Montana

Live NFC Championship updates: 49ers face Lions with Super Bowl berth on the line

Published

2 years ago

January 28, 2024

Live NFC Championship updates: 49ers face Lions with Super Bowl berth on the line

The 49ers take on the Detroit Lions Sunday afternoon in the NFC Championship Game at Levi’s Stadium, and the winner will head to Las Vegas in two weeks for Super Bowl LVIII.

Three hundred sixty-four days after the 49ers missed saw last season’s Super Bowl hopes go down the drain when Brock Purdy was injured in Philadelphia, they have a fresh chance at glory.

Deebo Samuel was limited in practice early this week after injuring his shoulder in last week’s divisional-round win over the Packers, but he was listed as healthy Friday on the final injury report for the week, and he is active Sunday.

Follow along for live updates throughout the game.

Pregame: The 49ers will send Joe Montana out for the coin toss as an honorary captain, and the Lions will counter with Barry Sanders. Last week, the Packers won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball first, kicking a field goal on their opening drive.

Below are our notes from before kickoff.

SANTA CLARA — Brandon Aiyuk offered a poignant and self-aware response this week when asked if the 49ers are rallying to get 14-year veteran Trent Williams to his first Super Bowl.

“I’ve never been to the Super Bowl,” Aiyuk said. “I’m trying to get to the Super Bowl.”

As playoff-tested as the 49ers for their third straight NFC Championship Game and fourth in five years, their star-studded offense carries over just three starters from their 2019 team’s Super Bowl appearance: tight end George Kittle, wide receiver Deebo Samuel and fullback Kyle Juszczyk.

Defensively, a majority of their starters have Super Bowl experience: defensive linemen Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, and Javon Hargrave (on 2022 Eagles); linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw; cornerback Charvarius Ward (on 2019-20 Chiefs); and, safety Logan Ryan (2014, ’16 Patriots).

Beating the Lions in today’s 3:30 p.m. kickoff would send the 49ers to Super Bowl LVIII, held Feb. 11 in the Las Vegas Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium, which is where the 49ers made their preseason debut in August.

The Lions are among the four NFL franchises that have not reached a Super Bowl. Their last road playoff victory came in 1957 against the host 49ers at Kezar Stadium; the Lions went on to beat the Cleveland Browns in the NFL championship game.

TODAY’S HONORARY STARTERS

Safety Talanoa Hufanga will sound the ceremonial pregame foghorn before kickoff. Hufanga sustained a season-ending knee injury in the 49ers’ November win here against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has kept a low profile since then, although a player of the game continues to receive a kukui-nut necklace that Hufanga’s given out in recent seasons.

Talanoa Hufanga will ignite the pregame foghorn at Levi’s Stadium for today’s NFC Championship Game vs 49ers and Lions
Hufanga sustained torn ACL in win here vs Bucs in November and has kept low profile since then, although a player-of-game gets his kukui-nut necklace weekly pic.twitter.com/mPu08nOJvX
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) January 28, 2024

Today’s honorary captains are the 49ers’ and Lions’ franchise icons and Pro Football Hall of Fame members: Joe Montana and Barry Sanders.

The halftime entertainment is Journey, and if pregame sound checks are any sign, one song could be “Don’t Stop Believin’”.

“Just a city boy, born and raised in South Detroit … .” Don’t be surprised if the opening lyrics referencing South Detroit are changed to San Francisco at the home crowd’s delight.

WHO’S OUT

Designated as inactive for the 49ers are cornerback Samuel Womack III, wide receiver Ronnie Bell, wide receiver Willie Snead, linebacker Jalen Graham, quarterback Brandon Allen, linebacker Curtis Robinson and offensive lineman Matt Pryor.

Inactive for the Lions are cornerback Steven Gilmore, defensive lineman Charles Harris, quarterback Hendon Hooker, guard Jonah Jackson, defensive lineman Broderic Martin, wide receiver Kalif Raymond and safety Tracey Walker.

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Montana

Your guide to local sports events, plus what’s on TV

Published

10 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Your guide to local sports events, plus what’s on TV

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Montana

Montana Department of Agriculture focusing on innovation in 2026

Published

22 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Montana Department of Agriculture focusing on innovation in 2026

HELENA — You probably have goals and plans for 2026—the Montana Department of Agriculture does too.

“We’re really focusing on innovative agricultural practices,” Montana Department of Agriculture director Jillien Streit said.

