Lions roar to NFC Championship Game after taking down Buccaneers in thrilling game

Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

The Detroit Lions are heading to the NFC Championship Game after defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-23, at home on Sunday night. 

The Lions head to San Francisco next week to face the 49ers.

It was an inauspicious start for both teams on their first drives. The Lions wanted the ball after winning the coin flip, but they went three-and-out to start the game.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Josh Reynolds of the Detroit Lions catches a touchdown pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second quarter of the NFC divisional playoff game at Ford Field in Detroit on Jan. 21, 2024. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

But the Lions’ defense would step up when quarterback Baker Mayfield took the field for the first time with the Bucs’ offense. Mike Evans, Mayfield’s usual trusty target, couldn’t haul in a ball he should’ve on 3rd-and-long, tipping it in the air where safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson intercepted it to flip the field.

And Gardner-Johnson even flipped the ball back to Mayfield, showing everyone watching that this game was going to be both sides going blow for blow. The Lions were the first to get points on the board following the interception with a short field goal, making it 3-0. However, the Bucs matched them with a field goal of their own.

It wasn’t until the third Lions drive that quarterback Jared Goff really settled in and delivered a 14-play masterpiece that ended with a Josh Reynolds slant across the back of the end zone for the score.

FROM OUTKICK: REFEREES MISS KEY CALL, LIONS COACH DAN CAMPBELL FAILS TO CHALLENGE RIGHT BEFORE BUCCANEERS SCORE GAME-TYING TD

Tampa Bay couldn’t match that score,