How many NFC Championship game appearances do the Commanders have? Washington's franchise history explored

The Washington Commanders shocked the league on Sunday by defeating the Detroit Lions, the top-seeded team in the NFC, at Ford Field to advance to their first NFC championship game in more than three decades.

Although the Commanders have played in the NFC championship game before, it has been a long time since they made it this far in the playoffs. The team is just making its first conference championship round appearance in the last 33 years, although this will be their seventh overall.

With five victories each, the Commanders are tied with the New York Giants and LA Rams for third place in the NFC championship games won in history. Only the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys have won more, with eight apiece.

Before Sunday's NFC championship game, we'll look back at the Commanders' postseason record below.

A look back at the Commanders' playoff history

The Washington Commanders have advanced to the NFL playoffs 26 times in their 93-year history. The 1970s and 1980s were their most prosperous years, with 10 playoff berths in that time.

In addition, the Commanders have made five Super Bowl appearances: in 1972, 1982, 1983, 1987 and 1991. They have won the Lombardi Trophy three times (1982, 1987 and 1991), all in a 10-year period.

They are tied for the league's most Super Bowl victories with the Denver Broncos and the Las Vegas Raiders. However, they are behind the Green Bay Packers, New York Giants and Kansas City Chiefs (four each), the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys (five each) and the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots (six each).

Since their last Super Bowl win, the Commanders didn't taste much success in the playoffs until this season. At the start of the 2024 season, they were among the four teams that hadn't played in a conference championship game since 2000. The Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns are the other three.

Washington's victory over the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVI in January 1992 was the team's most recent title victory. Since the 1991 season, the franchise has also not participated in an NFC championship game.

Who will the Commanders face in this year's NFC championship game?

The Washington Commanders advanced to the NFC championship game by defeating the Detroit Lions. If they hope to make it to the Super Bowl for the first time in 33 years, they will now need to overcome yet another big obstacle.

The Commanders' next game is a conference championship showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.

The Eagles and Commanders will clash for the third time this season. Philadelphia overcame Washington 26-18 in Week 11 of the regular season. The Commanders then reacted, upsetting their divisional rivals 36-33 in Week 16.