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Revisiting previous 49ers-Lions playoff games ahead of NFC title clash originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Detroit Lions’ last road playoff victory came one week before they won their last NFL championship.
In 1957, the Lions traveled to Kezar Stadium in Golden Gate Park and produced an amazing comeback victory over the 49ers.
Since then, the organization has lost 11 consecutive road playoff games.
And when Detroit comes to Levi’s Stadium on Sunday for the NFC Championship Game, they enter with a 13-game head-to-head road losing streak against the 49ers. That streak includes the only playoff matchup between the two teams in the Super Bowl era.
Here is a look at the only two postseason matchups between the franchises:
1957 Western Conference playoff
More than a decade before Super Bowl I, the Lions were a professional football power with three league titles during a six-year span.
In those days, there were no conference playoffs. The winner of the Western Conference played the Eastern Conference winner for the NFL championship.
But in 1957, the Lions and 49ers tied with 8-4 records, and a playoff was necessary to decide which team would advance to face the Cleveland Browns for the NFL championship.
The 49ers blew a huge second-half lead, as the Lions rallied for 24 unanswered points. The Lions came back for a 31-27 victory, then went on to blow out the Browns, 59-14, one week later at Briggs Stadium in Detroit to win the NFL championship.
That 49ers’ loss stuck with two-time Super Bowl-winning coach George Seifert. He worked as an usher games in 1957 and ’58 while he was a student at since-closed Polytechnic High, located across the street from Kezar Stadium.
“I tell you, that was a gloomy occasion,” Seifert said years ago. “Losing the playoff to Detroit was such a letdown. But feeling that gloom in 1957 made the victories of the 1980s and 1990s that much better.”
The 49ers had a star-studded team in 1957 and had complete control of the game after…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/revisiting-previous-49ers-lions-playoff-151649414.html
Author : NBC Sports BayArea
Publish date : 2024-01-23 15:16:49
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