49ers to host Lions in NFC Championship Game after Detroit beats Bucs

Only one team stands between the 49ers and a trip to Super Bowl LVIII.

And that team is the Detroit Lions.

San Francisco officially will face Detroit in the NFC Championship Game at 3:30 p.m. PT next Sunday at Levi's Stadium after the Lions’ 31-23 divisional playoff round win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at Ford Field.

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The 49ers and Lions did not play each other during the regular season, but they have been on a playoff collision course after both teams sat atop the conference standings throughout the season.

While the 49ers might be unfamiliar with the upstart Lions, they’re quite familiar with former Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff, who led Detroit to a 12-5 regular-season record and consecutive playoff wins over the Rams and Bucs.

The 49ers barely squeaked out a 24-21 divisional-round win over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday at Levi's Stadium, but they did just enough to punch their ticket to their third consecutive conference title game and fourth in five seasons.

Now they turn their attention to the Lions.