1957 NFL playoffs

Tournament bracket

December 29 |RD2-seed1 = E |RD2-team1 = Cleveland |RD2-score1 = 14 |RD1-seed2 = W |RD1-team2 = San Francisco |RD1-score2 =27 |RD2-seed2 = W |RD2-team2 = Detroit |RD2-score2 = 59 |RD1-seed1 = W |RD1-team1 = Detroit |RD1-score1 = 31}}

Western Conference championship

• First Quarter
  • SF – R.C. Owens 34-yard pass from Y. A. Tittle (Gordy Soltau kick). 49ers 7–0
  • SF – Hugh McElhenny 47-yard pass from Tittle (Soltau kick). 49ers 14–0
• Second Quarter
  • DET – Steve Junker 4-yard pass from Tobin Rote (Jim Martin kick). 49ers 14–7
  • SF – Billy Wilson 12-yard pass from Tittle (Soltau kick). 49ers 21–7
  • SF – Gordy Soltau 25-yard field goal. 49ers 24–7
• Third Quarter
  • SF – Gordy Soltau 10-yard field goal. 49ers 27–7
  • DET – Tom Tracy 1-yard run (Martin kick). 49ers 27–14
  • DET – Tom Tracy 58-yard run (Martin kick). 49ers 27–21
• Fourth Quarter
  • DET – Gene Gedman 2-yard run (Martin kick). Lions 28–27
  • DET – Jim Martin 13-yard field goal. Lions 31–27 Top passers
• DET – Tobin Rote – 16/30, 214 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
• SF – Y.A. Tittle – 18/31, 248 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT Top rushers
• DET – Tom Tracy – 11 carries, 86 yards, 2 TD
• SF – Hugh McElhenny – 14 carries, 82 yards Top receivers
• DET – Steve Junker – 8 receptions, 92 yards, 1 TD
• SF – Billy Wilson – 9 receptions, 107 yards, 1 TD The Lions trailed the 49ers 24–7 at halftime and were down twenty points in the third quarter. During halftime, Lions players were apparently motivated by the jubilant sounds coming out from the Niner locker room; gloating or not gloating, the Lions cited it as motivation for the second half. Hugh McElhenny went on a 71-yard run in the third quarter that saw him just short of the goal line, but San Francisco settled for a field goal not long after due to the Detroit defense. It was their last points of the season. Quarterback Bobby Layne had been lost for the season two weeks earlier, and backup Tobin Rote led the Lions' rally, scoring 24 unanswered points in the second half to win, 31–27, with Tom Tracy (a Detroit back who hadn't played in four games that played due to injury to John Henry Johnson) scoring two touchdowns. Gene Gedman, another back with little playing time for Detroit, scored the go-ahead touchdown in less than a minute into the fourth quarter. Y.A. Tittle threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter (the last to Roger Zatkoff) and lost a fumble in a disastrous fourth quarter for the 49ers, who had four turnovers in the final frame and saw Joe Perry suffer a broken jaw. It was the largest comeback in a playoff game for 36 years.

As of , this is the last time the Lions have won a playoff game on the road and is the last time the Lions won a conference championship. The only team in the four major North American leagues with a longer conference championship drought are the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, who last won a conference title in 1951 as the Rochester Royals, six years before Detroit’s last conference championship.

NFL Championship game

Main article: 1957 NFL Championship Game

References

References

1. "Lions thrilling rally wins playoff, 31-27". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
2. Johnson, Chuck. (December 30, 1957). "Rote's passes, play calling smash Cleveland, 59 to 14". Milwaukee Journal.
3. Sell, Jack. (December 30, 1957). "Lions crush Browns, 59 to 14, to win title". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
4. Jones, Eddie T.. (December 30, 1957). "Browns show off collapsing defense". Toledo Blade.
5. Maule, Tex. (January 6, 1958). "All hail the lusty Lions".
6. (2007-12-23). "49ers replay: The heartbreak of 1957".
7. (2024-01-23). "Memories: Last Detroit NFL championship in 1957".
8. (December 9, 1957). "Lions lose Layne but win, 20-7". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
9. Hartlaub, Peter. (2024-01-27). "‘We blew it’: The terrible story of the last big 49ers-Lions playoff game".
10. (2009-01-07). "Top 10 greatest comebacks in NFL history". [[National Football League]].