The San Francisco 49ers are in their fourth conference championship since 2019 and their seventh since 2011. Their last two NFC Championship appearances have produced losses and now they have the Detroit Lions in their way of a ticket to Super Bowl LVIII.
The No. 1 Niners will host the No. 3 Lions at Levi's Stadium on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET.
The 49ers last Super Bowl win was in 1994, when they defeated the Chargers, who were in San Diego at the time, in Super Bowl XXIX.
1. Mr. Irrelevant
49ers quarterback Brock Purdy gets his fare share of criticism, but for all the hate he still has one of the coolest draft stories. Purdy was selected at No. 262 in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Being the last player chosen gave him the nickname "Mr. Irrelevant," but he would become very relevant.
He went from the third string quarterback, behind Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, to starting games after both QBs went down with injuries. He began his career winning all five regular season games and the first two playoff games, helping advance the team to the NFC Championship.
Purdy injured his right elbow and did not get to play the entire NFC Championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles. This is his chance to prove he can help get his team to the Super Bowl.
This season, Purdy has broken records including the franchise record for highest single-game completion rating (95.2 percent), passing Steve Young (90 percent). He became just the fourth quarterback in NFL history (following Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady) to lead a team to 30 or more points in at least eight consecutive regular season games. In Week 11, he had a perfect passer rating, becoming the first QB in franchise history to do so since Joe Montana did it in 1989.
He had the fifth-most passing yards in the league with 4,280 and the third-most passing touchdowns with 31.
2. Star power
The 49ers are riddled with stars on both sides of the ball.
Running back Christian McCaffrey is a front runner for Offensive Player of the Year and lead the league in rushing yards (1,459), nearly 300 yards above second place Derrick Henry. McCaffrey has the third-most rushing touchdowns (14) and the most rushing first downs (83). He also tied the NFL record for consecutive games with a touchdown (17). CMC also had 67 receptions for 564 yards, fourth most on the team.
McCaffrey has struggled with injuries throughout his career and this season has truly shown what he is capable of when he can stay healthy. The 27-year-old is one of those players who should have a ring, but spent the majority of his career on mediocre teams that could not make it to the big game. He is certainly someone to root for.
George Kittle is another star on the team and has the second-most receiving yards on the team this season (1,020), behind wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (1,342).
Over on defense, Nick Bosa lead the team in sacks (10.5). Fred Warner lead the team with 132 total tackles.
3. Best in NFC
The 49ers are one of the most complete teams in the NFL. Why not root for a team that has it all? While they did have a bit of a hiccup in the middle of the season, they were consistently the team to beat.
San Fran's defense allowed the fourth-fewest yards per pass attempt (6.4), were tied with the second-most interceptions with 22 and were tied for the fourth-fewest rushing touchdowns allowed (10). Their offense had the third-most rushing yards (2,389) and were tied for the most rushing touchdowns (27).
There's a reason they finished No. 1 in the conference and rooting for a consistently solid squad is a sure bet for the NFC Championship.
