The San Francisco 49ers enter the NFL playoffs after sitting out last weekend on a bye. If they manage to win their Divisional Round matchup against the Green Bay Packers, who will the 49ers face next, and will they have to leave the familiar confines of Levi’s Stadium?
With the assistance of the free PFN NFL Playoff Predictor, let’s examine the 49ers’ potential opponents and playoff scenarios in terms of where they might play an NFC Championship Game.
Who Are the Potential NFL Playoff Opponents for the San Francisco 49ers?
The good news for the 49ers is that they know if they overcome the Packers, they will be hosting the NFC Championship Game, regardless of the result of Sunday’s game between the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the NFL playoff system, the highest seed always hosts, and as the No. 1 seed, the 49ers cannot be surpassed.
That means the 49ers will either be welcoming the Lions or Buccaneers to Levi’s Stadium next weekend if they withstand the Packers’ challenge. The last time the 49ers hosted an NFC Championship Game, they beat the Packers 37-20 before losing 31-20 in Super Bowl LIV to the Kansas City Chiefs.
San Francisco is unlikely to fear either opponent they could face in the NFC Championship Game. They are on a three-game winning streak against the Buccaneers, including back-to-back wins over them at home. Earlier this season, they dispatched Tampa Bay 27-14 in a game that was more one-sided than that scoreline even suggests.
The two teams have faced off 27 times since 1977, with the 49ers holding a 20-7 overall record. Their only postseason meeting was a 31-6 win for the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in the Divisional Round of the 2002 NFL playoffs. However, that is unlikely to carry much significance for the players, some of whom would barely have been old enough to remember that game.
The Lions are unlikely to strike much more fear into the 49ers than the Buccaneers. While the 39-28-1 overall record is not too lopsided, “recent” history is.
The 49ers have an 18-3 record over the Lions in their last 21 meetings, which dates back to their last postseason meeting — a 24-23 win for the 49ers in Candlestick Park.
Their most recent meeting was a 41-33 win for the 49ers on the opening weekend of the 2021 NFL season. That was Dan Campbell’s first game as head coach of the Lions, and their spirited “fightback” from 41-17 down to make it a one-score game with a minute to play was a sign of the way this Lions team would play their football under their new head coach.
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Their last meeting in Levi’s Stadium was back in 2018 when Matt Patricia’s Lions lost 30-27. That scoreline also looks closer than the game was for a large portion, with the 49ers having opened up a 30-13 lead with 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
If the 49ers do make it to the NFC Championship Game on Saturday, they will find out their opponent on Sunday. While neither team will particularly worry the 49ers, they will certainly not be taking either team lightly as they seek to end a 29-year wait for a Super Bowl win.
Want to predict the results of the 2023 NFL postseason with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? How about looking into in-depth breakdowns of team depth charts or the NFL playoff schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with all that and more!