NFC Championship Game explained

The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semifinal playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. Similar to the AFC, the game is played on the last Sunday in January by the two remaining playoff teams, following the NFC postseason's first two rounds. The NFC champion then advances to face the winner of the AFC Championship Game in the Super Bowl.

The game was established as part of the 1970 merger between the NFL and the American Football League (AFL), with the merged league realigning into two conferences. Since 1984, each winner of the NFC Championship Game has also received the George Halas Trophy, named after the co-founder of the NFL and founder and longtime owner of the Chicago Bears, George Halas.

History

The first NFC Championship Game was played following the 1970 regular season after the merger between the NFL and the AFL. The game is considered the successor to the original NFL Championship, and its game results are listed with that of its predecessor in the annual NFL Record and Fact Book.^[1] Since the pre-merger NFL consisted of six more teams than the AFL (16 teams for the NFL and 10 for the AFL), a realignment was done as part of the merger to create two conferences with an equal number of teams: The NFL's Baltimore Colts, the Cleveland Browns, and the Pittsburgh Steelers joined the ten former AFL teams to form the AFC; while the remaining 13 pre-merger NFL clubs formed the NFC.

Every NFC team has played in an NFC Championship at least once. The Seattle Seahawks, who have been members in both the AFC and the NFC, hold the distinction of appearing in both conference title games. Only the Detroit Lions have yet to win or host an NFC Championship Game. The San Francisco 49ers have the most appearances in the NFC Championship Game at 19, and have hosted the most at 11.^{[2] [3] [4]} Both the Dallas Cowboys and 49ers have won the most NFC Championships at 8 each.^[5]

The Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings are the only two NFC teams to appear in at least one NFC Championship game in every decade since 1970.

Playoff structure

The structure of the NFL playoffs has changed several times since 1970. At the end of each regular season, the top teams in the NFC qualify for the postseason, including all division champions (three division winners from the 1970–71 to 2001–02 seasons; four since the 2002–03 season) and a set number of "wild card" teams that possess the best win–loss records after the regular season yet fail to win their division (one wild card team from the 1970–71 to 1977–78 seasons; two wild cards from 1978–79 to 1989–90, and from 2002–03 to 2019–20; three from 1990–91 to 2001–02, and since 2020–21). The two teams remaining following the Wild Card round (first round) and the divisional round (second round) play in the NFC Championship Game, with the winner advancing to the Super Bowl.

Initially, the site of the NFC Championship Game was determined on a rotating basis.^[6] Since the 1975–76 season, the site of the game has been based on playoff seeding based on the regular season won-loss record, with the highest surviving seed hosting the game. A wild card team can only host the game if both participants are wild cards; such an instance has yet to occur in the NFL.

George Halas Trophy

Beginning with the 1984–85 NFL playoffs, the winner of the NFC Championship Game has received the George Halas Trophy, named after the longtime owner and coach of the Chicago Bears, a charter member of the NFL. The original design consisted of a wooden base with a sculpted NFC logo in the front and a sculpture of various football players in the back.

For the 2010–11 NFL playoffs, the George Halas Trophy Trophy and the Lamar Hunt Trophy, which is awarded to the AFC champion, were redesigned by Tiffany & Co. at the request of the NFL in an attempt to make both awards more significant.^[7] The trophies are now a new, silver design with the outline of a hollow football positioned on a small base to more closely resemble the Vince Lombardi Trophy, awarded to the winner of the Super Bowl.^[8]

In recent years Conference championship rings are also awarded to members of the team who wins the AFC or NFC championship since they are the winners of the conference, even though they may not necessarily follow it up with a win in the Super Bowl.^{[9] [10]}

The George Halas Trophy should not be confused with the Newspaper Enterprise Association's George Halas Trophy, which was awarded to the NFL's defensive player of the year from 1966 to 1996 or the Pro Football Writers Association's George S. Halas Courage Award.

Prior to the merger in 1970, the NFL champions were awarded the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy, starting in 1934.

