Which team has the most NFC Championship Game appearances?
The 49ers are making a record 18th NFC Championship Game appearance this year. It is their sixth time reaching the game since 2011, and they are 2-3 in that span.
The Cowboys are second on the list with 14 appearances, the Rams are in third with 11 and the Packers and Vikings are tied for fourth with nine each.
Every team in the current NFC has reached at least one conference title game, and only one team has failed to represent the conference in a Super Bowl. Here is each team listed by NFC Championship Game appearances:
1. San Francisco 49ers: 18 (7-10)
2. Dallas Cowboys: 14 (8-6)
3. Los Angeles Rams: 11 (5-6)
T-4. Green Bay Packers: 9 (3-6)
T-4. Minnesota Vikings: 9 (3-6)
6. Philadelphia Eagles: 8 (3-4)
7. Washington Commanders: 6 (5-1)
T-8. New York Giants: 5 (5-0)
T-8. Chicago Bears: 5 (2-3)
T-10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 4 (2-2)
T-10. Carolina Panthers: 4 (2-2)
T-10. Atlanta Falcons: 4 (2-2)
T-13. Seattle Seahawks: 3 (3-0)
T-13. New Orleans Saints: 3 (1-2)
15. Arizona Cardinals: 2 (1-1)
16. Detroit Lions: 1 (0-1)
Who has the most AFC Championship Game appearances?
Pittsburgh has the most AFC Championship Game appearances with 16, most recently in 2016. The Steelers are followed by the Patriots with 15. Other than them, only the Raiders and Broncos have double-digit appearances with 11 and 10 respectively.
Kansas City will play its sixth AFC Championship Game on Sunday, and Cincinnati will be playing it for the fourth time.
Since the NFL merger with the American Football League, a total of 16 teams have appeared in at least one AFC Championship Game. However, not all of them compose the current AFC. The Seahawks were part of the conference from 1976 until 2002 when they joined the NFC West.
The only current AFC member that has never played in the conference title game is the Houston Texans. The only former AFC member that also failed to reach the AFC Championship Game is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who only played in the conference in 1976, their first year as members of the NFL.
Here is the full list of teams listed by AFC Championship Game appearances and their respective records:
1. Pittsburgh Steelers: 16 (8-8)
2. New England Patriots: 15 (11-4)
3. Las Vegas Raiders: 11 (4-7)
4. Denver Broncos: 10 (8-2)
T-5. Miami Dolphins: 7 (5-2)
T-5. Indianapolis Colts: 7 (3-4)
T-7. Buffalo Bills: 6 (4-2)
T-7. Kansas City Chiefs: 6 (2-3)
9. Tennessee Titans: 5 (1-4)
T-10. Cincinnati Bengals: 4 (3-0)
T-10. Baltimore Ravens: 4 (2-2)
T-10. Los Angeles Chargers: 4 (1-3)
T-10. New York Jets: 4 (0-4)
T-14. Jacksonville Jaguars: 3 (0-3)
T-14. Cleveland Browns: 3 (0-3)
16. Seattle Seahawks: 1 (0-1)
T-17. Houston Texans: 0
T-17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 0