SafekipediaNFC Championship Game
Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience
The NFC Championship Game is the big championship game played every year by the National Football Conference (NFC). It is one of the two semifinal games in the National Football League (NFL), the biggest professional American football league in the world. This game happens on the last Sunday in January and features the two best teams left after the NFC postseason’s first two rounds.
The winner of the NFC Championship Game gets to play in the Super Bowl against the winner of the AFC Championship Game. This game started in 1970 when the NFL and the American Football League (AFL) joined together, creating two big groups called conferences.
Since 1984, the team that wins the NFC Championship Game also receives the George Halas Trophy. This trophy is named after George Halas, who helped start the NFL and was the founder and long-time owner of the Chicago Bears.
History
The first NFC Championship Game was played after the 1970 season, following the joining of the NFL and the AFL. It is seen as a continuation of the old NFL Championship. After the joining, teams were grouped into two equal conferences.
Every NFC team has played in the NFC Championship at least once. The Seattle Seahawks have played in both conference title games. Only the Detroit Lions have not won or hosted an NFC Championship Game. The San Francisco 49ers have played in the most NFC Championship Games and have the most losses. Both the Dallas Cowboys and the 49ers have won the most NFC Championships.
The Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings are the only two NFC teams to have played in an NFC Championship game every decade since 1970.
Playoff structure
Further information: NFL playoffs
The NFL playoffs have changed a lot since 1970. At the end of each regular season, the best teams in the NFC make it to the playoffs. This includes the winners of each division and some extra teams called "wild cards" who have good records but didn't win their division.
After the first two rounds of the playoffs, called the Wild Card round and the Divisional round, only two teams are left. These two teams play in the NFC Championship Game. The winner of this game gets to play in the Super Bowl.
At first, the location of the NFC Championship Game changed each year. But since the 1975–76 season, the team with the best record from the regular season hosts the game. Sometimes, if both teams are wild cards, either could host, but this has never happened in the NFL yet.
George Halas Trophy
Since the 1984–85 NFL playoffs, the team that wins the NFC Championship Game receives the George Halas Trophy. This trophy is named after the long-time owner and coach of the Chicago Bears, one of the original teams in the NFL. The trophy was redesigned in 2010–11 NFL playoffs to look more like the Vince Lombardi Trophy, which is given to the Super Bowl winner.
Winners of the NFC Championship Game also get special rings to remember their achievement, even if they don’t win the Super Bowl.
List of NFC Championship Games
See also: List of NFC champions
This section lists all the NFC Championship Games ever played. The numbers next to the winning and losing teams show how many times each team has won or lost the NFC Championship. Bold teams are the ones that went on to win the Super Bowl that year. The numbers next to the city and stadium names show how many times that place has hosted the NFC Championship game.
Appearances, 1970–present
In the table below, teams are listed by how many times they've played in the NFC Championship Game, how many times they've won, and the year they first appeared.