List of NFC Championship Games

See also: List of NFC champions.

Numbers in parentheses in the winning team column are NFC Championships won by that team. Bold indicates team won Super Bowl that year.

Numbers in parentheses in the city and stadium column is the number of times that metropolitan area and stadium has hosted a NFC Championship, respectively.

Season	Playoffs	Winning team	Score	Losing team	Score	Date	Location	Stadium
		Dallas Cowboys (1)	17		10	January 3, 1971	San Francisco, California^[11]	Kezar Stadium^[12] ^[13]
		Dallas Cowboys (2)	14		3	January 2, 1972		Texas Stadium^[14]
		Washington Redskins (1)	26		3	December 31, 1972		RFK Stadium^[15] ^[16]
		Minnesota Vikings (1)	27		10	December 30, 1973	Irving, Texas (2)	Texas Stadium (2)^[17]
		Minnesota Vikings (2)	14		10	December 29, 1974	Bloomington, Minnesota^[18]	Metropolitan Stadium^[19]
		Dallas Cowboys (3)	37		7	January 4, 1976	Los Angeles, California^[20]	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum^[21] ^[22]
		Minnesota Vikings (3)	24		13	December 26, 1976	Bloomington, Minnesota (2)	Metropolitan Stadium (2)^[23]
		Dallas Cowboys (4)	23		6	January 1, 1978	Irving, Texas (3)	Texas Stadium (3)^[24]
		Dallas Cowboys (5)	28		0	January 7, 1979	Los Angeles, California (2)	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (2)^[25]
		Los Angeles Rams (1)	9		0	January 6, 1980		Tampa Stadium^[26]
		Philadelphia Eagles (1)	20		7	January 11, 1981		Veterans Stadium^[27]
		San Francisco 49ers (1)	28		27		San Francisco, California (2)	Candlestick Park^[28] ^[29]
	1982–83^[30]	Washington Redskins (2)	31		17	January 22, 1983	Washington, D.C. (2)	RFK Stadium (2)^[31]
		Washington Redskins (3)	24		21	January 8, 1984	Washington, D.C. (3)	RFK Stadium (3)^[32]
		San Francisco 49ers (2)	23		0	January 6, 1985	San Francisco, California (3)	Candlestick Park (2)^[33]
		Chicago Bears (1)	24		0	January 12, 1986		Soldier Field^[34]
		New York Giants (1)	17		0	January 11, 1987		Giants Stadium^[35]
		Washington Redskins (4)	17		10	January 17, 1988	Washington, D.C. (4)	RFK Stadium (4)^[36]
		San Francisco 49ers (3)	28		3	January 8, 1989	Chicago, Illinois (2)	Soldier Field (2)^[37]
		San Francisco 49ers (4)	30		3	January 14, 1990	San Francisco, California (4)	Candlestick Park (3)^[38]
		New York Giants (2)	15		13	January 20, 1991	San Francisco, California (5)	Candlestick Park (4)^[39]
		Washington Redskins (5)	41		10	January 12, 1992	Washington, D.C. (5)	RFK Stadium (5)^[40]
		Dallas Cowboys (6)	30		20	January 17, 1993	San Francisco, California (6)	Candlestick Park (5)^[41]
		Dallas Cowboys (7)	38		21	January 23, 1994	Irving, Texas (4)	Texas Stadium (4)^[42]
		San Francisco 49ers (5)	38		28	January 15, 1995	San Francisco, California (7)	Candlestick Park (6)^[43]
		Dallas Cowboys (8)	38		27	January 14, 1996	Irving, Texas (5)	Texas Stadium (5)^[44]
		Green Bay Packers (1)	30		13	January 12, 1997		Lambeau Field^[45]
		Green Bay Packers (2)	23		10	January 11, 1998	San Francisco, California (8)	3Com Park (7)^[46]
		Atlanta Falcons (1)	30^[47]		27		Minneapolis, Minnesota (3)	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome^[48]
		St. Louis Rams (2)	11		6	January 23, 2000		Trans World Dome^[49] ^[50]
		New York Giants (3)	41		0	January 14, 2001	East Rutherford, New Jersey (2)	Giants Stadium (2)^[51]
		St. Louis Rams (3)	29		24	January 27, 2002	St. Louis, Missouri (2)	Edward Jones Dome (2)^[52]
		Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1)	27		10	January 19, 2003	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2)	Veterans Stadium (2)^[53] ^[54]
		Carolina Panthers (1)	14		3	January 18, 2004	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (3)	Lincoln Financial Field^[55]
		Philadelphia Eagles (2)	27		10	January 23, 2005	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (4)	Lincoln Financial Field (2)^[56]
		Seattle Seahawks (1)	34		14	January 22, 2006		Qwest Field^[57] ^[58]
		Chicago Bears (2)	39		14	January 21, 2007	Chicago, Illinois (3)	Soldier Field (3)^[59]
		New York Giants (4)	23		20	January 20, 2008	Green Bay, Wisconsin (2)	Lambeau Field (2)^[60]
		Arizona Cardinals (1)	32		25	January 18, 2009		University of Phoenix Stadium^[61]
		New Orleans Saints (1)	31		28	January 24, 2010		Louisiana Superdome^[62] ^[63]
		Green Bay Packers (3)	21		14	January 23, 2011	Chicago, Illinois (4)	Soldier Field (4)^[64]
		New York Giants (5)	20		17	January 22, 2012	San Francisco, California (9)	Candlestick Park (8)^[65]
		San Francisco 49ers (6)	28		24	January 20, 2013		Georgia Dome^[66]
		Seattle Seahawks (2)	23		17		Seattle, Washington (2)	CenturyLink Field (2)^[67]
		Seattle Seahawks (3)	28		22		Seattle, Washington (3)	CenturyLink Field (3)^[68]
		Carolina Panthers (2)	49		15	January 24, 2016		Bank of America Stadium^[69]
		Atlanta Falcons (2)	44		21	January 22, 2017	Atlanta, Georgia (2)	Georgia Dome (2)^[70] ^[71]
		Philadelphia Eagles (3)	38		7	January 21, 2018	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (5)	Lincoln Financial Field (3)^[72]
		Los Angeles Rams (4)	26		23		New Orleans, Louisiana (2)	Mercedes-Benz Superdome (2)^[73]
		San Francisco 49ers (7)	37		20	January 19, 2020	Santa Clara, California (10)	Levi's Stadium^[74]
		Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2)	31	Green Bay Packers	26	January 24, 2021	Green Bay, Wisconsin (3)	Lambeau Field (3)^[75]
		Los Angeles Rams (5)	20		17	January 30, 2022	Inglewood, California (3)	SoFi Stadium^[76] ^[77]
		Philadelphia Eagles (4)	31		7	January 29, 2023	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (6)	Lincoln Financial Field (4)^[78]
		San Francisco 49ers (8)	34		31	January 28, 2024	Santa Clara, California (11)	Levi's Stadium (2)^[79]

