NFL Conference Championship Weekend is finally upon us. Only four teams remain in the 2024 NFL Playoffs, and by this time next week, we'll know the two teams competing in the Super Bowl. Before we can think about that, though, we have two great matchups this weekend to discuss.
While the AFC Championship Game includes the Kansas City Chiefs for the sixth-straight year, the NFC Championship includes the San Francisco 49ers for the third-straight year. And while the AFC features two former MVPs in Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson at quarterback for the Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens, respectively, the NFC has the Niners' Brock Purdy, the former Mr. Irrelevant as the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, and Jared Goff, who's trying to finally live up to the high expectations of being the No. 1 overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft.
The Niners are trying to avoid their third-straight loss. They were blown out by the Philadelphia Eagles last year and lost the previous year by three points to the Los Angeles Rams, who had traded Goff to the Lions along with draft picks for Matthew Stafford.
The Lions are simply trying to get to the Super Bowl for the first time. This is just the second time that the Lions have been one victory away from the Super Bowl.
Before the game itself, though, let's take a trip down memory lane and talk about the history of the NFC Championship Game. Here's all that info and more.
Which team has the most NFC Championship Game wins?
As of today, June 2, 2023, it has been 10,000 days since the Dallas Cowboys last played in an NFC Championship Game. pic.twitter.com/wNrttKKscB
— Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) June 2, 2023
As hard as it may be to believe, the team with the most NFC Championship Game wins is the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas has won in eight of its 14 appearances, though it hasn't made the game since 1995. Notably, the New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks are both perfect in NFC Championship games, with a record of 5-0 and 3-0, respectively.
Which team has the most NFC Championship Game losses?
The 49ers actually have the most NFC Championship Game losses with a whopping 11. However, San Francisco has also won seven NFC Championships, second-most only to Dallas. The only team to never win the NFC Championship is the Detroit Lions, who lost their previous lone appearance in 1991.
Past results
The Eagles are going to the #SuperBowl 🎉 pic.twitter.com/x4O2Se1PpC
— The Philadelphia Inquirer (@PhillyInquirer) January 29, 2023
Here, we'll share the result of every past NFC Championship Game with a short recap of each.
2022 season: Philadelphia Eagles 31, San Francisco 49ers 7 – Purdy hurt his elbow in the first quarter but had to return in the second half when backup QB Josh Johnson left with a concussion leaving the Niners with little chance against the Eagles' defense.
2021 season: Los Angeles Rams 20, San Francisco 49ers 17 – After trailing by 10 in the fourth quarter, Matthew Stafford and the Rams scored 13 unanswered to secure the comeback over their in-state rival.
2020: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31, Green Bay Packers 26 – Tom Brady's long touchdown pass to Scotty Miller at the end of the first half helped the Bucs upset Aaron Rodgers and the Packers at Lambeau Field.
2019: San Francisco 49ers 37, Green Bay Packers 20 – Raheem Mostert ran for 220 yards and four touchdowns as the 49ers built a 27-0 halftime lead in a blowout of the Packers.
2018: Los Angeles Rams 26, New Orleans Saints 23 – An infamous pass interference no-call allowed the Rams to beat Drew Brees and the Saints in overtime.
2017: Philadelphia Eagles 38, Minnesota Vikings 7 – Nick Foles and the Eagles scored 38 unanswered points to rout the Vikings, who were coming off the Minneapolis Miracle the week prior.
2016: Atlanta Falcons 44, Green Bay Packers 21 – Matt Ryan and the Falcons jumped out to a 31-0 lead in the third quarter to end the Packers' eight-game winning streak.
2015: Carolina Panthers 49, Arizona Cardinals 15 – NFL MVP Cam Newton accounted for four touchdowns as the Panthers were always a few steps ahead of the Cardinals.
2014: Seattle Seahawks 28, Green Bay Packers 22 – Despite four interceptions from Russell Wilson, Seattle mounted a furious comeback to stun the Packers in overtime.
2013: Seattle Seahawks 23, San Francisco 49ers 17 – Richard Sherman's late interception of Colin Kaepernick in the end zone allowed Seattle to punch its ticket to the Super Bowl.
2012: San Francisco 49ers 28, Atlanta Falcons 24 – Atlanta blew a 17-point lead as San Francisco won its first NFC Championship since 1994.
2011: New York Giants 20, San Francisco 49ers 17 – Eli Manning and the Giants stunned the 49ers to set up a Super Bowl rematch against Brady and the Patriots.
2010: Green Bay Packers 21, Chicago Bears 14 – The sixth-seeded Packers upset their archrival on the road to make a surprise Super Bowl appearance.
2009: New Orleans Saints 31, Minnesota Vikings 28 – The Saints upended Brett Favre and the Vikings despite Minnesota gaining over 200 more yards.
2008: Arizona Cardinals 32, Philadelphia Eagles 25 – Kurt Warner and the Cardinals survived the Eagles' furious comeback to make their first Super Bowl appearance.
2007: New York Giants 23, Green Bay Packers 20 – Eli Manning and the Giants upset the Packers in a freezing Lambeau Field in the first of their two Super Bowl runs.
2006: Chicago Bears 39, New Orleans Saints 14 – Chicago's defense forced four turnovers in a home rout of New Orleans.
2005: Seattle Seahawks 34, Carolina Panthers 14 – Dominant performances by Shaun Alexander and Seattle's defense earned the Seahawks their first NFC title.
