From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia AFC Championship Game
AFC Championship Game
AFC Championship Game with three pre-merger NFL teams: the Baltimore Colts,
the Cleveland Browns, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The
realignment was done in order to create two conferences
with an equal number of teams, as the pre-merger NFL
consisted of six more teams than the AFL.
Every AFC team except the Houston Texans has
played in an AFC Championship Game 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. The Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC Championship logo have the most appearances in the AFC Championship
Game at 15, with 11 of those games being in Pittsburgh,
First played 1970
the most for either conference.
Trophy Lamar Hunt
Playoff structure
Recent and upcoming games For more details on this topic, see National Football
League playoffs.
2010 season At the end of each football season, a series of playoff
Pittsburgh Steelers 24, New York Jets 19 games involving the top six teams in the AFC are con-
ducted, consisting of the four division champions and
2011 season
two wild card teams. After two rounds of play, the two
New England Patriots 23, Baltimore Ravens 20 teams remaining face in the AFC Championship game.
Initially, the site of the game was determined on a ro-
The American Football Conference (AFC) Championship tating basis. Since the 1975-76 season, the site of the AFC
Game (also unofficially referred to as the AFC Title Game
Game) Championship has been based on playoff seeding, with
is one of the two final playoff matches of the National the highest surviving seed hosting. A wild card team can
Football League, the largest professional American foot- only host the game if both participants are wild cards, in
ball league in the United States. The game is played on which case the fifth seed would host the sixth seed. Such
the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the an instance has never occurred in the NFL.
champion of the American Football Conference. The win-
ner then advances to face the winner of the National
Football Conference (NFC) Championship Game in the
Lamar Hunt Trophy
Super Bowl. Since 1984, the winner of the AFC Championship Game
The game was established as part of the 1970 merger has received the Lamar Hunt Trophy, named after the
between the NFL and the American Football League founder of the AFL. The original design consisted of a
(AFL), with the merged league realigning into two confer- wooden base with a sculpted AFC logo in the front and a
ences. Since 1984, each winner of the AFC Championship sculpture of various football players in the back.
Game has also received the Lamar Hunt Trophy named
Trophy, It, and the George Halas Trophy that is awarded to
after the founder of the AFL and longtime leader of the the NFC Champion, were redesigned for the 2010–11 NFL
Kansas City Chiefs. playoffs by Tiffany & Co. at the request of the NFL in
an attempt to make both awards more significant.[2] The
trophies are now a new, silver design with the outline of a
History hollow football positioned on a small base to more close-
The first AFC Championship Game was played in 1970 af- ly resemble the Vince Lombardi Trophy, awarded to the
ter the merger between the NFL and the AFL. The game winner of the Super Bowl.[3]
is considered the successor to the former AFL Champion-
ship, and its game results are listed with that of its prede-
cessor in the annual NFL Record and Fact Book.[1] The orig-
inal AFC was formed by joining the ten former AFL teams
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia AFC Championship Game
List of AFC Championship
Games
AFC Championship Game logo, 2001–2005
AFC Championship Game logo, 2005–2010
• – 91,445; Los Angeles Raiders vs. Seattle Seahawks in
^ a: Sudden-death overtime
Los Angeles on January 8, 1984 (1983 season).
• – 51**; January 20, 1991 (1990 season) – Buffalo Bills
AFC Championship Game ap- vs. Los Angeles Raiders
• – 48 points**; January 20, 1991 (1990 season) -
pearances 1970–present Buffalo Bills (51) vs. Los Angeles Raiders (3)
*last NFL title - 1964 • – 10; January 12, 1992 (1991 season) - Buffalo Bills vs.