Appearances, 1970–present

In the sortable table below, teams are ordered first by number of appearances, then by number of wins, and finally by year of first appearance.

	Team	W	L	%	PF	PA	Last game	Last win	Home games	Home wins	Home losses	Home win %	Away games	Away wins	Away losses	Away win %
19		8	11		402	391			11	6	5		8	2	6
14		8	6		317	264			5	4	1		9	4	5
11		5	6		128	227			5	3	2		6	2	4
9		3	6		136	175			3	2	1		6	1	5
9		3	6		184	207			3	1	2		6	2	4
8		4	4		178	133			6	4	2		2	0	2
6		5	1		139	78			5	5	0		1	0	1
5		5	0		116	50			2	2	0		3	3	0
5		2	3		80	86			4	2	2		1	0	1
4		2	2		108	103			2	1	1		2	1	1
4		2	2		90	82			1	1	0		3	1	2
4		2	2		64	56			1	0	1		3	2	1
3		3	0		85	53			3	3	0		0	0	0
3		1	2		68	93			2	1	1		1	0	1
2		1	1		47	74			1	1	0		1	0	1
2		0	2		41	75		N/A	0	0	0	—	2	0	2

Appearances by year

In the sortable table below, teams are ordered first by number of appearances, then by number of wins, and finally by year of first appearance. In the "Season(s)" column, bold years indicate winning Conference Championship appearances.