It’s no secret that agriculture—farming and ranching—is not easy. There are long days, planning, monitoring crops and livestock, and other challenges beyond farmers’ and ranchers’ control.

(WATCH: Montana Department of Agriculture focusing on innovation in 2026)

Montana Department of Agriculture focusing on innovation in 2026

“We have very low commodity prices across the board,” Streit said. “We still have very high input prices across the board, and we have really high prices when it comes to our equipment, and so, it’s a really tough year.”

But innovation, including new practices, partnerships and technology use, can help navigate some of those challenges.

“We can’t make more time and we can’t make more land, so we need to start putting together innovative practices that help us maximize what our time and land can do,” Streit said.

Practices range from using technology like autonomous tractors and virtual fencing—allowing rangers to contain and move cattle right from their phones—to regenerative farming and ranching.

“It is bringing cattle back into farming operations to be able to work with cover cropping practices to invigorate the soil for new soil health benefits,” Streit said.

The Montana Department of Agriculture is working to help producers learn, share, and collaborate on new ideas to work in their operations.

The department will share stories of practices that work from farms and ranches across the state. Also, within the next year or so, Streit said the department is hoping to roll out technology to help producers collaborate.

“(It’s) providing a communication platform where people can get together and really help each other out by utilizing each other’s assets,” she said.

While not easy, agriculture is still one of Montana’s largest industries, and Streit said innovating and sharing ideas across the state can keep it going long into the future.

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Montana

Frontier Conference women: MSU-Northern, Montana Western pull upsets to advance to semifinal round

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Frontier Conference women: MSU-Northern, Montana Western pull upsets to advance to semifinal round

BUTTE — MSU-Northern and Montana Western pulled a pair of upsets Saturday at the Butte Civic Center to wrap up the quarterfinal round of the Frontier Conference women’s basketball postseason tournament.

The fifth-seeded Skylights started the day with a red-hot shooting performance to down No. 4 Rocky Mountain College 82-74. Western, the sixth seed, used a third-quarter surge to defeat No. 3 Carroll College 65-56.

MSU-Northern (17-11) and Western (14-13) now advance to Sunday’s semifinal round, where the Skylights will play No. 1 seed Dakota State at noon and the Bulldogs will face No. 2 Montana Tech at 2:30 p.m.

MSU-Northern 82, Rocky Mountain College 74

MSU-Northern sizzled in the first quarter, making seven 3-pointers to take a double-digit lead, and put together a crucial third-quarter run to get past Rocky and advance to the semifinal round.

Becky Melcher splashed four 3s in the first 10 minutes, and Taya Trottier, Canzas HisBadHorse and Shania Moananu added one apiece as the Skylights built a 29-13 lead. Melcher scored 14 first-quarter points and finished with a game-high 30 on 10-of-19 shooting (7 of 15 from 3-point range). She added 11 rebounds, a blocked shot and three steals to her stat line.

Rocky battled back to tie the game at 36-36 in the second quarter on a Brenna Linse basket, but MSUN responded with consecutive triples from Trottier and Melcher and took a 44-38 lead into halftime. The Bears eventually stole the lead back in the third quarter following a 9-0 run capped be an Isabelle Heggem bucket.

But the Skylights again answered — this time with a 13-2 run to take a 60-51 lead. MSUN led 66-59 going to the fourth and wouldn’t trail the rest of the way. The Skylights trailed for less than two total minutes of the game.

As a team, MSUN made 14 of 26 3s in the game. Ciera Agasiva was 3 for 3 from behind the arc, and Trottier was 2 for 3. Trottier had 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Agasiva had 13 points.

Paige Wasson led Rocky (20-9) with 29 points but was 0 for 10 on 3-point attempts. Heggem had a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Montana Western 65, Carroll 56

After neither team led by more than five points in the first half, Western broke open a 25-25 tie game by outscoring Carroll 20-9 in the third quarter.

Bailee Sayler scored 10 points in the quarter, including making two 3-pointers, to help the Bulldogs take control. They led 45-34 going to the fourth, and Carroll wouldn’t get closer than six points the rest of the way.

The Fighting Saints were just 18-of-65 shooting (27.7%) for the game.

Sayler scored an efficient 22 points on 7-of-8 shooting. She was 2 for 3 from 3-point range and 6 for 7 at the free throw line. The Missoula native also had nine rebounds.

Isabella Lund added 16 points for the Bulldogs, and Keke Davis had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Carroll (19-10) was led by Kenzie Allen with 12 points. Willa Albrecht and Meagan Karstetter scored 11 points apiece for the Saints.

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