Final2023 NFC Conference Championship

Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, CA

Detroit Lions vs San Francisco 49ers, Conference Championship 2023

Detroit Lions

Away

31

San Francisco 49ers

HomeWon, advanced

34

Scoring by quarter
TeamQ1Q2Q3Q4Final
Lions14100731
49ers07171034

DET 31SF 34 Final

  • Passing leader

    Jared Goff

    DET · QB

    14.9PPR pts

    25/41, 273 YDS, 1 TD

  • Top fantasy scorer

    Christian McCaffrey

    SF · RB

    29.2PPR pts

    20 ATT, 90 YDS, 2 TD, 4 REC, 42 REC YDS

  • Lions leader

    Jameson Williams

    DET · WR

    20.7PPR pts

    2 REC, 25 YDS, 1 TD, 1 RUSH TD

  • Defensive playmaker

    Malcolm Rodriguez

    DET

    1 INT, 6 TKL

49ers 34, Lions 31: San Francisco rallies from 17 down at halftime in the 2023 Conference Championship

San Francisco erased a 24–7 halftime deficit, outscoring Detroit 27–7 after the break to win 34–31. Detroit outgained the 49ers 442–413, but the 49ers averaged 6.3 yards per play.

The Lions went 6-for-12 on third down and committed one turnover, while the 49ers kept the ball for 32:12.

The 49ers' run ended in the Super Bowl, a 25–22 loss to the Chiefs.

Key advantages

  • +0.2 yards/play SF 6.3 · DET 6.1
  • +4:24 time of possession SF 32:12 · DET 27:48

Game Highlights

Official NFL highlights · Opens from YouTube

Got a Lion or 49er on your fantasy team?

Check their next matchup with the Start/Sit Tool, compare their value in the Fantasy Trade Calculator, or connect your league for personalized advice in Redraft Command.

Connect your league

Works with Sleeper, ESPN and Fleaflicker. No password needed.

Why the 49ers Won

San Francisco won the efficiency and time of possession battles.

Team stats comparison, Lions vs 49ers
LionsStat49ers
6.1Yards per play6.3
27:48Time of possession32:12
Other team stats
442Total yards413
72Plays66
1Turnovers1
50%Third-down conversion50%

Scoring Summary

The 49ers scored four touchdowns and two field goals; the Lions scored four touchdowns and one field goal.

Scoring plays, Lions vs 49ers
TimeTeamPlayDETSF
1st quarter
13:18DETJameson Williams 42-yard TD run Takes leadMichael Badgley XP70
2:34DETDavid Montgomery 1-yard TD run Extends leadMichael Badgley XP140
2nd quarter
13:49SFChristian McCaffrey 2-yard TD runJake Moody XP147
5:54DETJahmyr Gibbs 15-yard TD run Extends leadMichael Badgley XP217
0:07DETMichael Badgley 21-yard FG Extends lead247
3rd quarter
11:02SFJake Moody 43-yard FG2410
5:17SFBrock Purdy → Brandon Aiyuk, 6-yard TDJake Moody XP2417
3:02SFChristian McCaffrey 1-yard TD run Ties gameJake Moody XP2424
4th quarter
9:52SFJake Moody 33-yard FG Game winner2427
3:02SFElijah Mitchell 3-yard TD run Extends leadJake Moody XP2434
0:56DETJared Goff → Jameson Williams, 3-yard TDMichael Badgley XP3134

Playoff game: these points don't count in most season-long fantasy leagues.

Fantasy Points vs Expected

Expected points (xFP) are what a player's pass attempts, carries and targets are worth at the league's average rates; the difference is what the player made of them.

Usage and expected fantasy points
PlayerPTSxFPvs xFPSnap%UsageRte%Pass attCarCar%TgtTgt%
Sam LaPortaDET · TE18.721.7−3.0—33% tgt—000%1333%
Christian McCaffreySF · RB29.220.6+8.6—61% car—02061%517%
Amon-Ra St. BrownDET · WR15.919.0−3.1—28% tgt—013%1128%
Jahmyr GibbsDET · RB12.617.4−4.8—41% car—01241%615%
Jared GoffDET · QB14.917.3−2.4—41 att—4100%00%
Deebo Samuel Sr.SF · WR17.616.9+0.7—30% tgt—039%930%
Brock PurdySF · QB18.516.1+2.4—31 att—31515%00%
Brandon AiyukSF · WR15.813.4+2.4—27% tgt—000%827%
David MontgomeryDET · RB19.312.5+6.8—52% car—01552%25%
Josh ReynoldsDET · WR3.56.7−3.2—10% tgt—000%410%
Jameson WilliamsDET · WR20.75.6+15.1—8% tgt—013%38%
Kyle JuszczykSF · RB5.65.60.0—10% tgt—013%310%
George KittleSF · TE4.75.0−0.3—10% tgt—000%310%
Jauan JenningsSF · WR1.83.3−1.5—7% tgt—000%27%
Elijah MitchellSF · RB6.72.5+4.2—12% car—0412%00%
Anthony FirkserDET · TE1.81.7+0.1—3% tgt—000%13%

