The San Francisco 49ers know something about the NFC Championship game. They’ve been there quite a few times before, so for a player like tight end George Kittle, this is just another step on the road to the Super Bowl.
That’s not to say the Detroit Lions will be overwhelmed by their matchup with the 49ers next weekend, but it’s worth noting that this will be relatively new territory for the franchise.
Until this magical run, the Lions’ last playoff win was in January 1992. That’s also the last and only other time the franchise made it to the NFC Championship game. On January 12, 1992, the Lions lost to Washington, 41-10, at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium
Yes, this is a big spot that Detroit is not used to, but Kittle, for one, is not counting the Lions out. In fact, he knows the type of tough opponents Dan Campbell’s Lions will surely be.
“I’m not surprised at all. Not at all,” Kittle said when asked by A.J. Hawk (on the Pat McAfee Show) if he was surprised Detroit has made it this far in the NFC playoffs. “The way that they play, you can just tell everything Dan Campbell preaches is what the team is. It’s not fake. They’re gritty. They’re going to out-work you. They’re going to out-effort you. They’re going to put everything on tape.”