2004: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Atlanta Falcons 10 – After coming up short the previous three years, Donovan McNabb's Eagles finally got over the hump with a big win over the Falcons.
2003: Carolina Panthers 14, Philadelphia Eagles 3 – Carolina's defense put on a clinic to propel the Panthers to their first NFC Championship.
2002: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27, Philadelphia Eagles 10 – Ronde Barber's late pick-6 spoiled the Eagles' final game at Veterans Stadium.
2001: St. Louis Rams 29, Philadelphia Eagles 24 – A monster performance by Marshall Faulk helped the Rams reached their second Super Bowl in three years.
2000: New York Giants 41, Minnesota Vikings 0 – New York destroyed Minnesota for the most-lopsided NFC Championship Game ever.
1999: St. Louis Rams 11, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6 – The Rams' defense was the star of the show as both offenses struggled to move.
1998: Atlanta Falcons 30, Minnesota Vikings 27 – Vikings kicker Gary Anderson missed his first kick of the year that would have put the Vikings up by 10 points with two minutes remaining. Falcons QB Chris Chandler led the Falcons to a tying touchdown, and the Falcons went on to win in OT.
1997: Green Bay Packers 23, San Francisco 49ers 10 – The Packers won their second-straight NFC title thanks to a strong defensive performance.
1996: Green Bay Packers 30, Carolina Panthers 13 – The Panthers, in just their second year of existence, were no match for Brett Favre and the Packers.
1995: Dallas Cowboys 38, Green Bay Packers 27 – Emmitt Smith's monster performance helped the Cowboys win their third NFC title in four years.
1994: San Francisco 49ers 38, Dallas Cowboys 28 – Steve Young and the 49ers finally overcame the Cowboys on their way to their fifth Super Bowl.
1993: Dallas Cowboys 38, San Francisco 49ers 21 – Jimmy Johnson backed up his guarantee of a win despite Troy Aikman leaving with a concussion.
1992: Dallas Cowboys 30, San Francisco 49ers 20 – Four turnovers by the Cowboys' defense helped kickstart their '90s dynasty.
1991: Washington Redskins 41, Detroit Lions 10 – Washington thrashed Detroit for the second time this season to advance to the Super Bowl.
1990: New York Giants 15, San Francisco 49ers 13 – New York denied San Francisco's quest for a third straight NFC title.
1989: San Francisco 49ers 30, Los Angeles Rams 3 – There was no denying the 49ers as they dominated everyone on their way to a Super Bowl title.
1988: San Francisco 49ers 28, Chicago Bears 3 – Joe Montana and the 49ers crushed the top-seeded Bears in a freezing Soldier Field.
1987: Washington Redskins 17, Minnesota Vikings 10 – Washington ended Minnesota's surprising run thanks to eight sacks on defense.
1986: New York Giants 17, Washington Redskins 0 – The Giants' defense completely shut down Washington's offense.
1985: Chicago Bears 24, Los Angeles Rams 0 – The legendary Bears defense lived up to its billing in a thrashing of Los Angeles.
1984: San Francisco 49ers 23, Chicago Bears 0 – Walter Payton and the Bears were helpless against the mighty 49ers.
1983: Washington Redskins 24, San Francisco 49ers 21 – John Riggins' three-touchdown performance propelled Washington to its second-straight NFC title.
1982: Washington Redskins 31, Dallas Cowboys 17 – Washington avenged its only loss of the season in the only Saturday NFC Championship Game ever.
1981: San Francisco 49ers 28, Dallas Cowboys 27 – Dwight Clark made “The Catch” to send the 49ers to their first Super Bowl.
1980: Philadelphia Eagles 20, Dallas Cowboys 7 – Eagles running back Wilbert Montgomery had more yards than the entire Cowboys offense in a big Eagles win.
1979: Los Angeles Rams 9, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0 – The Rams got the better of the upstart Bucs in a true defensive struggle.
1978: Dallas Cowboys 28, Los Angeles Rams 0 – After neither team scored in the first half, the Cowboys pulled away for a late blowout.
1977: Dallas Cowboys 23, Minnesota Vikings 6 – The Cowboys' defense dominated the Fran Tarkenton-less Vikings.
1976: Minnesota Vikings 24, Los Angeles Rams 13 – Minnesota won its fourth NFC title in less than a decade but couldn't get over the Super Bowl hump.
1975: Dallas Cowboys 37, Los Angeles Rams 7 – Roger Staubach's four touchdowns powered Dallas to a dominant win over LA.
1974: Minnesota Vikings 14, Los Angeles Rams 10 – The Vikings conquered the Rams in a defensive struggle to win their second straight NFC title.
1973: Minnesota Vikings 27, Dallas Cowboys 10 – Minnesota forced six turnovers to upset Dallas.
1972: Washington Redskins 26, Dallas Cowboys 3 – Charley Taylor caught two touchdowns and Washington's defense completely shut down Roger Staubach and the Cowboys.
1971: Dallas Cowboys 14, San Francisco 49ers 3 – Dallas defeated San Francisco again en route to its first of five Super Bowl wins.
1970: Dallas Cowboys 17, San Francisco 49ers 10 – The Cowboys defeated the 49ers on the road in the first edition of the game after the NFL-AFL merger.
With so many great NFC Championship Games over the years, football fans can only hope this year's edition is another great one.
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