| # | Team | W | L | % | PF | PA | Last game | Last win | Home | Away | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | % | G | W | L | % | |||||||||
| 19 | San Francisco 49ers | 8 | 11 | .421 | 402 | 391 | 2023 | 2023 | 11 | 6 | 5 | .545 | 8 | 2 | 6 | .250 |
| 14 | Dallas Cowboys | 8 | 6 | .571 | 317 | 264 | 1995 | 1995 | 5 | 4 | 1 | .800 | 9 | 4 | 5 | .444 |
| 12 | Los Angeles Rams | 5 | 7 | .417 | 155 | 258 | 2025 | 2021 | 5 | 3 | 2 | .600 | 7 | 2 | 5 | .286 |
| 9 | Philadelphia Eagles | 5 | 4 | .556 | 233 | 156 | 2024 | 2024 | 7 | 5 | 2 | .714 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
| 9 | Minnesota Vikings | 3 | 6 | .333 | 143 | 213 | 2017 | 1976 | 3 | 2 | 1 | .667 | 6 | 1 | 5 | .167 |
| 9 | Green Bay Packers | 3 | 6 | .333 | 210 | 238 | 2020 | 2010 | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | 6 | 2 | 4 | .333 |
| 7 | Washington Commanders | 5 | 2 | .714 | 162 | 133 | 2024 | 1991 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1.000 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
| 5 | New York Giants | 5 | 0 | 1.000 | 116 | 50 | 2011 | 2011 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1.000 |
| 5 | Chicago Bears | 2 | 3 | .400 | 80 | 86 | 2010 | 2006 | 4 | 2 | 2 | .500 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| 4 | Seattle Seahawks | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | 116 | 80 | 2025 | 2025 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | —N/a |
| 4 | Atlanta Falcons | 2 | 2 | .500 | 108 | 103 | 2016 | 2016 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 |
| 4 | Carolina Panthers | 2 | 2 | .500 | 90 | 82 | 2015 | 2015 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 |
| 4 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2 | 2 | .500 | 64 | 56 | 2020 | 2020 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 3 | 2 | 1 | .667 |
| 3 | New Orleans Saints | 1 | 2 | .333 | 68 | 93 | 2018 | 2009 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| 2 | Arizona Cardinals | 1 | 1 | .500 | 47 | 74 | 2015 | 2008 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| 2 | Detroit Lions | 0 | 2 | .000 | 41 | 75 | 2023 | —N/a | 0 | 0 | 0 | —N/a | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
Appearances by year
In the table below, you can see how often different teams have played in the NFC Championship Game. The teams are listed based on how many times they’ve appeared, how many times they won, and the year they first played. The years shown in bold indicate when a team won the NFC Championship.
Records by division
The table below shows NFC Championship Game records by division, based on the division the franchise was in during the season the championship game was played. The NFL realigned divisions before the 2002 season, renaming the NFC Central as the NFC North, creating the NFC South, and moving several teams between divisions.
Most common matchups
The NFC Championship Game is a big football match played each year. It decides which team from the National Football Conference will go to the Super Bowl. The game is played between the two best teams from the NFC after they win their earlier playoff games.
| Count | Matchup | Record | Years played |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers | Cowboys, 4–2 | 1970, 1971, 1981, 1992, 1993, 1994 |
| 2 | Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins / Commanders | Washington, 2–0 | 1972, 1982 |
| 2 | Dallas Cowboys vs. Minnesota Vikings | Tie, 1–1 | 1973, 1977 |
| 2 | Los Angeles / St. Louis Rams vs. Minnesota Vikings | Vikings, 2–0 | 1974, 1976 |
| 2 | Dallas Cowboys vs. Los Angeles / St. Louis Rams | Cowboys, 2–0 | 1975, 1978 |
| 2 | Los Angeles / St. Louis Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Rams, 2–0 | 1979, 1999 |
| 2 | Chicago Bears vs. San Francisco 49ers | 49ers, 2–0 | 1984, 1988 |
| 2 | Los Angeles / St. Louis Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers | Tie, 1–1 | 1989, 2021 |
| 2 | New York Giants vs. San Francisco 49ers | Giants, 2–0 | 1990, 2011 |
| 2 | Green Bay Packers vs. San Francisco 49ers | Tie, 1–1 | 1997, 2019 |
NFC Championship Game records
The NFC Championship Game has some interesting records. The San Francisco 49ers have the most wins and appearances in the game, showing their strong history. The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles also have notable streaks of appearing in the game in a row.
Some records include the most points scored in a single game and the biggest win by points. There have also been exciting games that went into extra time, known as overtime, where teams kept playing until someone won. These records show the excitement and competition in the NFC Championship Game each year.
TV ratings
In 2024, about 44.2 million people watched the NFC Championship Game on television. This game is very popular and many fans tune in to see which team will go to the Super Bowl.
Related articles
This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on NFC Championship Game, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.