The Detroit Lions finished the 2023 season with a similar 12-5 record like the San Francisco 49ers, but when they meet in the NFC Championship on Sunday, Jared Goff and Co. won’t be favored to win at all. In fact, they are really far from it.
Despite the fact that the 49ers only won the conference via tiebreakers, analysis of the showdown put the Brock Purdy-led team as overwhelming favorites. According to the ESPN Matchup Predictor, the Lions only have a 25.9 percent chance of winning, as compared to the Niners’ 74.1 percent.
True enough, that’s quite disrespectful for a team that has made history this 2024 Playoffs with their incredible run to the NFC Championship. The Lions won their first division title in 30 years, and they broke a 32-year-old playoff drought with their Wild Card victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
Dan Campbell’s men then proved to everyone that their wins are no fluke, edging the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the divisional round to book a ticket to the conference championship.
If anything, this latest analysis from ESPN should only add more motivation to the Lions to pull off an upset.
Detroit Lions vs. San Francisco 49ers Preview
Of course the 49ers being the favorites has merits. This is a team that has two MVP candidates at their disposal, and both are offensive players in QB Brock Purdy and running back Christian McCaffrey. If the passing game isn’t working, rest assured that the run game will pick up the slack, and vice versa.
The Niners are also well experienced at this stage, having made the conference championship in four of the last five playoffs. While they have yet to win, that’s certainly a huge advantage over a team that had been on a winless streak in the postseason just two weeks ago.
If there is one thing that’s dangerous about the Lions, it’s the fact that they have an equally lethal offense led by Jared Goff. Under Goff’s leadership, Detroit finished the 2023 season with the second-best passing offense–only behind the Miami Dolphins.
The second-ranked Detroit Lions rushing defense could be a difference-maker as well. If they can slow down McCaffrey, they could have a shot at victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
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