National Football League

Why the Lions are more than a Cinderella story — and can beat the 49ers

Updated Jan. 22, 2024 5:58 p.m. ET

One of the best stories in this year's playoffs has been the Detroit Lions, who have won two home playoff games — doubling their previous playoff win total in the Super Bowl era — with some of the most raucous home crowds in recent playoff history.

Following Detroit's 31-23 divisional round victory over the Tampa Bay Bucaneers on Sunday, the Lions are now headed on the road to face the No. 1 seeded San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game (6:30 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX and the FOX Sports App).

The 49ers, widely considered to have the strongest roster in the NFL, are seven-point favorites against Detroit and the overall favorites to win the Super Bowl among the four teams left in the playoffs. However, Colin Cowherd says that just because the Lions are taking on the lovable underdog role does not mean they should be written off as actual long-shot underdogs against San Francisco.

On Monday's edition of "The Herd," Cowherd claimed that while some NFL teams can become great stories without actually being elite teams, such as this season's Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans, the Lions are different.

"Don't confuse Detroit with a Cinderella story," Cowherd said. "That's not what this is. Detroit has dudes. … The NFC Championship is where Detroit has landed, and it's where they belong."

"This roster, that pass-rusher [Aidan Hutchinson], that running back [Jahmyr Gibbs], that tight end [Sam LaPorta], that safety [C.J. Gardner-Johnson], these weapons, Detroit can match San Francisco player-for-player. Not quite as old, but arguably just as good and just as deep."

Cowherd praised the Lions' front office, saying that while quarterback Jared Goff and head coach Dan Campbell get plenty of well-deserved praise, general manager Brad Holmes and his crew are the real stars of the show for how well they have drafted.

"The Lions' rookies are Pro Bowl level," Cowherd said. "Their second- and third-year players are some of the best players in the league. Sam LaPorta could be the second-best tight end. [Offensive lineman] Penei Sewell. Aidan Hutchinson. Jahmyr Gibbs — he's as dynamic and twitchy as any running back in the league. In the last three drafts, [the Lions] have hit at minimum six home runs. Not just good rookies or second-year guys, but top-of-the-league good."

How the Lions are simply a good team, not a Cinderella team

Goff has also earned credit for getting the Lions this far, Cowherd said, with the quarterback's second NFC Championship Game trip proving that his success in the NFL is not totally due to Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay. Cowherd believes the Lions are strong all over the field and if they have a weakness, it's at cornerback — which is also the main weakness of the 49ers.

"So often, hope and optimism fade in January — the Cinderella stuff," Cowherd said. "That's not what this is. This is what championship teams do — draft, develop, get guys. They haven't overspent in free agency. No dumb moves. It's smart, it's tough, it's relentless championship-level football. I don't know what the oddsmakers think, but I think they're a younger version of San Francisco with a better quarterback."

Speaking of quarterback, that is the other big reason why Cowherd gives the Lions a good chance to upset the 49ers — he believes San Francisco's quarterback limits the team's ceiling.

How Brock Purdy could hold back 49ers vs. Lions

"It's nothing against Brock Purdy," Cowherd said. "It's not that he's bad. But what I've said all year is, I don't think he's special, most of it is the roster and [head coach] Kyle Shanahan. This weekend, when the weather's not perfect and he misses [star wide receiver] Deebo Samuel, who gets injured, he's ordinary. … Once Deebo Samuel got hurt, it's not the same offense."

Purdy struggled mightily amid wet and windy conditions at Levi's Stadium on Saturday, completing 23 of his 39 pass attempts for 252 yards and a touchdown while having difficulty gripping the football. But he was 6-for-7 on the 49ers' final drive, which resulted in a game-winning touchdown from Christian McCaffrey to avoid a massive upset at the hands of the Green Bay Packers. Still, Cowherd says that Purdy's inability to take over a game in a playoff scenario could spell trouble for the 49ers, especially if Samuel is unable to play next weekend.

"January football is different," Cowherd said. "I've seen this from San Francisco before. Better scheme, better roster, average quarterback, and they don't hold a trophy. I just can't see Brock Purdy, especially without Deebo Samuel — and they're getting very Christian McCaffrey reliant — I can't see him hoisting a trophy."

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