Team totals: Lions 40 targets and 29 carries; 49ers 30 targets and 33 carries. Shares are from the box score. Snap counts aren't available for this game. Route counts, air yards and red-zone touches appear when the tracking feed is connected. League-average rates from the 2023 season: 1.67 PPR points per target (67% catch rate), 0.61 per carry and 0.42 per pass attempt. They don't adjust for field position or target depth.

Fantasy Verdicts

Jared Goff

DET · QB · 14.9 pts on 17.3 expected

25 of 41 passing for 273 yards, 1 touchdown.

Verdict: The points matched the role, 17.3 expected.

Start/Sit: Jared Goff →

Brock Purdy

SF · QB · 18.5 pts on 16.1 expected

20 of 31 passing for 267 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception; 5 carries for 48 yards.

Verdict: The points matched the role, 16.1 expected.

Start/Sit: Brock Purdy →

Sam LaPorta Volume, no payoff

DET · TE · 18.7 pts on 21.7 expected

13 targets (33% of the team's), 9 catches for 97 yards.

Verdict: The points matched the role, 21.7 expected.

Start/Sit: Sam LaPorta →

Amon-Ra St. Brown

DET · WR · 15.9 pts on 19.0 expected

11 targets (28% of the team's), 7 catches for 87 yards; 1 carry (3% of the team's) for 2 yards.

Verdict: The points matched the role, 19.0 expected.

Start/Sit: Amon-Ra St. Brown →

Christian McCaffrey Ran hot

SF · RB · 29.2 pts on 20.6 expected

5 targets (17% of the team's), 4 catches for 42 yards; 20 carries (61% of the team's) for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Verdict: The opportunities were worth 20.6 points; the touchdowns supplied the rest, and they are the part least likely to repeat.

Start/Sit: Christian McCaffrey →

Deebo Samuel Sr. Strong role

SF · WR · 17.6 pts on 16.9 expected

9 targets (30% of the team's), 8 catches for 89 yards; 3 carries (9% of the team's) for 7 yards.

Verdict: The points matched the role, 16.9 expected.

David Montgomery Ran hot

DET · RB · 19.3 pts on 12.5 expected

2 targets (5% of the team's), 2 catches for 20 yards; 15 carries (52% of the team's) for 93 yards and 1 touchdown.

Verdict: The opportunities were worth 12.5 points; the touchdowns supplied the rest, and they are the part least likely to repeat.

Start/Sit: David Montgomery →

Jameson Williams Ran hot

DET · WR · 20.7 pts on 5.6 expected

3 targets (8% of the team's), 2 catches for 25 yards and 1 touchdown; 1 carry (3% of the team's) for 42 yards and 1 touchdown.

Verdict: The opportunities were worth 5.6 points; the touchdowns supplied the rest, and they are the part least likely to repeat.

Start/Sit: Jameson Williams →

Fantasy Matchups

Fantasy points allowed per game by position, 2023 through Week 18.

Fantasy points allowed per game by position, Lions defense and 49ers defense
Points allowed toLions D49ers D
QBs19.414.8
RBs14.618.0
WRs39.733.4
TEs13.410.8

Regular season, summed from each game's box score and scored with this page's rules.

How the Game Swung

San Francisco opened at 50% win probability, fell as low as 3%, then rallied to win.

49ers win probability

49ers win probability by game minute49ers started at 50%, stood at 4% at halftime and finished at 100%, across 11 scoring plays.Q1Q2Q3Q4100%50%0%

Key Swings

  1. −20Williams 42-yd TD run50% → 30%Q1 13:18
  2. −16Montgomery 1-yd TD run28% → 12%Q1 2:34
  3. +16McCaffrey 2-yd TD run11% → 27%Q2 13:49
  4. +33McCaffrey 1-yd TD run17% → 50%Q3 3:02
  5. +21Moody 33-yd FG50% → 71%Q4 9:52

Swing in 49ers win probability, in points

Play Calling and Possessions

Play calling, Lions vs 49ers
Detroit LionsMeasureSan Francisco 49ers
72Plays66
60%Pass rate50%
6.0Yds / dropback7.8
6.3Yds / carry4.7
6/12Third downs6/12

Efficiency edge San Francisco ran 6 fewer plays but gained 1.8 more yards per dropback.

