San Francisco, CA
Detroit Lions vs. San Francisco 49ers: 2024 NFC Championship game preview, head to head record, history
After two exciting home wins in Detroit, the Lions (12-5) are heading to San Francisco to take on the 49ers (12-5) in the NFC Championship with a trip to Super Bowl LVIII on the line.
The Lions will face the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday, January 28th at 6:30 p.m. EST on FOX.
Both teams fought to get to this point. The Lions defeated the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card Round and then beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Divisional Round. Detroit snapped a nine-game postseason losing streak – the longest in NFL history, which dated back to 1992 when they defeated the Rams. The Lions also hosted two home playoff games for the first time in franchise history. Detroit will ride that momentum into their first NFC title game since 1991.
Meanwhile, the No. 1 seed San Francisco 49ers earned a first-round bye and then won a close come-from-behind contest against Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round. Unlike the Lions, who will be in unfamiliar territory, San Francisco will be competing in the NFC Championship for the third straight season.
This matchup will mark the third all-time playoff meeting between the two teams.
Let’s take a closer look at everything you need to know ahead of the NFC Championship.
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How did the Lions play in the regular season?
In Dan Campbell’s third season as the Detroit head coach, the Lions tied a franchise record with 12 regular season wins en route to clinching their first NFC North title since 1993.
A strong offensive front propelled the Lions to success in the regular season, led by QB Jared Goff. The signal caller ranked second in passing yards (4,575) and fourth in touchdown passes (30) in the regular season.
He had plenty of helps from RBs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. Montgomery tallied a career-high 13 rushing TDs in the 2023 season and Gibbs ranked first among rookies in rushing TDs (10). Montgomery and Gibbs became the first pair of teammates in NFL history each with 1,000+ scrimmage yards and 10+ rushing TDs in the same season.
Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is another offensive weapon for Detroit, finishing tied for second in the NFL with a career-high 119 catches and 10 receiving touchdowns in the regular season.
On the defensive side of the ball, Aidan Hutchinson recorded career-highs in sacks (11.5) and tackles for loss (14) in the 2023 season.
Together, the Lions will look to keep their season alive and upset the 49ers on Sunday night.
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How did the 49ers play in the regular season?
Unlike the Lions, the 49ers are no strangers to the big stage. This Sunday, they will compete in the NFC Championship for the third straight year and fourth time in the past five seasons.
In his first season as the 49ers starting QB, Brock Purdy turned enough heads to enter the MVP conversation. He led the NFL in QB rating (113.0), ranked third in TD passes (31) and fifth in passing yards (4,280) in the regular season.
Purdy had offensive help from Pro Bowler Christian McCaffrey. In his first full season with the 49ers, McCaffrey led the NFL in scrimmage yards (2,023) and rush yards (1,459).
Wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel also provided an offensive boost. Aiyuk recorded 75 receptions for a career high 1,342 receiving yards. Samuel notched 60 catches for 1,117 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns in the regular season, though his status remains questionable for Sunday due to a shoulder injury.
Nick Bosa continued to lead the defensive front with 10.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss in the 2023 campaign.
As the No. 1 seed, the 49ers have high expectations entering the NFC Championship, but looked vulnerable in a narrow win over the seventh-seeded Green Bay Packers last weekend.
Who is favored to win the NFC Championship: Lions or 49ers?
The 49ers are seven-point favorites over the Lions in the NFC Championship.
Lions-49ers could be ‘old-fashioned score-fest’
Mike Florio and Peter King dissect which QB they trust more heading into the NFC Championship, spell out which players could be game changers and more.
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How many times have the 49ers been to the NFC Championship?
This Sunday will mark the 49ers 19th NFC Championship appearance, the most in the NFL since 1970.
San Francisco will be making their seventh appearance in the NFC Championship game since 2011. The 49ers have gone 2-4 in those matchups, three of which have come under coach Kyle Shanahan since 2019.
When was the last time the 49ers went to the Super Bowl?
The 49ers last appeared in the Super Bowl in the 2019 season: Super Bowl LIV. They lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-10.
San Francisco hasn’t won a Super Bowl since 1994 (Super Bowl XXIX) when they defeated the Los Angeles Chargers, 49-26.
Have the Lions ever been to the NFC Championship?
The Lions have not played in the NFC Championship since 1991 against Washington, where they lost, 41-10. That matchup is the only previous NFC Championship game appearance in Detroit’s history.
Have the Lions ever made it to the Super Bowl?
Because the Lions have lost the only NFC Championship game they have played in, the team has also never made a Super Bowl appearance. Detroit is the only NFC team and one of four teams overall, along with the Browns, Jaguars and Texans, to never reach the Super Bowl.
Who played in last year’s NFC Championship?
Last year’s NFC Championship matchup featured the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles won handily, 31-7, to advance to the Super Bowl.
