NFC Championship Game
The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference and one of the two semifinal playoff games of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the world. 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, 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. Since the pre-merger NFL consisted of six more teams than 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, Cleveland Browns, and 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 losses in the NFC Championship Game at 11, along with most appearances at 19, and have hosted the most at 11. Both the Dallas Cowboys and 49ers have won the most NFC Championships at 8 each.
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 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. The two teams remaining following the Wild Card round and the Divisional 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. 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 relief sculpture of various football players in the back. The Lamar Hunt Trophy, awarded to the AFC Champion, used a similar design with a sculpted AFC logo.For the 2010–11 NFL playoffs, the two conference trophies were redesigned by Tiffany & Co. at the request of the NFL in an attempt to make both awards more significant. 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.
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.
The George Halas Trophy should not be confused with the Newspaper Enterprise Association's Newspaper Enterprise Association [NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award|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 |NFL champions] were awarded the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy, starting in 1934 [NFL Championship Game|1934].
List of NFC Championship Games
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 | Last game | Last win | Home games | Home wins | Home losses | Home win % | Away games | Away wins | Away losses | Away win % | ||||||
| 19 | San Francisco 49ers | 8 | 11 | 402 | 391 | 2023 | 2023 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 6 | |||
| 14 | Dallas Cowboys | 8 | 6 | 317 | 264 | 1995 | 1995 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 5 | |||
| 12 | Los Angeles Rams | 5 | 7 | 128 | 227 | 2025 | 2021 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 5 | |||
| 9 | Philadelphia Eagles | 5 | 4 | 233 | 156 | 2024 | 2024 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 9 | Minnesota Vikings | 3 | 6 | 136 | 175 | 2017 | 1976 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 5 | |||
| 9 | Green Bay Packers | 3 | 6 | 184 | 207 | 2020 | 2010 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 4 | |||
| 7 | Washington Commanders | 5 | 2 | 162 | 133 | 2024 | 1991 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 5 | New York Giants | 5 | 0 | 116 | 50 | 2011 | 2011 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | |||
| 5 | Chicago Bears | 2 | 3 | 80 | 86 | 2010 | 2006 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 4 | Seattle Seahawks | 4 | 0 | 116 | 80 | 2025 | 2025 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 4 | Atlanta Falcons | 2 | 2 | 108 | 103 | 2016 | 2016 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 4 | Carolina Panthers | 2 | 2 | 90 | 82 | 2015 | 2015 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 4 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2 | 2 | 64 | 56 | 2020 | 2020 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||
| 3 | New Orleans Saints | 1 | 2 | 68 | 93 | 2018 | 2009 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 2 | Arizona Cardinals | 1 | 1 | 47 | 74 | 2015 | 2008 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 2 | Detroit Lions | 0 | 2 | 41 | 75 | 2023 | 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" column, bold years indicate winning Conference Championship appearances.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.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
- * Dallas Cowboys
- * San Francisco 49ers
- Most losses: 11** – San Francisco 49ers
- Most appearances: 19** – San Francisco 49ers
- Most consecutive appearances: 4
- * Dallas Cowboys
- * Philadelphia Eagles
- Most consecutive victories: 2
- * Dallas Cowboys
- * Minnesota Vikings
- * Washington Redskins
- * San Francisco 49ers
- * Green Bay Packers
- * Seattle Seahawks
- Most victories without a loss: 5** – New York Giants
- Most appearances without a win: 2 – Detroit Lions
- Most consecutive losses before first win: 4* – Los Angeles Rams
- Most consecutive appearances without a win: 6** – Minnesota Vikings
- Most defensive shutouts: 2* – New York Giants
- Most times shut out: 2** – Los Angeles Rams
- Most consecutive losses: 3*
- * Los Angeles Rams
- * Dallas Cowboys
- * Philadelphia Eagles
- Most games hosted: 11* – San Francisco 49ers
- Most consecutive games hosted: 3 – Philadelphia Eagles
- Most common matchup: 6** – Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers
- Most points scored: 55** – January 26, 2025 – Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Commanders
- Largest margin of victory: 41 points – January 14, 2001 – New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings
- Smallest margin of victory: 1 point** – January 10, 1982 – San Francisco 49ers vs. Dallas Cowboys
- Fewest points scored, winning team: 9** – January 6, 1980 – Los Angeles Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Fewest points scored: 0*
- * January 7, 1979 – Los Angeles Rams vs Dallas Cowboys
- * January 6, 1980 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Los Angeles Rams
- * January 6, 1985 – Chicago Bears vs San Francisco 49ers
- * January 12, 1986 – Los Angeles Rams vs Chicago Bears
- * January 11, 1987 – Washington Redskins vs New York Giants
- * January 14, 2001 – Minnesota Vikings vs New York Giants 41
- Most points scored, losing team: 31 – January 28, 2024 – Detroit Lions vs. San Francisco 49ers
- Most combined points scored: 78** – January 26, 2025 – Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Commanders
- Fewest combined points scored: 9** – January 6, 1980 – Los Angeles Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Longest game: 71 minutes, 52 seconds** – January 17, 1999 – Atlanta Falcons @ Minnesota Vikings, OT
- Most NFC Championships won in overtime: 2** – New York Giants
- Most NFC Championships lost in overtime: 2*
- * Green Bay Packers
- * Minnesota Vikings
- Current teams which have never hosted an NFC Championship Game: Detroit Lions
- Current teams which have never won an NFC Championship: Detroit Lions
- Longest drought without appearing in an NFC Championship Game: Dallas Cowboys
- Longest drought without an NFC Championship: Detroit Lions**
- Highest attendance: 88,919 – Dallas Cowboys vs. Los Angeles Rams at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on January 4, 1976
- Largest comeback: 17 points
- * San Francisco 49ers, 2012
- * San Francisco 49ers, 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
TV ratings
- 2024: 44.2 million