By Dean Michaels
The NFC Championship Game has featured close games in each of the past six seasons, including three overtime games.
There have been six consecutive NFC Championship Games that were decided by seven points or fewer, the longest streak in conference championship game history.
The NFC's No. 5 seed San Francisco (14-4) will travel this Sunday to play No. 1 seed Seattle (14-3). The Seahawks had eight games this season that finished within seven points or fewer, while San Francisco had five such games.
The past six NFC Championship Games to finish within seven points or fewer:
Season | Teams | Winner | Final Score |
---|---|---|---|
Source: NFL *Overtime | |||
2007 | N.Y. Giants at Green Bay | N.Y. Giants | 23-20* |
2008 | Philadelphia at Arizona | Arizona | 32-25 |
2009 | Minnesota at New Orleans | New Orleans | 31-28* |
2010 | Green Bay at Chicago | Green Bay | 21-14 |
2011 | N.Y. Giants at San Francisco | N.Y. Giants | 20-17* |
2012 | San Francisco at Atlanta | San Francisco | 28-24 |
2013 | San Francisco at Seattle | ??? | ??? |
Patriot Way
In 2013, New England won the AFC East title for the 15th time and has advanced to the AFC Championship Game for the ninth time. The Patriots are 7-2 (.778) in AFC Championship Games all-time.
With a win against Denver on Sunday, New England (seven) can tie Dallas (eight) and Pittsburgh (eight) for the most Super Bowl berths in NFL history.
If Denver defeats New England and San Francisco defeats Seattle, the Broncos (six) and 49ers (six) would tie New England for the third-most Super Bowl appearances in NFL history.
The NFL teams with the most Super Bowl appearances:
Team | Super Bowl Appearances |
---|---|
Source: NFL *Active Sunday | |
Dallas Cowboys | 8 |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 8 |
New England Patriots* | 7 |
Denver Broncos* | 6 |
San Francisco 49ers* | 6 |
Playoff Success
The San Francisco 49ers have 30 postseason victories, tied for the third-most all-time.
With a win Sunday against Seattle, the 49ers can take sole possession of third on all-time postseason wins list, trailing Dallas and Pittsburgh (33).
The teams with the most playoff victories in NFL history:
Team | Playoff Wins |
---|---|
Source: NFL *Active Sunday | |
Dallas Cowboys | 33 |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 33 |
San Francisco 49ers* | 30 |
Green Bay Packers | 30 |
New England Patriots* | 25 |
Oakland Raiders | 25 |
Team Leader
Denver Broncos head coach John Fox is in his third season with the franchise and has led the team to three consecutive division titles for the first time in club history. Sunday will mark Fox's third conference championship game (Carolina 2003, 2005) as a head coach and the Broncos first since 2005.
With a win on Sunday against the Patriots, Fox will become just the sixth coach in NFL history to lead two different teams to the Super Bowl.
The head coaches to lead multiple franchises to the Super Bowl:
Head Coach | Team | Super Bowl(s) | Team | Super Bowl(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Source: NFL *Active Sunday | ||||
Don Shula | Baltimore Colts | III | Miami | VI, VII, VIII, XVII, XIX |
Bill Parcells | NY Giants | XXI, XXV | New England | XXXI |
Dan Reeves | Denver | XXI, XXII, XXIV | Atlanta | XXXIII |
Dick Vermeil | Philadelphia | XV | St. Louis | XXXIV |
Mike Holmgren | Green Bay | XXXI, XXXII | Seattle | XL |
John Fox* | Carolina | XXXVIII | Denver | ??? |
Head of the Class
New England head coach Bill Belichick (19-7, .731) led his team to a 43-22 win over Indianapolis last week.
With a win in the AFC Championship Game, Belichick (five) would join Shula (six) as the only head coaches to lead their team(s) to six Super Bowls.
Belichick has reached five Super Bowls with Brady, already the most by any head coach-quarterback combination in NFL history.
The head coaches to reach the most Super Bowls in NFL History:
Head Coach | Super Bowl Appearances |
---|---|
Source: NFL *Active Sunday | |
Don Shula | 6 |
Bill Belichick* | 5 |
Tom Landry | 5 |
Five tied | 4 |
Passing Legends
In 2013, Denver quarterback Peyton Manning led the league in passing yards (5,477) and touchdown passes (55), with both marks setting NFL single-season records.
With a win on Sunday, Manning will become the fourth quarterback in the Super Bowl era to lead the league in passing yards and TDs and also advance to the Super Bowl that season. Manning would join Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino (1984), Kurt Warner (2001) and Tom Brady (2007) as the only QBs to accomplish the feat.
The quarterbacks to advance to the Super Bowl after leading the league in passing yards and touchdown passes in the Super Bowl era:
Season | Quarterback | Team | Yards | TDs | Super Bowl | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Source: NFL *Active Sunday | ||||||
2007 | Tom Brady | Patriots | 4,806 | 50 | XLII | Giants 17, Patriots 14 |
2001 | Kurt Warner | Rams | 4,830 | 36 | XXXVI | Patriots 20, Rams 17 |
1984 | Dan Marino | Dolphins | 5,084 | 48 | XIX | 49ers 38, Dolphins 16 |
2013 | Peyton Manning* | Broncos | 5,477 | 55 | ??? | ??? |
Super Tom
New England quarterback Tom Brady leads the Patriots to Denver for the AFC Championship Game on Sunday. Brady has a 5-2 career record in AFC Championship Games and is tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer John Elway (five) for most conference championship wins all-time.
With a win on Sunday, Brady would surpass John Elway for the most conference championship wins by a starting quarterback in NFL history.
A victory on Sunday would send Brady to his sixth Super Bowl, the most by a starting quarterback in NFL history.
The starting quarterbacks with the most Super Bowl appearances in NFL history:
Quarterback | Super Bowl Appearances |
Super Bowl Record |
---|---|---|
Source: NFL *Active Sunday ^Pro Football Hall of Famer | ||
Tom Brady* | 5 | 3-2 |
John Elway^ | 5 | 2-3 |
Terry Bradshaw^ | 4 | 4-0 |
Joe Montana ^ | 4 | 4-0 |
Roger Staubach^ | 4 | 2-2 |
Jim Kelly^ | 4 | 0-4 |
Sack Attack
San Francisco linebacker Ahmad Brooks has 4.5 sacks in the 2013 postseason.
Since sacks were made an official statistic in 1982, no player has recorded more than six sacks in a single postseason.
With two sacks on Sunday against Seattle, Brooks would surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer RICHARD DENT, MICHAEL MC CRARY and LA MARR WOODLEY (six) for the most sacks in a single postseason since 1982.
The players with the most sacks in a single postseason since the statistic was made official in 1982:
Player | Team | Sacks | Season |
---|---|---|---|
Source: NFL *Active Sunday | |||
Richard Dent | Chicago | 6 | 1985 |
Michael McCrary | Baltimore | 6 | 2000 |
LaMarr Woodley | Pittsburgh | 6 | 2008 |
Willie McGinest | New England | 5 | 2003 |
Terrell Suggs | Baltimore | 5 | 2010 |
Tony Tolbert | Dallas | 5 | 1995 |
Ahmad Brooks* | San Francisco | 4.5 | 2013 |
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