**last AFL title - 1968 Denver Broncos
***last AFL title - 1969 • – 34**; January 21, 2007 (2006 season) - New England
^ c: The Seattle Seahawks were members of the AFC Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts
from 1977 until 2002, and hold a combined 1-1 record be- • – 73**; January 6, 1985 (1984 season) - Miami
tween both Conference Championship Games. Dolphins (45) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (28)
• – 14; January 23, 1983 (1982 season) - Miami Dolphins
AFC Championship Game (14) vs. New York Jets (0)
• – 65 minutes, 38 seconds; January 11, 1987 (1986
records season) - Denver Broncos (23) @ Cleveland Browns
(20), OT
• – 8*; Pittsburgh Steelers (1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1995,
• – Houston Texans[6]
2005, 2008, 2010)
• – Cleveland Browns (0-3), Houston Texans (0-0),
• – 7*; (tie) Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders (1970, 1973,
Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2), New York Jets (0-4) and
1974, 1975, 1977, 1990, 2000); Pittsburgh Steelers,
Kansas City Chiefs (0-1)
(1972, 1976, 1984, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2004)
• – 22 years**; Cincinnati Bengals (last appearance -
• – 15**; Pittsburgh Steelers (1972, 1974, 1975, 1976,
1988)
1978, 1979, 1984, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2005,
• – 42 years**: New York Jets
2008, 2010)
• – Indianapolis Colts: 18 points (38-34 Final Score)**;
• – 5**; Oakland Raiders (1973, 1974, 1975, 1976,
January 21, 2007 (2006 season) - New England
1977)[5]
Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts
• – 11**; Pittsburgh Steelers (1972, 1975, 1978, 1979,
*Tied for Conference Championship Record
1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2008, 2010)
**Conference Championship record
• – 4**; Buffalo Bills (1990, 1991, 1992, 1993)
• – 3*; Oakland Raiders (1973, 1974, 1975)
• – 3 (tie); Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Oakland Raiders TV ratings
1974, 1975, 1976, Cleveland Browns vs. Denver • 2010: 42.352 million viewers
Broncos 1986, 1987, 1989 • 2009: 42 million viewers
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia AFC Championship Game
Season Winning Team Score Losing Team Score Location Stadium
1970–71 Baltimore Colts (1) 27 Oakland Raiders 17 Baltimore, Maryland Memorial Stadium
1971–72 Miami Dolphins (1) 21 Baltimore Colts 0 Miami, Florida Miami Orange Bowl
1972–73 Miami Dolphins (2) 21 Pittsburgh Steel- 17 Pittsburgh, Pennsylva- Three Rivers Stadium
ers nia
1973–74 Miami Dolphins (3) 27 Oakland Raiders 10 Miami, Florida Miami Orange Bowl
1974–75 Pittsburgh Steelers 24 Oakland Raiders 13 Oakland, California Oakland Coliseum
(1)
1975–76 Pittsburgh Steelers 16 Oakland Raiders 10 Pittsburgh, Pennsylva- Three Rivers Stadium
(2) nia
1976–77 Oakland Raiders (1) 24 Pittsburgh Steel- 7 Oakland, California Oakland Coliseum
ers
1977–78 Denver Broncos (1) 20 Oakland Raiders 17 Denver, Colorado Mile High Stadium
1978–79 Pittsburgh Steelers 34 Houston Oilers 5 Pittsburgh, Pennsylva- Three Rivers Stadium
(3) nia
1979–80 Pittsburgh Steelers 27 Houston Oilers 13 Pittsburgh, Pennsylva- Three Rivers Stadium
(4) nia
1980–81 Oakland Raiders (2) 34 San Diego Charg- 27 San Diego, California Qualcomm Stadium
ers
1981–82 Cincinnati Bengals 27 San Diego Charg- 7 Cincinnati, Ohio Riverfront Stadium
(1) ers
1982–83 Miami Dolphins (4) 14 New York Jets 0 Miami, Florida Miami Orange Bowl
1983–84 Los Angeles Raiders 30 Seattle Seahawks 14 Los Angeles, California Los Angeles Memorial Coli-
(3) seum
1984–85 Miami Dolphins (5) 45 Pittsburgh Steel- 28 Miami, Florida Miami Orange Bowl
ers
1985–86 New England Patri- 31 Miami Dolphins 14 Miami, Florida Miami Orange Bowl
ots (1)
1986–87 Denver Broncos (2) 23a[›] Cleveland Browns 20 Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland Municipal Stadi-
um
1987–88 Denver Broncos (3) 38 Cleveland Browns 33 Denver, Colorado Mile High Stadium
1988–89 Cincinnati Bengals 21 Buffalo Bills 10 Cincinnati, Ohio Riverfront Stadium
(2)
1989–90 Denver Broncos (4) 37 Cleveland Browns 21 Denver, Colorado Mile High Stadium
1990–91 Buffalo Bills (1) 51 Los Angeles 3 Orchard Park, New Ralph Wilson Stadium
Raiders York
1991–92 Buffalo Bills (2) 10 Denver Broncos 7 Orchard Park, New Ralph Wilson Stadium
York
1992–93 Buffalo Bills (3) 29 Miami Dolphins 10 Miami, Florida[4] Joe Robbie Stadium
1993–94 Buffalo Bills (4) 30 Kansas City Chiefs 13 Orchard Park, New Ralph Wilson Stadium
York
