Lions beat Bucs in 31-23 win at Ford Field, move on to face San Francisco in NFC Championship

DETROIT (FOX 2) - The Detroit Lions will play for their conference championship after beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-23 in the divisional playoff game.

A game that seemed like a toss-up for much of the time turned toward Detroit after it put together back-to-back touchdown drives, capping them off with Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown plays that put the Lions out of reach.

It's one of the biggest moments in Detroit football history and the furthest the team has ever made it in the NFL playoffs in the SuperBowl era. 

While the victory may not have been as emotional as the team's wildcard win last week over the Rams, it was just as impactful for the franchise.

They'll take on the San Francisco 49ers at Levi Stadium next Sunday. 

Hard-fought game

It wasn't until the Lions found their groove in the fourth quarter that it felt like Detroit would succeed.

A game that featured a lot of even play on both sides proved to be Detroit's at the end of the day after an interception by Baker Mayfield with a minute and a half left in the fourth quarter. 

It was the second interception of the game after CJ Gardner-Johnson picked off Mayfield at the beginning of the game.

The turnover battle wasn't the only segment of the game Detroit won on Sunday. They also owned the Bucs when it came to sacks after the Lions' timed rushes toward the quarterback ended in several defensive victories.

When the Lions found their rhythm with excellent runs by Gibbs, as well as clutch catches by Brown and tight end Sam LaPorta was also a portion of the game that fans relished.