Western Conference Championship: Detroit Lions travel to face San Francisco 49ers at Kezar Stadium for the league title. Winner is the NFL champion for the season. Loser's year ends.
Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers for the 1957 league title. The Western Conference Championship is the season's final game in this era, the one that decides which franchise's name goes on the championship ledger. For San Francisco 49ers, the home field at Kezar Stadium is asked to be a player; for Detroit Lions, the road environment is supposed to be the test that breaks lesser teams. Coaches will lean on what worked all year. Players will lean on what their bodies have left in them.
Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers have outlasted everyone else in the league this 1957 season. One walks out of Kezar Stadium with the title; the other walks out with a brutal what-if. Pre-Super Bowl era: the Western Conference Championship is the title game itself. There is no next round.
Detroit Lions versus San Francisco 49ers in the Western Conference Championship. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of Detroit Lions-San Francisco 49ers cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns | 9-2-1 | W1 |
| New York Giants | 7-5 | L3 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6-6 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 5-6-1 | W3 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 4-8 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lions | 8-4 | W3 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 8-4 | W3 |
| Baltimore Colts | 7-5 | L2 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6-6 | W2 |
| Chicago Bears | 5-7 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 3-9 | L3 |
No archived broadcast on file for this game yet. If you find one, please report it.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lions | 0 | 7 | 14 | 10 | 07213131 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 14 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 1424272727 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | R.C. Owens 34 yard pass from Y.A. Tittle ( Gordie Soltau kick) | 0-7 |
| 49ers | Hugh McElhenny 47 yard pass from Y.A. Tittle ( Gordie Soltau kick) | 0-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Lions | Steve Junker 4 yard pass from Tobin Rote ( Jim Martin kick) | 7-14 |
| 49ers | Billy Wilson 12 yard pass from Y.A. Tittle ( Gordie Soltau kick) | 7-21 |
| 49ers | Gordie Soltau 25 yard field goal | 7-24 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Gordie Soltau 10 yard field goal | 7-27 |
| Lions | Tom Tracy 1 yard rush ( Jim Martin kick) | 14-27 |
| Lions | Tom Tracy 58 yard rush ( Jim Martin kick) | 21-27 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Lions | Gene Gedman 2 yard rush ( Jim Martin kick) | 28-27 |
| Lions | Jim Martin 13 yard field goal | 31-27 |
| Lions | 49ers | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 22 | 20 |
| Total Yards | 324 | 351 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 5 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 16/30 | 18/31 |
| Pass yards | 214 | 248 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 3 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 3 |
| Sacks taken | 3 | 2 |
| Sack yards lost | 19 | 24 |
| Net pass yards | 195 | 224 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 29 | 33 |
| Rush yards | 129 | 127 |
| Rush TD | 3 | 0 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 3 | 6 |
| Fumbles lost | 3 | 2 |
| Penalties | 7 | 6 |
| Penalty yards | 61 | 70 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Y.A. Tittle | 18/31 | 248 | 3 | 3 | |
| DET | |||||
| Tobin Rote | 16/30 | 214 | 1 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Hugh McElhenny | 14 | 82 | 0 | 71 |
| Joe Perry | 13 | 52 | 0 | 12 |
| Gene Babb | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Joe Arenas | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Y.A. Tittle | 3 | -12 | 0 | 4 |
| DET | ||||
| Tom Tracy | 11 | 86 | 2 | 58 |
| John Henry Johnson | 5 | 20 | 0 | 11 |
| Gene Gedman | 6 | 13 | 1 | 7 |
| Tobin Rote | 4 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| Howard Cassady | 3 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Billy Wilson | 9 | 107 | 1 | 18 |
| Hugh McElhenny | 6 | 96 | 1 | 47 |
| R.C. Owens | 1 | 34 | 1 | 34 |
| Clyde Conner | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Gene Babb | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| DET | ||||
| Steve Junker | 8 | 92 | 1 | 36 |
| Jim Doran | 2 | 51 | 0 | 27 |
| Howard Cassady | 3 | 37 | 0 | 21 |
| Dave Middleton | 2 | 27 | 0 | 15 |
| Tom Tracy | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Detroit Lions defeated San Francisco 49ers 31-27 at Kezar Stadium in the Western Conference Championship. The final scoring play was Lions: Jim Martin 13 yard field goal. Top line of the day: Y.A. Tittle: 248 pass yards on 18-of-31, 3 TD, 3 INT. Detroit Lions are crowned NFL champions for 1957.
Detroit Lions walked out of Kezar Stadium as the team that survived a Western Conference Championship San Francisco 49ers will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 31-27. A one-score game throughout. The decisive points came on the fewest possible margin, which is how these matchups usually resolve. The final scoring play came from Lions: Jim Martin 13 yard field goal. Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Detroit Lions are league champions.
Detroit Lions 31, San Francisco 49ers 27. Round: Western Conference Championship. Attendance: 60118. Q1: 2 scoring plays. Q2: 3 scoring plays. Q3: 3 scoring plays. Q4: 2 scoring plays. Top performers: - Y.A. Tittle: 248 pass yards on 18-of-31, 3 TD, 3 INT - Tom Tracy: 86 rush yards on 11 carries - Billy Wilson: 9 catches for 107 yards
Western Conference Championship, played at Kezar Stadium. Final: Detroit Lions 31, San Francisco 49ers 27, with Detroit Lions taking the result by 4. **First quarter**
- 49ers: R.C. Owens 34 yard pass from Y.A. Tittle ( Gordie Soltau kick) - 49ers: Hugh McElhenny 47 yard pass from Y.A. Tittle ( Gordie Soltau kick)
**Second quarter**
- Lions: Steve Junker 4 yard pass from Tobin Rote ( Jim Martin kick) - 49ers: Billy Wilson 12 yard pass from Y.A. Tittle ( Gordie Soltau kick) - 49ers: Gordie Soltau 25 yard field goal
**Third quarter**
- 49ers: Gordie Soltau 10 yard field goal - Lions: Tom Tracy 1 yard rush ( Jim Martin kick) - Lions: Tom Tracy 58 yard rush ( Jim Martin kick)
**Fourth quarter**
- Lions: Gene Gedman 2 yard rush ( Jim Martin kick) - Lions: Jim Martin 13 yard field goal
**Top performers**
- Y.A. Tittle: 248 pass yards on 18-of-31, 3 TD, 3 INT - Tom Tracy: 86 rush yards on 11 carries - Billy Wilson: 9 catches for 107 yards