The Detroit native and sportswriter Chuck Johnson turns 70 in March, and this die hard Lions fan is hoping this is the year that his beloved football team finally reaches the Super Bowl. 

“I was 3 years old when they last won the championship,” Mr. Johnson told the Sun. “I remember them talking about Bobby Layne. That’s all we’ve had to hang our hat on and that was in 1957. Maybe it’s justice to celebrate my birthday with a Super Bowl. That’s what I’m hoping.”

Lovable losers for much of their  existence, the Lions attempt to earn their first-ever trip to a Super Bowl on Sunday when they face the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football Championship Game at Levi Stadium at Santa Clara, California. 

The defending champion Kansas City Chiefs will challenge the Baltimore Ravens earlier on Sunday in the American Football Conference Championship at Baltimore. The two victors will meet in two weeks time in Super Bowl LVIII, set for Allegiant Stadium at Las Vegas.

The Lions are one of four teams who have never played in a Super Bowl, along with the Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, and Jacksonville Jaguars. “We’ve had basketball championships with the Pistons, and the Tigers won a couple World Series, and the Red Wings had a great run,” Mr. Johnson said. “But the NFL being the number one sport in the world, that’s the one we’ve been missing. We’ve hosted two Super Bowls, but haven’t been in one.”

The Lions named a new head coach, Dan Campbell, in 2021. He raised eyebrows in his introductory press conference by saying, “We’re going to kick you in the teeth…We’re going to get knocked down and on the way up we’re going to bite a kneecap off.”  He also said, “Before long we’re going to be the last one standing.”

Mr. Campbell, a former NFL tight end, is close to turning that bravado into reality.  The Lions won their first division title since 1993 this season, going 12-5 in the NFC North, and advanced to the NFC Championship with playoff wins over the Los Angeles Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They travel to San Francisco to test the top-seeded 49ers, who were also 12-5, good enough to win the NFC West and earn a first-round bye before defeating the Green Bay Packers in last week’s Divisional Round.

The 49ers are a touchdown favorite, but the Lions are confident, too. A city that’s proud of its grassroots revitalization efforts in the private and business sectors has galvanized around its football team and Mr. Campbell, a fire-and-brimstone coach whose blue-collar approach rhymes with the identity of the city.  Mr. Johnson declares that “Dan Campbell has the pulse on what Detroit is about.

In the beginning,” Mr. Johnson explains,” we didn’t understand him and he didn’t understand us necessarily when he first took the job. When he came in talking about biting kneecaps it turned a lot of people off because we didn’t know where he was coming from. We weren’t speaking the same language. Now he knows Detroit is a sports-crazed town and we stick by our teams through thick and thin.”

The Lions have a balanced and gritty team. The offense, led by quarterback Jared Goff, ranked third in the league by averaging 394.8 yards per game with an attack proficient in both the run and the pass. Mr. Goff, traded to Detroit from the Rams in 2021, enjoyed his best season in the Motor City, completing 67.3 percent of his passes for 4,575 yards and 30 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. 

Other key performers include running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, who combined for 1,960 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns; wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who caught 119 passes for 1,515 yards and 10 scores, and rookie tight end Sam LaPorta with 86 receptions for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The defense has held up its end of the bargain. Linebacker Alex Anzalone leads the team with 129 tackles, while Aidan Hutchinson, a top draft pick last year, is tops with 11.5 sacks. Lions general manager Brad Holmes was recently named NFL Executive of the Year for his acquisitions through the draft and free agency.

“For the first time I see a team that was built the right way,” Mr. Johnson said. “It was built with depth. It’s not just frontline talent. It’s built with a next-man-up mentality. It seems like it might be our time.”

The 49ers, one of the most successful franchises in the NFL, with five Super Bowl trophies, believe it’s their time again. The emergence of Brock Purdy at quarterback (the last player picked in the 2022 NFL draft) adds to a talented offense that includes, running back Christian McCaffrey (1,459 yards, 14 TDS rushing/564 yards, 7 TDS receiving) and receivers Deebo Samuel (892 yards, 7 TDs), George Kittle (1,020 yards, 6 TDs) and Brandon Aiyuk (1,342 and 7 TDS). The 49ers average 28.9 points a game, while allowing just 17.5.

“This is a heck of a matchup for us,” Mr. Campbell told reporters in Detroit. “But it’s one we’re ready for. We’re built to handle this. Our guys will be ready to roll.”

The Lions, led by Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders, last played in the NFC Championship in 1991, losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Washington Redskins, 41-10. Detroit’s last division title came in 1993 and their last playoff appearance was in 2016. They were 0-16 in 2008 and 3-13 in Mr. Campbell’s first season in 2021. Now some are calling them the new “America’s Team.”

For fans like Mr. Johnson, the Lions will always be Detroit’s team.  “Finally, the improbable seems possible,” he said.