Ben Johnson has decided to remain as offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions.

Johnson was a candidate for several head coaching openings, including the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commenders.

Johnson reportedly was seeking an incredibly lucrative contract to become a head coach, which possibly cooled his market.

An emotional Dan Campbell strolled out of Levi's Stadium on Sunday evening with his arm wrapped around veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater after his team fell to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game 34-31.

Despite the loss, the third-year Detroit Lions head coach continued to hold his head high and said he had no regrets about two critical failed attempts on fourth down in the second half.

"It's easy hindsight, I get it. I get that, but I don't regret those decisions and it's hard," Campbell said. "It's hard because we didn't come through and wasn't able to work out, but I don't and I understand the scrutiny I'll get, that's part of the gig, but it just didn't work out."

As the seconds ticked away in the San Francisco 49ers' Super Bowl LIV loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, tight end George Kittle was filmed on the sideline vowing to return to the NFL's biggest stage. It took four years and a historic Sunday comeback -- but the Niners finally made good on Kittle's promise.

With their stunning 34-31 come-from-behind win against the Detroit Lions in Sunday's NFC Championship Game, the 49ers are not only returning to the Super Bowl but will get a chance to avenge that loss to the Chiefs on Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

In the days after injuring his left shoulder on Saturday against the Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel had legitimate fear that his season might end.

Less than a week after Samuel feared he had suffered a second hairline fracture, he and the 49ers got the news they'd been hoping for Friday: He has been cleared to play in Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the Detroit Lions.

Conference Championship Sunday for the 2023 NFL season will take place on January 28th in Baltimore and Santa Clara.

AFC

• Kansas City Chiefs (Total DVOA: 5, Offense DVOA: 8, Defense DVOA: 7) at Baltimore Ravens (Total DVOA: 1, Offense DVOA: 4, Defense DVOA: 1)

3:00 PM EST, CBS, Baltimore -4, Total: 44.5

NFC

• Detroit Lions (Total DVOA: 7, Offense DVOA: 5, Defense DVOA: 13) at San Francisco 49ers (Total DVOA: 2, Offense DVOA: 1, Defense DVOA: 4)

6:30 PM EST, FOX, San Francisco -7, Total: 51.5

The Detroit Lions have agreed to sign Zach Ertz to their practice squad and could be elevated for the NFC Championship Game.

Ertz was released by the Arizona Cardinals in November. 

Steve Heiden, the Lions' tight ends coach, was Ertz's position coach with the Cardinals in 2021 and '22.

The Lions lost Brock Wright in the Divisional Round, which leaves Sam LaPorta as the only healthy tight end on the roster.

Sunday turned out to be a very big day for Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

In the afternoon, he guided the Lions' offense to 391 yards in a 31-23 win over Tampa Bay -- securing Detroit's first NFC title game berth since the 1991 season.

At night, after the win, one of the most popular candidates in this coaching cycle completed a virtual interview with the Atlanta Falcons for the team's open head coach gig.

The Detroit Lions defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-23 to reach the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991. The Lions will play at the San Francisco 49ers where they opened as 7-point underdogs. 

"So, this team is going to be built on, we're going to kick you in the teeth, right? And when you punch us back, we're going to smile at you," Dan Campbell told reporters. "And when you knock us down, we're going to get up and, on the way up, we're going to bite a kneecap off. All right?"

The 2023 NFL Conference Championship Games feature the Kansas City Chiefs for the sixth consecutive season, while the San Francisco 49ers have reached this stage for the third straight season and fourth time in five seasons. 

The Chiefs and 49ers are joined by the Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions. The Ravens haven't reached the Conference Championship since they won the Super Bowl in 2012. The Lions have only reached the NFC Championship in one prior season when they lost to Washington in 1991.

The Lions are the 12th separate NFC team to reach a Conference Championship over the past decade, while 10 separate AFC teams have reached that point during the timespan.

Christian McCaffrey scored his second touchdown on a 6-yard run with 1:07 to play, and the San Francisco 49ers mounted their first second-half comeback of the season to defeat the Green Bay Packers 24-21 in a divisional round playoff game on Saturday night.

After spending the regular season as front-runners, the Niners (13-5) needed to come from behind for a change, and Brock Purdy and McCaffrey did just enough on the last drive to send San Francisco to its third straight NFC Championship Game. The Niners will host the winner of Sunday's game between Tampa Bay and Detroit next weekend for a spot in the Super Bowl.