The San Francisco 49ers will play in their 19th NFC Championship Game when they host the Detroit Lions this Sunday, hoping to earn their eighth Super Bowl appearance, their first win since the 1994 season, and the franchise's sixth Lombardi trophy.
If the Niners advance, they will have their hands full with the third-seeded Lions, who are looking to earn their first-ever Super Bowl appearance.
The Lions won the NFC North for the first time since 1993 and will play in their second NFC Championship game. Their first came following the 1991 season when the Lions lost 41-10 to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Washington Redskins.
This year's 49ers-Lions playoff contest will be their third postseason meeting. The previous two came during the 1957 and 1983 seasons. That last game was capped off with an exciting ending that had the 49ers advance to the NFC Championship Game.
The 49ers played the Lions on December 31, 1983, on a sunny 56-degree day in the NFC Divisional round. After a disappointing 3-9 campaign in 1982, the 49ers bounced back and made the playoffs with a 10-6 record the next season, winning the NFC West and the second seed behind Washington, the eventual NFC Champions.
The Lions entered the Divisional Playoff game with a 9-7 record. The winners of the NFC North division entered the contest without their starting quarterback, Eric Hipple.
According to the Washington Post, Hipple had a moderate tear of his left knee during a Week 16 23-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so they turned to backup quarterback Gary Danielson, who played in 10 games that season.
The Lions scored first with an Eddie Murray 37-yard field goal attempt to make the score 3-0, but their lead was short-lived after two 49er one-yard touchdown runs by rookie running back Roger Craig and Wendell Tyler to take a 14-3 lead.
Two more Murray field goals from 21 and a playoff record of 54 yards made the score 14-9 going into halftime.
Kicker Ray Wersching kicked a 19-yard field goal to increase the 49ers' lead to 17-9 before Lions running back Billy Sims took over. Sims rushed for 114 yards on 20 carries and a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter, one from 11 yards out and the other from three yards out, to give the Lions a 23-17 lead over the 49ers.
Fifth-year quarterback and former Super Bowl MVP Joe Montana brought in the New Year with one of his many late-game heroics as he hit wide receiver Freddie Solomon on a 14-yard touchdown reception, giving San Francisco a 24-23 lead with 1:23 left in the game.
Danielson, who threw five interceptions in the game, led the Lions to the 49ers' 25-yard line with 11 seconds left for a Murray 42-yard field goal attempt.
The Lions acquired Murray out of Tulane in the seventh round of the 1980 NFL Draft. The kicker was three of seven from field goal attempts 40 to 49 yards and 78% overall but missed the potential game-winning attempt, sending the 49ers to face Washington in the NFC Championship Game.
Washington beat the 49ers 24-21 the following weekend, ending the Bay Area team's postseason run.
All stats and research for this article come from the Washington Post and Pro Football Reference.
