He Detroit Lions They have faced constant talk about being the underdog ahead of the NFC championship game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night.
The nine They are playing at home. They are making their third consecutive championship appearance and 19th in team history, the most by any NFC team. By comparison, Detroit is making its first NFC Championship appearance in 32 years and has never punched its ticket to the Super Bowl.
Christian McCaffrey, right, of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates with his teammates after scoring a 6-yard rushing touchdown against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Playoffs at Levi's Stadium on Jan. 20, 2024, in Santa Clara, California. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Talking about San Francisco's firepower versus that of the supposedly lesser-known Lions has also been a topic of debate.
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But Super Bowl champion and Pro Football Hall of Fame safety LeRoy Butler is challenging that narrative.
“The Lions are the best team,” said the former Green Bay Packers the legend told Fox News in an interview this week. “They're very well coached. They have a great running game.”
Butler went on to praise several players, including David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs, Aiden Hutchinson and star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. He even praised the organization for its successful rebuild under head coach Dan Campbell.
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown celebrates after catching a 1-yard touchdown pass against the Minnesota Vikings on Dec. 24, 2023, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
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“Amon-Ra St. Brown, possibly the best receiver, but his name is not DeeBo Samuel. Brandon Aiyuk, a second-team All-Pro, we love these guys. But Amon-Ra St. Brown, you can look at him as generic in instead of the brand name, but the generic does the same thing as the brand name and is cheaper.
Earlier this week, QB Jared Goff faced comparative questions about the Niners' “superstars.”
“I think we have a lot of great players that maybe haven't had the national stage that a lot of other guys have up to this point. Obviously, they also have a lot of good players and a lot of Pro Bowlers and All-Pro players from there.” .
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“But we also feel like we have a lot of good players,” he continued.
Jared Goff of the Lions runs onto the field for the Minnesota Vikings game at Ford Field on January 7, 2024 in Detroit. (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
The Lions had five players selected to the Pro Bowl and five received All-Pro honors. San Francisco had seven players receive All-Pro honors and nine Pro Bowl selections, the most for any team this season.
But none of that will matter on Sunday night.
“We don't rely on that,” Butler said. “There's no praise for the playoffs. It's Super Bowl or bust. Detroit is used to negative things and I really think they're the better team and I hope they win.”
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Butler knows what a win here means to the city. He is also supporting a redemption story.
“If there's one guy I want to see make it to the Super Bowl, it's Jared Goff… You sent him to Detroit. You thought you were sending him to purgatory. But no, he changed that script. Jared Goff is going to write his headline, no the rams.”
The San Francisco 49ers host the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship on FOX. (FOX)
Sunday's NFC Championship game begins on FOX at 6:30 p.m. ET.
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