1994–95 San Diego Chargers 17 Pittsburgh Steel- 13 Pittsburgh, Pennsylva- Three Rivers Stadium
(1) ers nia
1995–96 Pittsburgh Steelers 20 Indianapolis Colts 16 Pittsburgh, Pennsylva- Three Rivers Stadium
(5) nia
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia AFC Championship Game
1996–97 New England Patri- 20 Jacksonville 6 Foxborough, Massa- Foxboro Stadium
ots (2) Jaguars chusetts
1997–98 Denver Broncos (5) 24 Pittsburgh Steel- 21 Pittsburgh, Pennsylva- Three Rivers Stadium
ers nia
1998–99 Denver Broncos (6) 23 New York Jets 10 Denver, Colorado Mile High Stadium
1999–00 Tennessee Titans (1) 33 Jacksonville 14 Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville Municipal Sta-
Jaguars dium
2000–01 Baltimore Ravens (1) 16 Oakland Raiders 3 Oakland, California Oakland Coliseum
2001–02 New England Patri- 24 Pittsburgh Steel- 17 Pittsburgh, Pennsylva- Heinz Field
ots (3) ers nia
2002–03 Oakland Raiders (4) 41 Tennessee Titans 24 Oakland, California Oakland Coliseum
2003–04 New England Patri- 24 Indianapolis Colts 14 Foxborough, Massa- Gillette Stadium
ots (4) chusetts
2004–05 New England Patri- 41 Pittsburgh Steel- 27 Pittsburgh, Pennsylva- Heinz Field
ots (5) ers nia
2005–06 Pittsburgh Steelers 34 Denver Broncos 17 Denver, Colorado Invesco Field at Mile High
(6)
2006–07 Indianapolis Colts (2) 38 New England Pa- 34 Indianapolis, Indiana RCA Dome
triots
2007–08 New England Patri- 21 San Diego Charg- 12 Foxborough, Massa- Gillette Stadium
ots (6) ers chusetts
2008–09 Pittsburgh Steelers 23 Baltimore Ravens 14 Pittsburgh, Pennsylva- Heinz Field
(7) nia
2009–10 Indianapolis Colts (3) 30 New York Jets 17 Indianapolis, Indiana Lucas Oil Stadium
2010–11 Pittsburgh Steelers 24 New York Jets 19 Pittsburgh, Pennsylva- Heinz Field
(8) nia
2011–12 New England Patri- 23 Baltimore Ravens 20 Foxborough, Massa- Gillette Stadium
ots (7) chusetts
Footnotes
[1] "Playoff". NFL Record and Fact Book 2009. Time Inc
Home Entertainment. ISBN 978-1-60320-809-3.
[2] Chicago Sun-Times. http://www.suntimes.com/
sports/3411365-418/trophy-halas-lombardi-nfl-
silver.html.
[3] Bell, Jarrett (January 25, 2011). "NFL Replay: Gritty
Steelers aren’t pretty, but they are Super". USA
Today. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/
nfl/steelers/2011-01-25-nfl-replay-steelers_N.htm.
[4] Joe Robbie Stadium, now Dolphin Stadium, is
located in Miami Gardens. However the city was
not incorporated until 2003. Prior to that, the area
was an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County,
and the stadium used a Miami address.
[5] The Raiders won only one of those five, defeating
the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-7 in 1976 en route to
victory in Super Bowl XI.
[6] However it should be noted the franchise was
founded in 2002.
4
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia AFC Championship Game
Num Team W L PCT PF PA Last ap- Last champi- HOME Home Home Home ROAD Road Road Road
pearance onship games wins losses Win games wins losses Win
Pct. Pct.
15 Pittsburgh 8 7 .533 332 303 2010 2010 11 6 5 .545 4 2 2 .500
Steelers
11 Los Ange- 4 7 .364 202 253 2002 2002 5 3 2 .600 6 1 5 .167
les/Oakland
Raiders
8 New Eng- 7 1 .857 218 148 2011 2011 4 4 0 1.000 4 3 1 .750
land Patri-
ots
8 Denver 6 2 .750 189 166 2005 1998 5 4 1 .800 3 2 1 .667
Broncos
7 Miami Dol- 5 2 .714 152 115 1992 1984 6 4 2 .667 1 1 0 1.000
phins
6 Baltimore/ 3 3 .500 125 133 2009 2009 3 3 0 1.000 3 0 3 .000
Indianapolis
Colts
5 Buffalo Bills 4 1 .800 130 54 1993 1993 3 3 0 1.000 2 1 1 .500
4 Houston 1 3 .250 75 116 2002 1999 0 0 0 --- 4 1 3 .250
Oilers/Ten-
nessee Ti-
tans
4 San Diego 1 3 .250 63 95 2007 1994 1 0 1 .000 3 1 2 .333
Chargers
4 New York 0 4 .000 46 91 2010 N/A** 0 0 0 --- 4 0 4 .000
Jets
3 Cleveland 0 3 .000 74 98 1989 N/A* 1 0 1 .000 2 0 2 .000
Browns
3 Baltimore 1 2 .333 50 49 2011 2000 0 0 0 --- 3 1 2 .333 -
Ravens -
-
2 Cincinnati 2 0 1.000 48 17 1988 1988 2 2 0 1.000 0 0 -
Bengals
2 Jacksonville 0 2 .000 20 53 1999 N/A 1 0 1 .000 1 0 1 .000
Jaguars
1 Kansas City 0 1 .000 13 30 1993 N/A*** 0 0 0 --- 1 0 1 .000
Chiefs
1 Seattle Sea- 0 1 .000 14 30 1983 N/A 0 0 0 --- 1 0 1 .000
hawksc[›]
0 Houston 0 0 --- --- --- N/A N/A 0 0 0 --- 0 0 0 ---
Texans
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Categories:
• AFC Championship Games
• Recurring sporting events established in 1971
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia AFC Championship Game
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