The Detroit Lions continue their 8-mile run in the postseason, going all-in on every shot, every opportunity.
They pulled a close one against the Los Angeles Rams in the Wildcard round, and next up for them are the San Francisco 49ers, who came from behind to get the victory against a very young Green Bay Packers.
It was not light work for either team during the last round, and they couldn't expect any less.
The Lions have more work to do. The latest odds put the Niners as a -7 points favorite in the Sunday game.
Coach Dan Campbell's squad knows what they are getting into. They have been underdogs for quite long.
Last week was their first-ever playoff win since 1991. They haven't been in this stage since 2017.
The farthest they reached was a Conference Championship in 1957.
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They can seize everything they ever wanted this year. The momentum is with them. They have the talent to make that happen.
Brock Purdy will be just as good as he has been all season.
The Lions can get closer to where they want to go if they take care of these three things:
1. Pass defense should be laser-focused
The Lions' 2023 defense showed tremendous improvement compared to the last season.
Their bread and butter in the regular season is their run-stopping defenses. They allow the second-fewest rushing yards per game in the eliminations (88.4 )and the second-fewest rushing touchdowns with eight.
This will be their key to victory against the 49ers. It will frustrate Purdy, just like what happened to him against the Packers.
It is going to be a challenging task for the Lions. The opponents have Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, and MVP Christian McCaffrey in the backfield. Deebo Samuel is expected to suit up, too.
But they got no choice. The Lions are in good hands if the defenders limit the Niners' running game.
2. Christian McCaffrey
Coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed nothing is wrong with Christian McCaffrey after fans spotted him massaging his quad. He is good to go.
If some Lions fans celebrated the thought of him not playing in the NFC Championship, it is easy to tell where they are coming from.
He is a dual threat in the rushing and passing game. His clutch plays saved the 49ers from the brink of defeat in the last match.
He scored two touchdowns against Green Bay, with the second coming from the 1:07 mark of the fourth quarter to push his team to a 24-21 victory.
That is how he has been all season long, yet he continues to be underrated.
To render him useless on Sunday will be huge for the Lions. However, that might be a difficult task.
3. Absent running game
The Lions need to squeeze out everything they can get from running duo David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.
They need to protect Jared Goff so he can find any of the duo, while linebackers must also shield the duo for them to operate more freely.
The Lions' pass offense is +26.7, seventh best in the league. The Niners' pass defense is -9.6, the NFL's fourth-best.
Detroit's back is against the wall in this one, but that's the only way to dismantle a team like the 49ers. They can't go around. They need to go through.
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