	Team	Wins	Losses	Win %	Season(s)
19		8	11		1970, 1971, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023
14		8	6		1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995
11	Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams^[80]	5	6		1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1985, 1989, 1999, 2001, 2018, 2021
9	Minnesota Vikings	3	6		1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1987, 1998, 2000, 2009, 2017
9	Green Bay Packers	3	6		1995, 1996, 1997, 2007, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2020
8	Philadelphia Eagles	4	4		1980, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2017, 2022
6	Washington Redskins/Commanders^[81]	5	1		1972, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1991
5	New York Giants	5	0		1986, 1990, 2000, 2007, 2011
5	Chicago Bears	2	3		1984, 1985, 1988, 2006, 2010
4		2	2		1979, 1999, 2002, 2020
4	Carolina Panthers	2	2		1996, 2003, 2005, 2015
4	Atlanta Falcons	2	2		1998, 2004, 2012, 2016
3	Seattle Seahawks^[82]	3	0		2005, 2013, 2014
3		1	2		2006, 2009, 2018
2		1	1		2008, 2015
2		0	2		1991, 2023

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 prior to the 2002 season, renaming the NFC Central as the NFC North, creating the NFC South, and shifting several teams among the divisions.

Division	Total	1970-2001	2002-present
	Wins	Losses	Win %		Wins	Losses	Win %		Wins	Losses	Win %
NFC East	33	22	11		25	17^[83]	8^[84]		8	5	3
NFC North	27	8	19		16	6^[85]	10^[86]		11	2	9
NFC South	11	6	5		11	6^[87]	5^[88]
NFC West	37	18	19		23	9^[89]	14^[90]		12	9	5

