The third-seeded Detroit Lions versus the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers is about as stark of a juxtaposition between two NFC Championship finalists as there’s ever been.
The Lions are playing in their first conference title game since the 1991 season, and the 49ers have made a conference championship game appearance in each of their last seven postseason trips, a streak that is the second-longest ever behind only the 2011-2018 New England Patriots led by Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.
However, there are some similarities between the two franchises. They are both two of the top five rushing offenses and defenses in the NFL. San Francisco ranks third in the NFL in rushing yards per game (140.5) while Detroit isn’t far behind (135.9 rushing yards per game) with the fifth-ranked rushing offense. The Lions’ 88.8 rushing yards per game allowed ranks as the second-fewest in the NFL while the 49ers are right behind them with the No. 3 run defense (89.7 rushing yards per game).
The 49ers are currently 7-point home favorites against Detroit, per Sportsline’s consensus odds, but Lions appear to be on a magical run with more playoff wins this season (two) than the previous 65 seasons combined (one).
Here is a ranking of the five players likely to have the most outsized impact — aka the X factors — on the final result of Sunday night’s game.
Note: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will not be listed among the X factors because he doesn’t elevate or sink Kyle Shanahan’s offense. He is simply the 49ers barometer, reflective of which playmakers are or aren’t on the field each game. San Francisco is 18-1 when Purdy, wide receiver Deebo Samuel and running back Christian McCaffrey all play since Purdy’s first career start. In the same span, Purdy’s entire career as their starting quarterback, the team is 2-4 when any one of these three players, including Purdy, do not play.
Last week…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/ranking-x-factors-in-lions-49ers-nfc-championship-aidan-hutchinson-fred-warner-loom-large/
Author : Garrett Podell
Publish date : 2024-01-27 20:51:33
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