A playoff trip to San Francisco offers yet another demon for Lions to exorcise

The Detroit Lions have been exorcising ghosts for weeks, winning their first division title since the 1993 season, before earning a playoff victory and trip to the conference finals for the first time since 1992. And we have to go all the way back to 1957, when the team won its last championship, to find a time they won two playoff games in one season.

So why not enjoy an opportunity to exorcise a couple more?

Obviously, the biggest thing the Lions can accomplish with a win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday is snapping the franchise's drought without a Super Bowl appearance. But beating the 49ers, at their place, carries added historical significance.

It was New Year's Eve in 1983, and the Lions had rallied from a 1-4 start to the season to finish 9-7 and claim the NFC Central over the Vikings, Packers and Bears, who all went 8-8. That earned the Lions the No. 3 seed and a first-round bye in the league's 10-team playoff format, giving them the right to play the second-seeded 49ers at Candlestick Park in the divisional round.

The 49ers were two years removed from the franchise's first Super Bowl win, advancing to the title game on "The Catch," one of the most iconic plays in league history. They had missed the playoffs in 1982 — a truncated nine-game season due to a strike — while 1983 would mark the start of an eight-year streak of postseason berths that included three more Super Bowl victories.

The Lions entered the game as a 7.5-point underdog and they were missing starting quarterback Eric Hipple, who suffered a knee injury in the regular-season finale. That thrust experienced backup Gary Danielson under center for the matchup.

The Lions grabbed an early, 3-0 lead on an Eddie Murray field goal, but found themselves trailing at the half, 14-9. Murray had provided all the points for Detroit, including a 54-yard kick that was the longest in NFL playoff history at the time.

The 49ers extended their lead to eight in the third quarter before Lions star running back Billy Sims found the end zone twice in the final quarter to put the Lions ahead, with just under five minutes remaining. But 49ers quarterback Joe Montana had an answer, leading a go-ahead drive that culminated with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Freddie Solomon with just 90 seconds still on the clock.

Still, the Lions managed to claw their way back into Murray's range, reaching the 49ers' 25-yard line with 11 seconds to play. But the kicker pushed the game-winning kick wide right, dropping the Lions to 0-3 in the playoffs since the creation of the Super Bowl.

"I lined myself up right, but I was trying to more or less finesse the ball through rather than just kick it like I normally do," Murray said after the game. "It's like golf — you gotta hook the ball and you leave it out and it doesn't come in; it's the same principle."

That matchup is the only time the Lions have played the 49ers in the playoffs during the Super Bowl era. The teams did meet in a 1957 Western Conference postseason game, when the Lions rallied from down 17 at the half to win, 31-27, advancing to play Cleveland in the championship.

The Lions won their last NFL championship during that 1957 season.

The current Lions don't shy away from the franchise's ugly history. They've embraced it and used it as motivation to claim the NFC North, and host and win playoff games. And while none of the players on Detroit's active roster had been born when Murray missed that kick, and coach Dan Campbell was just seven years old, the collective will have a chance to overwrite a little more history on this remarkable run.

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

@Justin_Rogers

NFC Championship

Lions at 49ers

▶ Kickoff: 6:30 p.m., Sunday, Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.

▶ TV/radio: FOX/97.1

▶ Records: Detroit (12-5), San Francisco (12-5)

▶ Line: 49ers by 7

AFC Championship

Chiefs at Ravens

▶ Kickoff: 3 p.m., Sunday, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Md.

▶ TV/radio: CBS

▶ Records: Kansas City (11-6), Baltimore (13-4)

▶ Line: Ravens by 3½