NFL clubs' participation in conference championship games as of January 2021 The quantity of appearances San Francisco 49ers 16, Pittsburgh Steelers 16, New England Patriots 15, Dallas Cowboys 14.
The first conference championship game was played on December 11, 1933, between Harvard and Yale. The Ivy League schools had a contract with the NFL that if one of them were to win the National Championship, then the other would be awarded the "co-championship." The winner of the game went on to play Ohio State in the 1934 Rose Bowl. The Harvards won, 13-7.
Conference championship games have been held every year since then (with the exception of 1943) except for 1944 when World War II prevented any football from being played. The last no-play season occurred in 1945, and the league began playing again in 1946. This event is considered by many to be the culmination of the NFL season, with the winners going on to play for the Super Bowl trophy.
Currently, only two teams have never appeared in a conference championship game: the Cleveland Browns and the Washington Redskins. Both teams are currently members of the NFCE.
The Browns entered the NFL as an expansion team in 1950.
The Steelers of Pittsburgh The Pittsburgh Steelers have appeared in the most AFC Championship Games (16), with 11 of those games taking place in Pittsburgh, the most in either conference. The New England Patriots have won the most AFC Championships (11), and they have been in a record eight consecutive AFC Championship games (2011–2018). The last five seasons have seen a British team finish first in the league. The Jacksonville Jaguars have made the most playoff appearances without winning the title (3-0).
This is because both the Patriots and the Steelers play in relatively small markets compared to other National Football League teams. Also, both New England and Pittsburgh have used different players as their head coach over the years; this too has helped them remain competitive even after losing many great coaches and quarterbacks. Finally, both franchises are still very popular in their respective states; this helps keep their fans interested during the regular season when they are not winning any more championships.
Before 2001, each conference had only one representative at the NFL Championship Game. The Steelers, who were then playing in their third such game, lost to Green Bay 31-25. It was supposed to be Bill Cowher's debut with the franchise, but he suffered a heart attack during pregame warmups and died before the start of the game. His replacement, Tomlin, led the team to another loss the next year when Dallas defeated them 20-17 in the 2002 finale.
The 49ers of San Francisco The San Francisco 49ers have been in the most NFC Championship Games (16) and have hosted the most (10). With eight NFC Championships, the Dallas Cowboys hold the record. They are followed by the 49ers, Packers, Steelers, and Bears.
During the regular season, the 49ers host the Seattle Seahawks in Week Nine. This will be the first NFL game in San Francisco since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The game will be played at Candlestick Park/NFC West Division Champion Seattle Seahawks will play at Candlestick Park.
In Week Eleven, the 49ers will travel to Green Bay to face off against the Packers at Lambeau Field. This will be the first NFL game at Lambeau Field since its renovation. The venue has been known as "The House That Favre Built" since the end of the 1994 season when Brett Favre led the Packers to a 16-0 start before losing to Chicago during Thanksgiving Day football. Overall, the Packers are 13-3-1 at Lambeau Field and 3-0 this postseason.
In Week Twelve, the 49ers will close out their season at home against the Carolina Panthers.
The Cowboys of Dallas With 33 postseason appearances each, the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers have the most in league history. Green Bay has won the most NFL titles, with 13.. This portion
| NFL Team | Playoff Appearances |
|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 33 |
| Green Bay Packers | 33 |
| New York Giants | 32 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 31 |
The NFL playoffs in 2020 will include 14 teams in total, with seven from the AFC and seven from the NFC. For the 2020 season, each conference will get three wild-card clubs in addition to the four division champions. The top seed in each conference will host a playoff game while the other two seeds will travel for their matches.
In 2017, there were only 12 teams in the NFL playoffs because of the new format that was adopted by the league that year. Under the previous format, each team had an equal chance of making the postseason. Now, the number of teams varies depending on which combination finishes first and second in each conference. If both divisions have a first-place team, they will meet in the playoffs; if not, then the next highest ranked team in each division will advance. Teams are guaranteed to play at least one home game during the postseason.
Here is how many teams from each division will qualify for the NFL playoffs: AFC North - 1/8, AFC South - 1/8, AFC West - 1/4, NFC East - 1/4, NFC North - 1/4, NFC West - 1/2.
In 2016, there were only 12 teams in the NFL playoffs because of the new format that was adopted by the league that year.
NFL clubs sorted by number of postseason victories (as of the start of the 2019 NFL season) *
| Number of wins | |
|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 37 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 35 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 35 |
| Green Bay Packers | 34 |
The conference call for the NFL The San Francisco 49ers are the highest-ranked NFC team, having competed in 16 championship games, the most recent of which occurred in the 2019/20 season. The 49ers have won five titles, most recently in 2013. They also made the playoffs in each of their first seven seasons, a record that has since been broken by both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens.
The conference call for the NFL AFC West champions go to the Denver Broncos, who have competed in 17 championship games over the course of their history. They have won nine titles, most recently in 2015. They also made the playoffs in each of their first six seasons, a record that has since been broken by both the Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs.
The conference call for the NFL NFC South champions goes to the Atlanta Falcons, who have competed in 16 championship games over the course of their history. They have won six titles, most recently in 2017. They also made the playoffs in each of their first five seasons, a record that has since been broken by both the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams.
The conference call for the NFL AFC East champions goes to the New England Patriots, who have competed in 18 championship games over the course of their history. They have won ten titles, most recently in 2014.
Copyright © 2020 - 2023 Sportsmanist Inc.