How to watch Lions vs. 49ers:
- When: Sunday, January 28th
- Where: San Francisco, Calif. (Levi’s Stadium)
- Time: 6:30 p.m. EST
- TV Channel: FOX
How to watch NFL coverage on Peacock:
NBC Sports has you covered through the rest of the NFL postseason, with PFT Live, Simms Unbuttoned, Fantasy Football Happy Hour, Rotoworld Football Show, Bet the Edge and Brother from Another breaking down the latest news and top storylines from all angles. Tune in to Peacock, the NFL on NBC Sports YouTube channel, or wherever you get your podcasts for all the coverage through Super Bowl LVIII and beyond.
PFT Live:
Mike Florio and Chris Simms will be live every weekday at 7 a.m. ET leading into Super Bowl week and then the show will be live from Las Vegas every weekday at 1 p.m. ET. Watch on Peacock or YouTube.
Simms Unbuttoned:
The show will be airing Wed., Jan. 24; Thur., Jan. 25; Mon., Jan. 29; and Wed., Jan. 31 from Stamford and then Tues., Feb. 6 and Fri., Feb. 9 from Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII. Watch on Peacock or YouTube.
Fantasy Football Happy Hour:
Matthew Berry and Co. will be live on Thur., Jan. 25 and Mon., Jan. 29 at 12 p.m. ET before going on hiatus until Super Bowl week where they will be live from Las Vegas every weekday on Peacock at 12 p.m. ET. Watch on Peacock or YouTube.
Rotoworld Football Show:
Patrick Daugherty, Denny Carter and Kyle Dvorchak will be giving fantasy analysis on the top NFL storylines every Tues. and Thur. leading into Super Bowl week and then ramping it up to three shows (Tues., Wed., Thur.) from Las Vegas. Watch on YouTube.
Bet the Edge:
Betting analysis from Jay Croucher and Drew Dinsick will be published every weekday at 6 a.m. ET. Watch on YouTube
Brother From Another:
The show will be live every weekday during Super Bowl week at 3 p.m. ET. Watch on Peacock and YouTube.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Walk SF and Families for Safe Streets held a vigil Monday evening to honor a 2-year-old girl who was struck and killed by a driver Friday night in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood.
The crash happened just before 9 p.m. at Fourth and Channel streets near Oracle Park. Police said the child’s mother was also injured and taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver remained at the scene, and authorities said drugs or alcohol are not believed to be factors.
Community heartbroken
Community members gathered at the intersection Monday to light candles and lay flowers. Among them was the Howard family.
“We’re just heartbroken and sad,” said Hidelisa Howard.
“I was thinking about heartbroken parents, someone who cannot get their daughter back,” said John Howard.
The intersection is designated as part of San Francisco’s 2022 High Injury Network, identifying streets with the highest concentration of severe and fatal traffic crashes. Speed cameras were recently installed in the surrounding neighborhood.
Jodie Medeiros, executive director of Walk SF, called the crash a tragedy, noting a previous fatal collision involving a child at Fourth and King streets several years ago.
Traffic intensifies
Parents in the area said traffic has intensified with nearby events and development.
“We love having people here in the neighborhood, and it’s brought a lot of life to the area,” said Hidelisa Howard, who lives nearby. “But at the same time, we have people coming in from out of the area. They’re not familiar with the streets, they’re running the lights, they’re running the crosswalks.”
District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey said the intersection has been problematic.
“Sometimes people go too fast. I don’t know that this was the issue here, but we need to do everything we can to make our neighborhoods and our streets safer,” Dorsey said.
On Monday, crews with the SFMTA repainted crosswalks and re-timed traffic signals at the intersection.
“It just feels like there’s so many young children in this neighborhood that there should be improvements made to the way that the traffic flows around here,” said Aanisha Jain, a San Francisco resident.
Sometimes life requires an easy hang, without the need for reservations and dressing up, and preferably with food that’s easy to rally folks behind. The newish Hamburguesa Bar is just such a place, opening in December 2025 and serving a tight food menu of smash and tavern burgers (made with beef ground in-house), along with hand-cut duck fat fries, poutine, and Caesar salad. The best part? Nothing here costs more than $20. Seriously, this spot has so much going for it, including solid cocktails and boozy shakes. It’s become a homing beacon for post-work hangs, judging by a recent weekday crowd.
Hamburguesa Bar’s drinks are the epitome of unfussy: Cocktail standards, four beers on tap, two choices of wine (red or white), boozy and non-boozy shakes, plus 21 beers by the can or bottle. Standards on the cocktail menu are just that, a list of drinks you’ve heard before — such as an Old Fashioned, daiquiri, gin or vodka martini, or Harvey Wallbanger — with no special tinctures or fat-washed liquors to speak of (that we know of, at least). I’m typically split on whether boozy shakes are ever worth it, but the Fruity Pebbles option ($14) makes a convincing case, mixed with a just-right amount of vodka and some cereal bits. (I’ll leave the more adventurous Cinnamon Toast shake made with Fireball to others with more positive experiences with that liquor.)
Downtown and SoMa has a reputation for restaurants closing early, but Hamburguesa Bar keeps later hours, closing at midnight from Monday through Saturday (closed Sundays). It’s also open for lunch at noon during those days, with the exception of Saturdays when it opens at 5 p.m.
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