The public is leaning heavily toward the hangover of letting a Super Bowl appearance slip away being less severe than the headache of actually losing the Super Bowl. The Detroit Lions led 24-10 at halftime in San Francisco in last year's NFC Championship Game, only to see the 49ers storm back for a 34-31 victory. However, San Francisco went on to lose its third consecutive trip to the Super Bowl -- and second in the past five years -- to Kansas City. The Chiefs also beat the 49ers in the 2020 Super Bowl. The 49ers are the +225 favorites at DraftKings to return to the title game, but they are only third among NFC teams with 12 percent of the money backing them to make it to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX in February. It's the Lions who have garnered by far the most money, with 28 percent at +550 odds to claim the NFC title. That's well ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles, with 17 percent of the money backing them at +600. However, San Francisco does remain in the lead in terms of total bets to win the conference. The 49ers have drawn 26 percent, ahead of the Lions at 24 percent and the Eagles at 17 percent. The third-shortest odds to win the NFC belong to Dallas at +700. But the Cowboys have drawn very modest support at the book, with 4 percent of the total bets and 5 percent of the money. The fourth most popular pick has been the Green Bay Packers, who have been backed by 11 percent of both markets at +800. The Chicago Bears have also been popular with 9 percent of the money backing their longshot odds of +1500 under the direction of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. --Field Level Media
Jan 28, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) passes the ball against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of the NFC Championship football game at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports