The Lions will look to excel at one of their strong suits on Sunday.
The San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions have a trip to the Super Bowl on the line when the two teams face off against each other in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.
Both teams come in with different storylines, as the 49ers have been in the NFC Championship Game in four of the last five seasons, while the Lions are making their first appearance since 1991.
San Francisco possesses one of the league’s most explosive offenses, ranking in the Top 5 in total yards, rushing yards, and passing yards per game.
They’re led by quarterback Brock Purdy, as well as a strong supporting cast that includes All-Pros Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Christian McCaffrey.
How are the Lions planning to combat the 49ers’ high-end offensive attack?
One of the main keys for head coach Dan Campbell is playing with a level of aggressiveness and physicality, which is what the 49ers are known for.
That may cause the Lions to allow explosive plays here and there, but Campbell is willing to sacrifice some of those mistakes with the goal of finding an edge against San Francisco’s offense.
“We’re disruptive. We’re aggressive and we hit,” Campbell said, via SB Nation’s Pride of Detroit. “That, to me, has got to be what we’re about. Those are the principles,” Campbell said. “Look, we may get hit on a couple of things and I know, for me, I’m willing to give up something to get something. And sometimes things may happen, but that’s okay because it’ll pay dividends by the time you hit the fourth quarter.”
But, the most important key for the Lions’ defense will be stopping the run, according to Campbell.
“You stop the run,” Campbell said. “You’ve got to stop the run because if you don’t, they’ll rush for 250 on you and then they won’t even worry about passing. Everything has to start there.”
The Lions possess one of the league’s best run defenses, allowing just 88.8 yards per game on the ground, which ranks second in the NFL, and was a huge step up from their putrid run defense in 2022.
However, the 49ers have been one of the league’s best rushing offenses, averaging over 140 yards per game on the ground, with Christian McCaffrey working as the NFL’s leading rusher in 2023 by a wide margin.
The 49ers went away from the run at times last week, but still managed 111 yards and two touchdowns on great efficiency in their win over the Packers.
Now, San Francisco does possess a two-pronged offensive attack with the way they’re able to pass the ball, and Campbell understands how important that facet of the game is.
However, the goal for Detroit will be to make San Francisco’s offense one-dimensional, and that comes with looking to stop the run first.
“You’ve got your hands full in both regards, and Purdy does a hell of a job,” Campbell said. “They throw a lot of daggers middle of the field and he does a hell of a job with touch, timing, rhythm, but we have to stop this run game. It just has to start there. As much as you can, you have to try to make this team one-dimensional and that’s not easy to do.”
What may make that proposition challenging for Detroit is that they possess an average to below-average pass defense, while the 49ers are one of the best teams when it comes to the aerial attack.
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