By Darryl Harding and Stephen Ur
A frigid below freezing January morning marks the beginning of another day in Detroit, MI. Natives are no stranger to freezing temperatures. Their persistence to plod through a lethargically cold existence would press some to give up, but this is not the nature of the people of Detroit and today their sub-zero, bitter January morning seems to have a spark unlike any other because the Detroit Lions are in the NFC Championship Game.
For decades, Detroit fans have suffered through past failures of their beloved Lions. Surviving endless Thanksgiving Day beatdowns, winless seasons and shattered hopes seem normal in a Detroit Lions NFL season, but this three decade drought has ended. A generation of fans, now grown adults, have watched their parents and grandparents suffer endlessly over a subpar Detroit Lions franchise and they now smell redemption in the air.
Detroit has had their moments, Barry Sanders, arguably one of the best running backs in the history of the league, along with receiver Calvin Johnson, nicknamed Megatron, for years displayed superior athletic ability on the Lions teams. They have had their Detroit adjacent success stories, an example being Jerome “The Bus” Bettis, a Detroit native, who culminated his career in his home City winning the biggest game of his life, in SuperBowl XL. Then there is Matthew Stafford, long time Detroit Lions quarterback, who as soon as traded moved on to win Super Bowl LVI.
This year is different. The spark has been lit. A fiery particle seen in quarterback Jared Goff, who reached the Super Bowl but then fell short and was deemed unworthy. A glowing ember seen in rookie Pro Bowl tight end Sam Laporta, who’s production pales only in comparison to the rookie quarterback phenom in Josh Dobbs of Houston.
A glimmering tinder that will catch a fire and spread, Detroit plans to bring a heat to San Francisco that will rival The Great Fire of 1906.
Detroit fans do not want a portion, they do not want a piece, they want it all. So witness on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET as Detroit travels to the Bay intending to take a Lion’s share.
The San Francisco 49ers, on the other hand, are no stranger to success. They are playing in their third consecutive NFC championship game and their fourth in five years. They will look to make their second Super Bowl in the last four years, their first since the 2019 season.
The 49ers have been a dominant force on both sides of the ball, even adding pieces throughout the season. Under the helm is the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, quarterback Brock Purdy. Purdy took over the reigns of the team last season and led them all the way to the NFC Championship Game before leaving with injury. With Purdy out, the 49ers weren’t able to cover come the Philadelphia Eagles.
On the other side of the ball, the 49ers defense is led by defensive end Nick Bosa, who recorded 10.5 sacks during the regular season. To spice up their defense, the 49ers traded former second overall pick Chase Young from the Washington Commanders. Young finished with 7.5 sacks himself.
Now, with Purdy back, as well as running back Christian McCaffrey having a career season, his second with the 49ers since being traded from the Carolina Panthers, as well as receivers Deebo Samuel, who has shown to be a versatile player, and Brandon Aiyuk, the 49ers will look to bring back a sixth Lombardi to the Bay Area.