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NFC Championship Game
NFC Championship Game logo
NFC Championship logo
First played 1970
Trophy George Halas

AmericanFootball current event Recent and upcoming games
2023 season
Levi's Stadium
Santa Clara, California
January 28, 2024
San Francisco 49ers 34,
Detroit Lions 31

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. 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 NFL founder and founder and longtime owner of the Chicago Bears, George Halas.

Playoff structure[]

For more details on this topic, see NFL playoffs.

At the end of each football season, a series of playoff games involving the top six teams in the NFC are conducted, consisting of the four division champions and two wild card teams. The two teams remaining play in the NFC Championship game.

List of NFC Championship Games[]

Numbers in parentheses in the table are NFC Championships. 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 Winning team Score Losing team Score Location Stadium
1970-71 Dallas Cowboys (1) 17 San Francisco 49ers 10 San Francisco, California Kezar Stadium
1971-72 Dallas Cowboys (2) 14 San Francisco 49ers 3 Irving, Texas Texas Stadium
1972-73 Washington Redskins (1) 26 Dallas Cowboys 3 Washington, D.C. RFK Stadium
1973-74 Minnesota Vikings (1) 27 Dallas Cowboys 10 Irving, Texas (2) Texas Stadium (2)
1974-75 Minnesota Vikings (2) 14 Los Angeles Rams 10 Bloomington, Minnesota Metropolitan Stadium (2)
1975-76 Dallas Cowboys (3) 37 Los Angeles Rams 7 Los Angeles, California Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
1976-77 Minnesota Vikings (3) 24 Los Angeles Rams 13 Bloomington, Minnesota (3) Metropolitan Stadium (3)
1977-78 Dallas Cowboys (4) 23 Minnesota Vikings 6 Irving, Texas (3) Texas Stadium (3)
1978-79 Dallas Cowboys (5) 28 Los Angeles Rams 0 Los Angeles, California (2) Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (2)
1979-80 Los Angeles Rams (1) 9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0 Tampa, Florida Tampa Stadium
1980-81 Philadelphia Eagles (1) 20 Dallas Cowboys 7 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Veterans Stadium
1981-82 San Francisco 49ers (1) 28 Dallas Cowboys 27 San Francisco, California (2) Candlestick Park
1982-83 Washington Redskins (2) 31 Dallas Cowboys 17 Washington, D.C. (2) RFK Stadium (2)
1983-84 Washington Redskins (3) 24 San Francisco 49ers 21 Washington, D.C. (3) RFK Stadium (3)
1984-85 San Francisco 49ers (2) 23 Chicago Bears 0 San Francisco, California (3) Candlestick Park (2)
1985-86 Chicago Bears (1) 24 Los Angeles Rams 0 Chicago, Illinois Soldier Field
1986-87 New York Giants (1) 17 Washington Redskins 0 East Rutherford, New Jersey Giants Stadium
1987-88 Washington Redskins (4) 17 Minnesota Vikings 10 Washington, D.C. (4) RFK Stadium (4)
1988-89 San Francisco 49ers (3) 28 Chicago Bears 3 Chicago, Illinois (2) Soldier Field (2)
1989-90 San Francisco 49ers (4) 30 Los Angeles Rams 3 San Francisco, California (4) Candlestick Park (3)
1990-91 New York Giants (2) 15a[›] San Francisco 49ers 13 San Francisco, California (5) Candlestick Park (4)
1991-92 Washington Redskins (5) 41 Detroit Lions 10 Washington, D.C. (5) RFK Stadium (5)
1992-93 Dallas Cowboys (6) 30 San Francisco 49ers 20 San Francisco, California (6) Candlestick Park (5)
1993-94 Dallas Cowboys (7) 38 San Francisco 49ers 21 Irving, Texas (4) Texas Stadium (4)
1994-95 San Francisco 49ers (5) 38 Dallas Cowboys 28 San Francisco, California (7) Candlestick Park (6)
1995-96 Dallas Cowboys (8) 38 Green Bay Packers 27 Irving, Texas (5) Texas Stadium (5)
1996-97 Green Bay Packers (1) 30 Carolina Panthers 13 Green Bay, Wisconsin Lambeau Field
1997-98 Green Bay Packers (2) 23 San Francisco 49ers 10 San Francisco, California (8) 3Com Park (7)
1998-99 Atlanta Falcons (1) 30a[›] Minnesota Vikings 27 Minneapolis, Minnesota (3) Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
1999-00 St. Louis Rams (2) 11 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6 St. Louis, Missouri Trans World Dome
2000-01 New York Giants (3) 41 Minnesota Vikings 0 East Rutherford, New Jersey (2) Giants Stadium (2)
2001-02 St. Louis Rams (3) 29 Philadelphia Eagles 24 St. Louis, Missouri (2) Edward Jones Dome (2)
2002-03 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1) 27 Philadelphia Eagles 10 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2) Veterans Stadium (2)
2003-04 Carolina Panthers (1) 14 Philadelphia Eagles 3 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (3) Lincoln Financial Field
2004-05 Philadelphia Eagles (2) 27 Atlanta Falcons 10 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (4) Lincoln Financial Field (2)
2005-06 Seattle Seahawks (1) 34 Carolina Panthers 14 Seattle, Washington Qwest Field
2006-07 Chicago Bears (2) 39 New Orleans Saints 14 Chicago, Illinois (3) Soldier Field (3)
2007-08 New York Giants (4) 23a[›] Green Bay Packers 20 Green Bay, Wisconsin (2) Lambeau Field (2)
2008-09 Arizona Cardinals (1) 32 Philadelphia Eagles 25 Glendale, Arizona University of Phoenix Stadium
2009-10 New Orleans Saints (1) 31a[›] Minnesota Vikings 28 New Orleans, Louisiana Louisiana Superdome
2010-11 Green Bay Packers (3) 32 Chicago Bears 25 Chicago, Illinois (4) Soldier Field (4)
2011-12 New York Giants (5) 23a[›] San Francisco 49ers 20 San Francisco, California (9) Candlestick Park (8)
2012-13 San Francisco 49ers (6) 28 Atlanta Falcons 24 Atlanta, Georgia Georgia Dome
2013-14 Seattle Seahawks (2) 23 San Francisco 49ers 17 Seattle, Washington (2) CenturyLink Field (2)
2014-15 Seattle Seahawks (3) 28a[›] Green Bay Packers 22 Seattle, Washington (3) CenturyLink Field (3)
2015-16 Carolina Panthers (2) 49 Arizona Cardinals 15 Charlotte, North Carolina Bank of America Stadium
2016-17 Atlanta Falcons (2) 44 Green Bay Packers 21 Atlanta, Georgia (2) Georgia Dome (2)
2017-18 Philadelphia Eagles (3) 38 Minnesota Vikings 7 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (5) Lincoln Financial Field (3)
2018-19 Los Angeles Rams (4) 26a[›] New Orleans Saints 23 New Orleans, Louisiana (2) Mercedes-Benz Superdome (2)
2019-20 San Francisco 49ers (7) 37 Green Bay Packers 20 Santa Clara, California (10) Levi's Stadium
2020-21 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2) 31 Green Bay Packers 26 Green Bay, Wisconsin (3) Lambeau Field (3)
2021-22 Los Angeles Rams (5) 20 San Francisco 49ers 17 Inglewood, California (3) SoFi Stadium
2022-23 Philadelphia Eagles (4) 31 San Francisco 49ers 7 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (6) Lincoln Financial Field (4)
2023-24 San Francisco 49ers (8) 34 Detroit Lions 31 Santa Clara, California (11) Levi's Stadium (2)