Most common matchups

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

• Most victories: 8 (tie)
  • Dallas Cowboys (1970–1971, 1975, 1977–1978, 1992–1993, 1995)
  • San Francisco 49ers (1981, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1994, 2012, 2019, 2023)
• Most losses: 11** – San Francisco 49ers (1970–1971, 1983, 1990, 1992–1993, 1997, 2011, 2013, 2021–2022)
• Most appearances: 19** – San Francisco 49ers (1970–1971, 1981, 1983–1984, 1988–1990, 1992–1994, 1997, 2011–2013, 2019, 2021–2023)
• Most consecutive appearances: 4 (tie, 2 teams, 3 times)
  • Dallas Cowboys (1970–1973, 1992–1995)
  • Philadelphia Eagles (2001–2004)
• Most consecutive victories: 2 – (tie, 6 teams, 8 times)
  • Dallas Cowboys (1970–1971, 1977–1978, 1992–1993)
  • Minnesota Vikings (1973–1974)
  • Washington Redskins (1982–1983)
  • San Francisco 49ers (1988–1989)
  • Green Bay Packers (1996–1997)
  • Seattle Seahawks (2013–2014)
• Most victories without a loss: 5** – New York Giants (1986, 1990, 2000, 2007, 2011)
• Most appearances without a win: 2 – Detroit Lions (1991, 2023)
• Most consecutive losses before first win: 4; Los Angeles Rams (1974, 1975, 1976, 1978)
• Most consecutive appearances without a win: 6 – Minnesota Vikings (1977, 1987, 1998, 2000, 2009, 2017)
• Most defensive shutouts: 2**; – New York Giants (Jan 11, 1987, 17–0 vs Redskins and Jan 14, 2001, 41–0 vs Vikings)
• Most times shut out: 2**; – Los Angeles Rams (Jan 7, 1979, 0–28 vs Cowboys and Jan 12, 1986, 0–24 vs Bears)
• Most consecutive losses: 3* – (tie, 3 times)
  • Los Angeles Rams (1974–1976)
  • Dallas Cowboys (1980–1982)
  • Philadelphia Eagles (2001–2003)
• Most games hosted: 11 – San Francisco 49ers (1970, 1981, 1984, 1989–1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 2011, 2019, 2023)
• Most consecutive games hosted: 3; – Philadelphia Eagles (2002–2004)
• Most numerous matchup: 6** – Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers (1970–1971, 1981, 1992–1994)
• Most points scored: 49 points – January 24, 2016 – Carolina Panthers vs. Arizona Cardinals (2015)
• Largest margin of victory: 41 points – January 14, 2001 (2000), New York Giants (41) vs. Minnesota Vikings (0)
• Closest margin of victory: 1 point – San Francisco 49ers (28) vs. Dallas Cowboys (27), 1981 NFC Championship Game**
• Fewest points scored, winning team: 9**; January 6, 1980 (1979) – Los Angeles Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Fewest points scored, either team: 0*; (tie, 5 teams, 6 times)
  • Los Angeles Rams 0 vs Dallas Cowboys 28 January 7, 1979
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0 vs Los Angeles Rams 9 January 6, 1980
  • Chicago Bears 0 vs San Francisco 49ers 23 January 6, 1985
  • Los Angeles Rams 0 vs Chicago Bears 24 January 12, 1986
  • Washington Redskins 0 vs New York Giants 17 January 11, 1987
  • Minnesota Vikings 0 vs New York Giants 41 January 14, 2001
• Most points scored, losing team: 31; January 28, 2024 (2023) – Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers
• Most combined points scored: 66; January 15, 1995 (1994) – San Francisco 49ers (38) vs. Dallas Cowboys (28)
• Fewest combined points scored: 9**; January 6, 1980 (1979) – Los Angeles Rams (9) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0)
• Longest game: 71 minutes, 52 seconds**; January 17, 1999 (1998) – Atlanta Falcons (30) @ Minnesota Vikings (27), OT
• Most NFC Championships won in overtime: 2** – New York Giants (2007, 2011)
• Most NFC Championships lost in overtime: 2* (tie) – Green Bay Packers (2007, 2014) Minnesota Vikings (1998, 2009)
• Current teams which have never hosted an NFC Championship Game:
  • Detroit Lions^[91]
• Current teams which have never won an NFC Championship:
  • Detroit Lions (0–2)^[91]
• Longest drought without appearing in an NFC Championship Game: Washington Redskins/Commanders (last appearance – 1991)
• Longest drought without an NFC Championship: Detroit Lions**^[91]
• Highest attendance: 88,919; Dallas Cowboys vs. Los Angeles Rams at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on January 4, 1976 (1975)
• Largest comeback: 17 points (tie)
  • San Francisco 49ers (trailed 17–0; won 28–24), 2012
  • San Francisco 49ers (trailed 24–7; won 34–31), 2023
• Overtime games:
  • 1998 Atlanta Falcons 30 Minnesota Vikings 27
  • 2007 New York Giants 23 Green Bay Packers 20
  • 2009 New Orleans Saints 31 Minnesota Vikings 28
  • 2011 New York Giants 20 San Francisco 49ers 17
  • 2014 Seattle Seahawks 28 Green Bay Packers 22
  • 2018 Los Angeles Rams 26 New Orleans Saints 23

Notes:

