NFL
Who will the 49ers face in the NFC Conference Championship final? Who will be the home team?
San Francisco were forced to come from behind to see off the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round of the 2023 NFL Playoffs.
The 49ers did it the hard way in Saturday’s Divisional Round playoff clash with the Packers at Levi’s Stadium. Kyle Shanahan’s team finished the regular season with the best record (12-5) and headed into the postseason as top seeds and favorites but can count themselves fortunate to still be alive at this stage.
The Niners had to stage a second half comeback after finding themselves trailing 6-7 at the break. Brock Purdy showed up just when the team needed him most. San Fran got the ball with 6:18 to go, needing 69 yards and a touchdown. Purdy went 6/7 on the final drive converting two third downs and finished off by Christian McCaffery with 1:07 left as it ended 24-21.
“We still found a way to win; I’m very proud of the guys,” a relieved Shanahan said afterwards. “I thought that was as big of a mental challenge and just a character game as any game I’ve been a part of. When things aren’t going how you want on offense, defense, special teams, the rain, guys slipping a lot, losing Deebo Samuel early... having to change some things with that and just some of the mistakes we made to overcome. It was a gut check for everybody and I couldn’t be more proud of the people in there and how they persevere.”
Despite the scare, the 49ers are still favorites to go all the way and lift the title, with odds at +150, ahead of the Baltimore Ravens +200 and the Bills +490.
Who will the 49ers face in the NFC Championship game?
With Green Bay sent packing, the Niners will meet either the Detroit Lions or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday 29 January at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
The Lions visit the Bucs in the NFC’s second Divisional-round match-up today, Sunday 21 January at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan with the game getting underway at 3 p.m. ET/12 noon PT.
Bucs vs Lions: how to watch
In the United States, the Buccaneers vs the Lions will be broadcast on NBC, Peacock and Universo.
You can also stream the game on fuboTV, which offers users a free trial.
Who will be the home team in the NFC Championship game?
After enjoying home advantage against the Packers, the Niners will be the hosts once again in next weekend’s NFC Championship game, hosting their rivals at the Levi’s stadium, Santa Clara, California.
The NFL’s playoff rules state that the team with the higher regular-season ranking plays at home in every postseason round before the Super Bowl. Having finished the regular season as the No. 1 seed with a 12-5 record, San Francisico knew they would be at home for the entire postseason right up until the Super Bowl, which is always held at a neutral venue - this year being at Allegiant stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday 11 February.