^ a: Sudden-death overtime.

NFC Championship Game appearances 1970-present[]

Num Team W L PCT PF PA Last
appearance
18 San Francisco 49ers 8 11 .421 402 391 2023
14 Dallas Cowboys 8 6 .571 317 264 1995
11 Los Angeles Rams 5 6 .455 128 227 2021
9 Minnesota Vikings 3 6 .333 136 175 2017
9 Green Bay Packers 3 6 .333 184 207 2020
8 Philadelphia Eagles 4 4 .500 178 133 2022
6 Washington Commanders 5 1 .833 139 78 1991
5 New York Giants 5 0 1.000 119 50 2011
5 Chicago Bears 2 3 .400 80 86 2010
4 Atlanta Falcons 2 2 .500 108 103 2016
4 Carolina Panthers 2 2 .500 90 82 2015
4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2 2 .500 64 56 2020
3 Seattle Seahawks b[›] 3 0 1.000 34 14 2014
2 New Orleans Saints 1 1 .500 45 67 2009
2 Arizona Cardinals 1 1 1.000 32 25 2015
2 Detroit Lions 0 2 .000 41 75 2023

^ b: The Seattle Seahawks were members of the AFC from 1977 until 2002, and hold a combined 1-1 record between both Conference Championship Games.

NFC Championship Game records[]

^ *: Conference Championship record

See also[]

File:Nfc-championship.jpg

NFC Championship logo, 2001-2005

References[]

  • Time Almanac 2004

External links[]

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