NBC’s ‘Today’ Show Snubs Lions Ahead of NFC Championship Game vs. 49ers

Apparently, folks just aren’t accustomed to the Detroit Lions making a deep run in the NFL playoffs.
NBC’s ‘Today’ Show Snubs Lions Ahead of NFC Championship Game vs. 49ers
NBC’s ‘Today’ Show Snubs Lions Ahead of NFC Championship Game vs. 49ers /

Sunday marks the first NFC championship game appearance for the Detroit Lions since the 1991 season, as the Lions face the San Francisco 49ers for a chance to play in Super Bowl LVIII.

Unfortunately for the Lions, though, not everyone remembered this historic moment for the team ahead of Sunday’s game. To wit, NBC’s Today show aired an incorrect graphic while discussing the game’s weather forecast. The graphic included the Lions’ logo, but referred to a “Packers vs. 49ers” matchup.

The snub was almost certainly unintentional, but the reference to the NFC North-rival Green Bay Packers had to sting for Lions fans.

“I’m hoping for a Packers-Ravens game,” meteorologist Michelle Grossman said of her ideal Super Bowl matchup.

Today host Peter Alexander quickly corrected the mistake, but the lion was out of the bag.

“I should correct us, because it should say Lions versus Niners,” Alexander said. “So if you pick the Packers, that’s a good choice—but they don’t have a shot.”

The Lions and 49ers are scheduled to kick off the NFC championship game at Levi’s Stadium at 6:30 p.m. ET Sunday on Fox.


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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.