MVP campaign.
Playmakers? The Lions and 49ers have plenty. San Francisco's dynamic group of Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk is one of the best in the league. Detroit's lineup of Amon-Ra St. Brown, Josh Reynolds, Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery can create matchup nightmares for virtually any defense.
However, injuries loom large for both teams. Samuel is dealing with a shoulder injury and did not practice on Wednesday. Lions standout guard Jonah Jackson will not play because of a knee injury.
Jackson could return for the Super Bowl should the Lions advance.
"I think the timeline could be there, it's just a matter of how fast this thing heals and what it feels like," Lions coach Dan Campbell said, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
Overall, though, it's hard to argue that this one won't feature the two best teams in the NFC.
Prediction
This is unfamiliar territory for the Lions, while the 49ers are largely used to competing on this stage. San Francisco will also hold home-field advantage, which shouldn't be discounted.
However, the Lions actually match up extremely well with the 49ers on both sides of the ball.
San Francisco's defense finished the regular season ranked eighth in total defense and third in points allowed. However, it had its fair share of struggles against the run, and Detroit features one of the most versatile rushing attacks in the NFL.
Against the Green Bay Packers last week, the 49ers defense also struggled to defend spacing patterns in the passing game. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson knows how to scheme open receivers, and he has the playmakers with which to stress San Francisco.
Defensively, the Lions secondary leaves plenty to be desired. However, Detroit is stout against the run and can potentially limit McCaffrey and San Francisco's ground game. That should place a lot of pressure on Purdy, and with Samuel at less than 100 percent or outright absent, that could be a difference-maker.
San Francisco's three-game losing streak in October coincided with Samuel's absence.
The Lions are fairly heavy underdogs, but the prediction here is that they take advantage of San Francisco's schematic vulnerabilities and move on to their first ever Super Bowl appearance.
Prediction: Detroit 31, San Francisco 28
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