49ers rally to stun Packers, ensuring NFC's Super Bowl berth goes through San Francisco

The Detroit Lions were so close to having an opportunity to play for a Super Bowl berth at Ford Field next week. But a fourth-quarter rally by the San Francisco 49ers Saturday night ensured the Lions will need to head west to pursue their conference championship aspirations, assuming they can get past the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday afternoon.

The Green Bay Packers gave the top-seeded 49ers all they could handle, leading most of the game in the inclement California conditions before coughing up their advantage in the closing minutes of the contest.

The Packers had a chance to extend their fourth-quarter lead to seven with a little more than six minutes remaining, but rookie kicker Anders Carlson missed a 41-yard field goal wide left. The 49ers responded with a 12-play, 69-yard drive, capped by 6-yard touchdown run by tailback Christian McCaffrey with 1:07 remaining, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, 24-21.

A Packers' win would have meant the NFC Championship game would have been held in Detroit if the Lions had also managed to beat the Buccaneers. Now, if the Lions handle their business, they'll face the 49ers in San Francisco in pursuit of the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance.

The Lions haven't played the 49ers since the season-opener of the 2021 season, the first game of coach Dan Campbell's tenure. In that matchup at Ford Field, the 49ers jumped out to a three-score lead in the second half and fended off a fourth-quarter comeback attempt by the pesty Lions, leaving town with a 41-33 victory.

The 49ers would go on to make the playoffs that season, while the Lions wouldn't win their first game until Week 13, finishing the turbulent campaign with a 3-13-1 record.

Under Campbell's guidance, and the roster-building prowess of general manager Brad Holmes, the Lions have rapidly improved each of the past two seasons, narrowly missing the postseason last year after winning eight of their final 10 games. In 2023, they won 12 games, earning the team's first division crown and postseason victory in three decades.

The Lions host the NFC South champion Buccaneers at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday — a rematch of a Week 6 game the Lions won, 20-6 — seeking the franchise's first appearance in the NFC Championship since 1992, when they were crushed by Washington, 41-10.

The 49ers, meanwhile, will await their challenger after escaping the Packers. The NFC's best team has now won eight of 10, which includes a season-ending loss to the Rams where both teams were resting the majority of their starters.

The dominant 49ers possess a top-three scoring offense and defense. The offense is led by McCaffrey, who racked up 128 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns against the Packers, and All-Pro tight end George Kittle, who had four grabs for 81 yards and a score on Saturday. In total, the team had five first-team All-Pros.

The NFC Championship game is scheduled for next Sunday at 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on Fox.

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

@Justin_Rogers