NFL Schedule Conference Championships

Sunday, January 28, 2024

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About NFL Schedule Conference Championships

About NFL Schedule 2023 : Conference Championship
Lamar Hunt Trophy - Awarded to the AFC Conference Champions - Image courtesy - Getty Images

The NFL Conference Championship Round is the third round of the NFL postseason. The postseason takes place after the completion of 18 weeks of the regular season, in which each team has played 17 games and had one bye week. Once the regular season ends, we bid adieu to 18 of the 32 teams as they go off on their vacation and start preparing for the next season.

As the postseason gets underway, there are a total of 14 teams in the playoffs as per the current playoff format. It includes the top seven teams from each conference - the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). There are a total of three rounds which take place in the postseason before the all-important Super Bowl.

The postseason starts with the Wild Card Round in which the top seeds in both conferences get a bye week. Then, the number 2 seeds play the number 7 seeds, the number 3 seeds take on number 6, and the number 4 against number 5. Followed by the Wild Card Round, we then come to the Divisional Round where the number one seeds play against the lowest remaining seeds in their respective conferences. The other two teams play each other in the next game.

After the Divisional Round, we are now left with the final four teams who play in the Conference Championship Games - AFC Championship Game and NFC Championship Game, with the winner of both games heading to the Super Bowl.

Conference Championship Round

The third and final round of the postseason before the Super Bowl is the Conference Championship Round. At this stage of the playoffs, we are left with only 4 teams in total—two teams in the AFC and two teams in the NFC. The Conference Championship Games are extremely important as winning here means you get the chance of a lifetime to play in the Super Bowl.

Sometimes, this matchup can be quite intriguing if the likes of the number 1 and number 2 seeds are pitted against each other with the right to play in the Super Bowl on the line. On the other hand, the number one seed may face a lower seed such as seed 4 or 5. And there is a possibility that the top seeds do not even make the Conference Championship Round, should they fall in one of the earlier rounds.

Rewards for winning the Conference Championship Game

About NFL Schedule 2023 : Conference Championship
George Halas Trophy - Awarded to the NFC Conference Champions - Image courtesy - Getty Images

While the biggest reward for winning the Conference Championship Game is the ultimate opportunity to play in the Super Bowl, that is not all. The winning team in the AFC receives the AFC Champions Trophy called the Lamar Hunt Trophy, which is aptly named after the late founder of the AFL (American Football League) and the Kansas City Chiefs franchise. Apart from this, the members of the winning team also receive a Conference Championship winning ring, albeit it is not as flashy or meaningful as a Super Bowl ring.

Similarly, on the NFC side, the team that comes out as the winner receives the NFC Champions Trophy called the George Halas Trophy, which is named after long-time owner and coach of the Chicago Bears franchise. And like the winners of the AFC Conference Championship Game, the NFC winners also receive a ring.

Typically, both the AFC Conference Championship and the NFC Conference Championship games are played on the last Sunday of January.

Conference Round schedule for the 2023-24 NFL season:

DateGameTime (ET)Broadcast partner
Sunday, January 28Kansas City Chiefs (3) at Baltimore Ravens (1)3:00 p.m.CBS
Sunday, January 28Detroit Lions (3) at San Francisco 49ers (1)6:30 p.m.FOX

FAQs

Q. Which team has won the most AFC Championships?

A. The New England Patriots have won the most number of AFC Championships with 11 wins.

Q. Which team has won the most NFC Championships?

A. The Dallas Cowboys have won the most number of NFC Championships with 8 wins.

Q. How many teams play in the Conference Championship Round?

A. A total of 4 teams (2 from the AFC and 2 from the NFC) play in the Conference Championship Round.

Q. What do the winners of the AFC Conference Championship Game get?

A. The winners of the AFC Conference Championship Game get the Lamar Hunt Trophy and an AFC Conference Championship ring.

Q. What do the winners of the NFC Conference Championship Game get?

A. The winners of the NFC Conference Championship Game get the George Halas Trophy and an NFC Conference Championship ring.

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