  • Top targets
  • DET LaPorta 33% · Brown 28% · Gibbs 15%
  • SF Samuel 30% · Aiyuk 27% · McCaffrey 17%

Possession Results

How each possession ended, Lions vs 49ers
ResultDETSF
Touchdowns44
Field goals12
Punts21
Turnovers11
Turnovers on downs21
Missed field goals01
  • The Lions opened the scoring on their first possession, a 4-play, 75-yard drive that ended in a touchdown.
  • The 49ers drained the clock with two second-half drives of four to eight minutes.
All 21 possessions, drive by drive
Drive chart
TeamStartPlaysYardsTimeResult
DETQ1 15:004751:42Touchdown
SFQ1 13:1812455:24Missed FG
DETQ1 7:5411625:20Touchdown
SFQ1 2:348753:45Touchdown
DETQ2 13:497293:32Punt
SFQ2 10:175121:40Interception
DETQ2 8:375462:43Touchdown
SFQ2 5:54300:55Punt
DETQ2 4:5917684:52Field goal
SFQ2 0:071-10:07End of half
SFQ3 15:009503:58Field goal
DETQ3 11:028474:04Downs
SFQ3 6:585721:41Touchdown
DETQ3 5:171-10:08Fumble
SFQ3 5:094242:07Touchdown
DETQ3 3:02311:01Punt
SFQ3 2:0111657:09Field goal
DETQ4 9:526452:20Downs
SFQ4 7:327704:30Touchdown
DETQ4 3:0211752:06Touchdown
SFQ4 0:564-40:56Downs
About these numbers

Possessions that ended with the clock running out at the half or the end of the game aren't counted.

Personnel groupings, average depth of target and pass rate over expected appear when the tracking feed is connected.

Lions vs 49ers Head-to-Head

The Lions and 49ers first met in 1950 and have played 70 times since.

All-time series
40–29–149ers lead, 70 meetings since 1950
Postseason
2–149ers won in 1983 and 2023; Lions won in 1957
Largest Lions win
45–31967
Largest 49ers win
49–01961

Since 2021

2–1 49ers lead

3 meetings since the 2021 season, regular season and playoffs.

Oldest to newest. 4 = 49ers win, L = Lions win, outlined = this game.

Recent Meetings

Season to Date (Through Week 18)

The 2023 regular season, from each game's box score.

Season to date, Lions vs 49ers
LionsStat49ers
12-5Record12-5
27.1Points per game28.9
394.8Yards per game398.4
5.9Yards per play6.6
23.2Points allowed per game17.5
336.1Yards allowed per game303.9

Lions and 49ers in Fantasy

The two teams don't meet again this season. If you roster a Lion or a 49er, these answer the week-to-week question.

Keep Exploring

2023 Game Logs for Players in This Game

Lions vs 49ers Game FAQ

Who won the 2023 Lions vs 49ers Conference Championship game?

The San Francisco 49ers beat the Detroit Lions 34–31 in the Conference Championship of the 2023 playoffs. The game was played at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA, on January 28, 2024. See the 49ers' 2023 schedule.

What was the final score of Lions vs 49ers?

The final score was 49ers 34, Lions 31. The Lions led 24–7 at halftime, and the second half went Lions 7, 49ers 27.

What happened in the Lions vs 49ers game?

San Francisco erased a 24–7 halftime deficit, outscoring Detroit 27–7 after the break to win 34–31. Detroit outgained the 49ers 442–413, but the 49ers averaged 6.3 yards per play.

What was the game-winning score in Lions vs 49ers?

Jake Moody's 33-yard field goal with 9:52 left in the fourth quarter gave the 49ers a 27–24 lead they never gave up.

How did the 49ers come back to beat the Lions?

The 49ers' chances of winning fell as low as 3% in the third quarter. Christian McCaffrey's 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter was the biggest swing of the game. Jake Moody's 33-yard field goal then put them ahead for good.

What was the turning point of Lions vs 49ers?

Christian McCaffrey's 1-yard touchdown run with 3:02 left in the third quarter was the biggest swing of the game, moving the 49ers' win probability from 17% to 50%.

What is the all-time Lions vs 49ers record?

The 49ers lead the all-time series 40–29–1 across 70 meetings since 1950, including a 2–1 record in the postseason.

When did the Lions and 49ers last play before this game?

Before the 2023 Conference Championship round, they last met in the 2021 season on September 12, 2021, when the 49ers beat the Lions 41–33.

Have the Lions and 49ers met in the playoffs?

Yes, 3 times, most recently in the 2023 playoffs. The Lions are 1–2 against the 49ers in the postseason.

What is the Lions vs 49ers record since 2021?

The 49ers lead 2–1 across 3 meetings since the 2021 season, including this game.