• *Tied for Conference Championship record
• **Conference Championship record

Footnotes

1. Book: 2023 NFL Record and Fact Book . National Football League . NFC Championship Game Results. Includes NFL Championship Games (1933-69) . 500 . January 21, 2024.
2. Web site: Alfano . Jonathan . 2024-01-23 . NFC Championship Game history: Wins, losses, results, teams . 2024-03-01 . ClutchPoints NFL News . en.
3. Web site: Marczi . Matthew . 2024-01-22 . 49ers Tie Steelers In Hosting Record 11th Conference Championship Game . 2024-03-01 . Steelers Depot . en-US.
4. Web site: Conference title games new for some, old hat for others . 2024-03-01 . spectrumnews1.com . en.
5. Web site: 2023-01-23 . NFC Championship Game history: Most wins, losses and appearances . 2024-03-01 . NBC Sports Bay Area & California . en-US.
6. Urena, I., Pro Football Schedules: A Complete Historical Guide from 1933 to the Present (Jefferson, NC & London: McFarland & Company, 2014), p. 10.
7. News: NFC's Halas trophy has new look . Chicago Sun-Times.
8. News: NFL Replay: Gritty Steelers aren't pretty, but they are Super . USA Today . Jarrett . Bell . January 25, 2011.
9. Web site: First look at the Atlanta Falcons NFC Championship rings . 247sports.com . February 5, 2019.
10. Web site: Brandin Cooks thanks Patriots for AFC Championship ring . 247sports.com . February 5, 2019.
11. [San Francisco]
12. This was the final NFL game played at Kezar Stadium.
13. Web site: Championship - Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers - January 3rd, 1971. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-16.
14. Web site: NFC Championship - San Francisco 49ers at Dallas Cowboys - January 2nd, 1972. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-16.
15. The 1972 Dallas Cowboys were the first ever NFC wild card franchise to advance to the Conference championship game.
16. Web site: NFC Championship - Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins - December 31st, 1972. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-16.
17. Web site: NFC Championship - Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys - December 30th, 1973. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-16.
18. [Bloomington, Minnesota|Bloomington]
19. Web site: NFC Championship - Los Angeles Rams at Minnesota Vikings - December 29th, 1974. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-16.
20. [Los Angeles]
21. The 1975 Dallas Cowboys were the first ever wild card franchise to advance to the Super Bowl.
22. Web site: NFC Championship - Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams - January 4th, 1976. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-16.
23. Web site: NFC Championship - Los Angeles Rams at Minnesota Vikings - December 26th, 1976. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-16.
24. Web site: NFC Championship - Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys - January 1st, 1978. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-16.
25. Web site: NFC Championship - Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams - January 7th, 1979. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-16.
26. Web site: NFC Championship - Los Angeles Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - January 6th, 1980. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-16.
27. Web site: NFC Championship - Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles - January 11th, 1981. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-16.
28. [Candlestick Park]
29. Web site: NFC Championship - Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers - January 10th, 1982. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-16.
30. Played on Saturday
31. Web site: NFC Championship - Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins - January 22nd, 1983. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-16.
32. Web site: NFC Championship - San Francisco 49ers at Washington Redskins - January 8th, 1984. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-16.
33. Web site: NFC Championship - Chicago Bears at San Francisco 49ers - January 6th, 1985. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-16.
34. Web site: NFC Championship - Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears - January 12th, 1986. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-16.
35. Web site: NFC Championship - Washington Redskins at New York Giants - January 11th, 1987. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-16.
36. Web site: NFC Championship - Minnesota Vikings at Washington Redskins - January 17th, 1988. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-16.
37. Web site: NFC Championship - San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears - January 8th, 1989. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-16.
38. Web site: NFC Championship - Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers - January 14th, 1990. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-16.
39. Web site: NFC Championship - New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers - January 20th, 1991. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
40. Web site: NFC Championship - Detroit Lions at Washington Redskins - January 12th, 1992. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
41. Web site: NFC Championship - Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers - January 17th, 1993. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
42. Web site: NFC Championship - San Francisco 49ers at Dallas Cowboys - January 23rd, 1994. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
43. Web site: NFC Championship - Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers - January 15th, 1995. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
44. Web site: NFC Championship - Green Bay Packers at Dallas Cowboys - January 14th, 1996. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
45. Web site: NFC Championship - Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers - January 12th, 1997. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
46. Web site: NFC Championship - Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers - January 11th, 1998. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
47. Overtime
48. Web site: NFC Championship - Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings - January 17th, 1999. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
