NFC Championship Game Preview -The Hits Keep Coming

After a grueling and exciting season, we’ve made it to the Conference Championship games. The San Francisco 49ers and their power packed team take on the upstart Detroit Lions, with a ticket to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas on the line.

Detroit is averaging 27.5 points per game this postseason and have zero turnovers. San Francisco looked a bit rusty in their lone playoff game, but they did force two turnovers. San Francisco has won four out of the last five games versus Detroit, but those were all regular season contests.

 

Detroit Lions vs. San Francisco 49ers – Sunday, 6:30 PM

 

X-Factor:

Detroit Lions: Dan Campbell – Head Coach

Campbell has passed every test put in front of him. From changing the culture in Detroit to changing their playoff fortunes, Campbell has raised the expectations of the Lions franchise.

This game will be an extreme task of matching wits with offensive genius Kyle Shanahan. Campbell has to make the right calls (especially on defense), the right substitutions and the right in game adjustments, if he wants to take Detroit to their first ever Super Bowl.

 

San Francisco 49ers: Brandon Aiyuk – Wide Receiver

Aiyuk was a no show in the NFC Divisional round and that put some undue pressure on his teammates. He led the team in receiving yards during the regular season and is an integral part of the offense.

Him having a big game should force the Lions to move coverage over to him. Not only will that open up holes in Detroit’s secondary, but Aiyuk himself has the ability to take over a game. If he can get a score or two, the Lions will have a hard time covering the whole field.

Prediction: 49ers win, 24-21

San Francisco could have trouble with the Lions, but should be able to put them away. They’ll need to play better than they did against Green Bay last week, but they have the talent to handle their business.