The San Francisco 49ers are back in a familiar spot, but they’re facing a Detroit Lions team new to this stage.
No franchise has played in the NFC championship game more than the 49ers, who will be making their 19th appearance and third in a row when they host Detroit at 6:30 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, with Fox televising the matchup.
The Lions are in this round for the first time in 32 years and have never reached the Super Bowl.
For San Francisco, it’s about unfinished business.
The 49ers had no chance in Philadelphia last year, when starting quarterback Brock Purdy was knocked out of the NFC title game against the Eagles in the first quarter because of an elbow injury and later was forced to return and just hand off because backup Josh Johnson suffered a concussion.
Both of the NFC finalists are division champions, and the West’s 49ers and the North’s Lions both went 12-5 during the regular season, but San Francisco secured the top seed — and a first-round bye — while Detroit was No. 3.
The 49ers barely beat the seventh-seeded Green Bay Packers last weekend in the divisional round, needing a comeback late in the game.
The Lions almost blew a wild-card game against quarterback Jared Goff’s former team, the Los Angeles Rams, and pulled away from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth quarter last weekend.
Goff won an NFC title game with the Rams and has played well in the postseason.
The 49ers are 7-point favorites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Here’s a closer look at the matchup.
WHEN THE LIONS HAVE THE BALL
The Lions had the league’s second-ranked passing offense behind Goff and the fifth-ranked rushing attack led by David Montgomery and rookie Jahmyr Gibbs. The 49ers were 14th against the pass and third against the run, but Aaron Jones and the Packers gashed them for 136 yards and 4.9 per carry.
Goff has plenty of playmakers, including All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and rookie tight end Sam LaPorta. St. Brown can cause a lot of trouble in the slot. LaPorta has to face All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner.
Montgomery ran for 1,015 yards and 13 touchdowns during the regular season. Gibbs had 945 rushing yards and 10 scores. St. Brown caught 119 passes for 1,515 yards and 10 touchdowns. LaPorta had 86 receptions for 889 yards and 10 scores.
Goff finished with 4,575 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Detroit figures to run plenty behind All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell, who has rare speed and quickness for a 330-pounder. Gibbs presents problems for defenses because he is elusive.
If the 49ers can stop Gibbs and Montgomery, or at least contain them, they have a front four to get after Goff. Nick Bosa, Chase Young, Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead are among the best defensive lines in the league. Warner anchors the back seven, along with linebacker Dre Greenlaw and cornerback Charvarius Ward.
Goff had much better numbers at home than on the road, posting a 107.9 passer rating at Ford Field and 89.4 in visiting stadiums.
Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has been quite busy during the postseason, interviewing for several head coaching vacancies, but he has to be focused on putting together the best game plan to attack one of the most talented defenses in the NFL.
WHEN THE 49ERS HAVE THE BALL
The 49ers had the league’s third-ranked rushing attack behind Christian McCaffrey and fourth-ranked passing offense behind Purdy. The Lions were No. 2 against the run but 27th against the pass, and Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield threw for 349 yards and three scores against them last week.
Detroit’s stout run defense won’t scare off coach Kyle Shanahan. McCaffrey is the best in the game and was a unanimous choice for AP All-Pro. He’ll get plenty of chances.
Purdy should get plenty of opportunities against Detroit’s secondary, too, as he looks to All-Pro tight end George Kittle and receivers Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings and Deebo Samuel, with McCaffrey also part of the air attack.
Purdy led the NFL with a 113.0 passer rating on 4,280 yards, 31 touchdown, 11 picks and a 69.4% completion rate. McCaffrey led the NFL with 1,459 rushing yards and ran for 14 touchdowns. He also had 564 receiving yards and seven touchdown catches.
Kittle had 65 catches for 1,020 yards and six touchdowns. Aiyuk led the way with 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven scores. Samuel had 1,117 yards from scrimmage.
Detroit’s pass rush, led by Aidan Hutchinson, was ferocious against the Bucs. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn devised schemes that had guys getting to Mayfield untouched.
It should be a classic chess match between Shanahan and Glenn.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Lions replaced kicker Riley Patterson with Michael Badgley late in the season. Badgley made all six of his field-goal attempts and is 20-for-22 on PATs. His longest field goal was 54 yards.
San Francisco rookie Jake Moody is 22-of-27 on field-goal tries and 63-of-64 on PATs. His longest field goal was 57 yards.
Lions punter Jack Fox had a 41.7-yard net average, while San Francisco’s Mitch Wishnowsky was exactly a yard better.
COACHING
Lions coach Dan Campbell is 2-0 in the playoffs, turning the team around in his third season after going 4-19-1 in his first 24 games. He’s an aggressive coach who won’t be afraid to go for it on fourth down or even try a fake punt.
Shanahan is 7-3 in the playoffs and aiming for his second trip to the Super Bowl in five seasons. He was offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons when they blew a 28-3 lead against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI to cap the 2016 season.
INTANGIBLES
The 49ers have more experience in this game and more pressure to win.
The Lions are carrying the weight of a city starved for a Super Bowl appearance.