49. [The Dome at America's Center]
50. Web site: NFC Championship - Tampa Bay Buccaneers at St. Louis Rams - January 23rd, 2000. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
51. Web site: NFC Championship - Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants - January 14th, 2001. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
52. Web site: NFC Championship - Philadelphia Eagles at St. Louis Rams - January 27th, 2002. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
53. This was the final NFL game played at Veterans Stadium.
54. Web site: NFC Championship - Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Philadelphia Eagles - January 19th, 2003. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
55. Web site: NFC Championship - Carolina Panthers at Philadelphia Eagles - January 18th, 2004. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
56. Web site: NFC Championship - Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles - January 23rd, 2005. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
57. [Lumen Field]
58. Web site: NFC Championship - Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks - January 22nd, 2006. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
59. Web site: NFC Championship - New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears - January 21st, 2007. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
60. Web site: NFC Championship - New York Giants at Green Bay Packers - January 20th, 2008. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
61. Web site: NFC Championship - Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals - January 18th, 2009. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
62. [Caesars Superdome]
63. Web site: NFC Championship - Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints - January 24th, 2010. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
64. Web site: NFC Championship - Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears - January 23rd, 2011. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
65. Web site: NFC Championship - New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers - January 22nd, 2012. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
66. Web site: NFC Championship - San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons - January 20th, 2013. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
67. Web site: NFC Championship - San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks - January 19th, 2014. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
68. Web site: NFC Championship - Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks - January 18th, 2015. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
69. Web site: NFC Championship - Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers - January 24th, 2016. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
70. This was the final NFL game played at the Georgia Dome.
71. Web site: NFC Championship - Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons - January 22nd, 2017. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
72. Web site: NFC Championship - Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles - January 21st, 2018. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
73. Web site: NFC Championship - Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints - January 20th, 2019. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
74. Web site: NFC Championship - Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers - January 19th, 2020. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
75. Web site: NFC Championship - Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Green Bay Packers - January 24th, 2021. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
76. This was the first Championship Game in either conference to be played at the same stadium of that season's Super Bowl.
77. Web site: NFC Championship - San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams - January 30th, 2022. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
78. Web site: NFC Championship - San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles - January 29th, 2023. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
79. Web site: NFC Championship - Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers - January 28th, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. 2024-11-17.
80. Includes appearances during the Rams' first tenure in Los Angeles (the 1970 merger to 1994), where they went 1–6 in NFC Championship Games; and their period as the St. Louis Rams (1995–2015), where they went 2–0 in NFC Championship Games.
81. The Commanders were known as the Redskins at the time of all their NFC Championship appearances.
82. The Seahawks were members of the NFC in 1976 and then members of the AFC from 1977 to 2001, before rejoining the NFC in 2002. Including their only appearance (1983) in the AFC Championship Game (0–1), they hold a combined 3–1 record between both Conference Championship Games.
83. NFC East conference championship game victories. Pre-2002: 1970, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2000. Since 2002: 2004, 2007, 2011, 2017, 2022
84. NFC East conference championship game losses. Pre-2002: 1972, 1973, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1994, 2001. Since 2002: 2002, 2003, 2008
85. NFC North conference championship game victories. Pre-2002: 1973, 1974, 1976, 1985, 1996, 1997. Since 2002: 2006, 2010.
86. NFC North conference championship game losses. Pre-2002: 1977, 1979, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000. Since 2002: 2007, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2023
87. NFC South conference championship game victories: 2002, 2003, 2009, 2015, 2016, 2020
88. NFC South conference championship game losses: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2012, 2018
89. NFC West conference championship game victories. Pre-2002: 1979, 1981, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2001. Since 2002: 2005, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023
90. NFC West conference championship game losses. Pre-2002: 1970, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1983, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997. Since 2002: 2011, 2013, 2015, 2021, 2022
91. The Lions last hosted and won the 1957 NFL Championship Game during the pre-Super Bowl era.

References

• Time Almanac 2004