2024 NFC Championship odds Three reasons to bet on Lions against 49ers

It's conference championship week in the , and on Sunday, the square off against the on .On one side, you have the underdog Lions, who are in the midst of one of their best seasons since the AFL-NFL merger. They had 12 wins in the regular season, which is tied for most wins in franchise history. They made Seth Curry Jersey the playoffs for only the fourth time this century and won their first playoff game in over 30 years. This marks the second time they have been in the NFC title game.On the other hand, you have the 49ers, who are no strangers to succe s. They have five Super Bowl wins (tied for second-most), seven conference championships and 22 division titles. In fact, this appearance marks the 19th time San Francisco has played for the NFC crown and the fourth time they've been here in five seasons.Should you back the Lions to beat the mighty Goliath that is the 49ers?ADVERTISEMENT FOX Sports betting analyst thinks so and offers up three reasons why.1. Lions offensive lineOffensive lines can often be judged by their weakest link and these Lions dont have any.This group is one of the best in the NFL, starting with their unshakable guards. Their left tackle, , has been rock solid for eight seasons. And right tackle (first-team) and center (second-team) both got All Pro nods this year.The Lions can win this game with their run blocking, as they are 10th in rushing EPA and fifth in yards per rush. The 49ers defense is 26th against the run and has been gashed Justin Anderson Jersey by the and in the last month.Running the ball will help the Lions with two things: wearing down the 49ers defense and keeping the ball away from the 49ers offense.Detriot's completed 75% of his pa ses without pre sure and only 52.8% when pre sured. Thats the largest drop of any quarterback this season. Keeping Goff upright and pre sure-free will be a key component to winning.The 49ers pa s rush is not what its been in the past, so the Lions line should be able to get the job done.San Francisco 49ers vs. Detroit Lions: Who has the edge? 2. Deebo Samuels injuryNiners quarterback played four games this season without wide receiver Deebo Samuel (or he played le s than 10 snaps) and the results were not good.Purdys completion percentage dropped 10% and his pa ser rating fell 40 points without Samuel. Furthermore, Purdy went from le s than 0 Billy Cunningham Jersey .5 interceptions per game with Samuel to 1.25 interceptions per game without him.And the results were evident on the scoreboard, as San Francisco averaged 32 points with Deebo and only 18 when he was out. It's safe to say the 49ers are a different team without their star wideout on the field.Its worth pointing out that the Lions defense is not good against the pa s. It ranks 31st in yards per attempt, 27th in pa s touchdowns and 23rd in sacks.However, the Lions can focus their attention on the other Niners receiving options in Samuel's absence, if he indeed mi ses the game.I believe Samuel not being able to play will be a huge factor in the Lions winning.Who are the 49ers without Deebo Samuel? 3. Biting Knee CapsDan Campbells infamous introductory pre s conference included him discu sing the idea of " Dakota Mathias Jersey biting knee caps." At the time, we laughed at this reference and many mocked Campbell for being overly aggre sive with his description of how he wanted his team to play.Three years later, Campbell is having the last laugh, with his Lions squad playing exactly how he envisioned: tough, physical and aggre sive.According to the FTNFantasy aggre sivene s index, the Lions head coach is tops in aggre sivene s rank. He goes for it on fourth down more often than not when the numbers point to succe s.On the other hand, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan routinely turns down fourth down chances, kicks too many field goals in the red zone and loves to coach conservatively. We have seen too many instances of Shanahan getting tight when he needs to keep the foot on the pedal.The Lions entering this game with that aggre sive mindset gives them a mental edge over the 49ers.Geoff Schwartz is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports. He played eight seasons in the NFL for five different teams. He started at right tackle for the University of Oregon for three seasons and was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection his senior year. Follow him on Twitter @GeoffSchwartz. & Jahlil Okafor Jersey amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;nbsp;