Two of the most illustrious teams in NFL history are the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco 49ers. They have only faced off in the playoffs once, despite both teams being in the NFC and the Lions and 49ers being established in the 1920s and 1940s, respectively. The explanation is actually rather straightforward: neither team performed well while the other did.
That’s primarily the Lions’ fault, given that this is only the second time a Detroit club has advanced to the final four of the playoffs since 1957(! ), and it’s their first trip to the NFC Championship game since 1991. To be fair, though, the 49ers’ early years saw the Lions excel because San Francisco hadn’t established itself as a conventional NFL powerhouse.
There have been two postseason meetings between the 49ers and Lions. And each game had the most drama even if they were set decades apart. When exactly did they play? Who prevailed? And what does it say about this rubber match, best-of-three, that has been building for decades between San Francisco and Detroit?
The Detroit Lions were hoping for a little more from a core that had led them to three consecutive NFL Championship trips (going 2-1) from 1952โ54 as the 1950s drew to an end. However, the Lions had not made the playoffs in almost three years, having finished last in 1955 and being denied a trip to the NFL Championship game the following season despite being 9-3.
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