Lions Vs 49ers NFC Championship Game
At halftime, Detroit held an 18-point advantage against San Francisco. But San Francisco rallied with Arik Armstead recovering a fumble and Christian McCaffrey running for a touchdown run to rally back and come back.
Detroit’s defense must make an impressionful showing. It currently ranks 30th in pass defense EPA over expectation and can easily be exploited by top receivers.
Lions vs 49ers
On January 28 at Levi’s Stadium, the Lions and 49ers will compete in an NFC Championship game to determine who advances to the Super Bowl and end a 30-year divisional-title drought for Detroit. These teams have met twice previously during playoff history: in 1957 a 23-24 49ers victory came out victorious while 24-2 loss for Detroit was felt two decades later in 1983.
San Francisco is the top seed in the NFC with an excellent defense that allows only 303.9 yards per game. Christian McCaffrey has amassed 1,459 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns this season alone; Brock Purdy provides additional legs threat through 21-yard runs on two third down conversions this drive alone.
The Lions defense will be less effective without outside linebacker James Houston, who missed all of the regular season due to a broken fibula. Kalif Raymond and Tracy Walker remain inactive for Detroit while outside linebacker Charles Harris is active for San Francisco.
Predictions
The top-seeded 49ers can achieve several franchise milestones if they win the NFC Championship Game. One such feat would be winning their first division crown in 30 years and earning their way to Super Bowl 53 for the very first time in team history.
Deebo Samuel of San Francisco will likely play, although his status remains 50-50 due to a shoulder injury sustained last week. Without Samuel as an option against Detroit’s leaky secondary, Brandon Aiyuk and the 49ers will likely take advantage of any opportunity presented by Detroit in order to open up opportunities.
Expect an outstanding game from Aiyuk, who should face off against Lions cornerback Kindle Vildor who has proven unreliable in pass coverage this season. A heavy workload should allow Aiyuk to exploit an otherwise vulnerable secondary and score at least once.
Lines
Detroit has won two playoff games so far and could reach its first Super Bowl since 1986 with a victory against San Francisco. They are an underdog by one touchdown but are confident of beating an experienced 49ers squad to do it.
The Lions have gone an impressive 6-3 in Levi’s Stadium this year and should have an excellent opportunity of covering against the 49ers, who are just 1-1 as home favorites this year. Additionally, San Francisco has had difficulty covering as big favorites; since October they are just 4-6 against the spread when considered a 6-point or larger favorite.
The total has remained consistent since opening at 51 and was only adjusted upward by one half point on Thursday morning. Early action has been evenly split, with moneyline tickets and cash going both ways in both markets. The Lions offense has been impressive this year with right tackle Penei Sewell, center Frank Ragnow and guard Jonah Jackson providing strong run blocking while Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery formed one of the league’s premier backfield duos.
Odds
San Francisco 49ers enter Sunday’s NFC Championship Game as seven-point favorites against Detroit Lions. While that might appear steep, keep in mind that they have been one of the league’s premier offensive units this season; their perfect record in conference championship games contributes heavily to them being given top moneyline odds for this matchup.
Deebo Samuel could be critical in the Lions’ chances of covering this spread; he left Saturday’s win against Green Bay Packers with a shoulder injury and his availability will be an integral component in their attempt at reaching another Super Bowl since 2021.
R.J. White of SportsLine NFL analysis team has conducted extensive research and is leaning towards picking an Over. Additionally, he’s discovered a critical X-factor that makes one side of this spread irresistibly tempting; you can see all his insight and predictions for this match at SportsLine.
