WHAT TO LOOK FOR – AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
BRADY BUNCH OF RECORDS: New England quarterback TOM BRADY has thrown for 4,770 yards in his postseason career. With 195 passing yards this weekend against Baltimore, Brady would surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer JOHN ELWAY(4,964) for the fourth-most postseason passing yards in NFL history.
The most postseason passing yards in NFL history:
PLAYER
POSTSEASON PASSING YARDS
Brett Favre
5,855
Joe Montana
5,772
Peyton Manning
5,389
John Elway
4,964
*Tom Brady
4,770
Dan Marino
4,510
*Active this weekend
Patriots quarterback TOM BRADY has compiled a 15-5 (.750) record in his postseason career. Brady's 15 wins are the second most in NFL postseason history among quarterbacks, trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famer JOE MONTANA (16).
The starting quarterbacks with the most playoff wins in NFL history:
QUARTERBACK
TEAM(S)
PLAYOFF WINS
Joe Montana
San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs
16
*Tom Brady
New England Patriots **
15
Terry Bradshaw
Pittsburgh Steelers
14
John Elway
Denver Broncos
14
Brett Favre
Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings
13
*Active
-- NFL --
APPROACHING 50: Baltimore quarterback JOE FLACCO has a 49-23 (.681) record as a starter (including postseason) and enters Sunday's AFC Championship Game one win shy of 50 for his career. With a victory against New England, Flacco would become the first quarterback to win 50 games as starter in his first four NFL seasons (including postseason).
Flacco can also tie Patriots quarterback TOM BRADY for the most playoff wins by a quarterback in their first four NFL seasons. Currently, Flacco is tied with BEN ROETHLISBERGER and KURT WARNERfor second with five wins each.
-- NFL --
SACK ATTACK: Baltimore linebacker TERRELL SUGGSled the AFC with 14 sacks in 2011. In 10 career postseason games, Suggs has recorded 10 sacks and with a sack this Sunday against the Patriots, he can become the sixth player in NFL history with 11 postseason sacks.
The players with the most postseason sacks since the stat was made official in :
PLAYER
POSTSEASON GAMES
POSTSEASON SACKS
Willie McGinest
18
16
Bruce Smith
20
14.5
Reggie White
19
12
Charles Haley
21
11
LaMarr Woodley
8
11
Terrell Suggs *
10
10
*Active this weekend
-- NFL --
EASY REED-ING: With an interception in last week's AFC Divisional Playoff Game against Houston, Ravens safety ED REEDincreased his career postseason interception total to eight. With an interception this Sunday, Reed can tie Pro Football Hall of Famer RONNIE LOTT, BILL SIMPSON and CHARLIE WATERSfor the most postseason interceptions.
With 66 interception-return yards, Reed (162) can surpass ASANTE SAMUEL(227) for the most return yards in postseason history.
The players with the most postseason interceptions and interception-return yards in NFL history:
PLAYER
INTs
* *
PLAYER
INT-RETURN YARDS
Ronnie Lott
9
Asante Samuel
227
Bill Simpson
9
Willie Brown
196
Charlie Waters
9
Ronnie Lott
187
*Ed Reed
8
* Ed Reed
162
Lester Hayes
8
George Teague
160
*Active this weekend
-- NFL --
HEAD OF THE CLASS: New England Patriots head coach BILL BELICHICK has compiled a 16-6 (.727) record in his postseason career. Belichick (16) is tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer CHUCK NOLL for the fourth most playoff victories, trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famers TOM LANDRY, DON SHULA, and JOE GIBBS.
With a win against Baltimore on Sunday, Belichick would tie Gibbs (17) for the third-most playoff wins all-time.
The head coaches with the most playoff wins in NFL history:
HEAD COACH
TEAM(S)
PLAYOFF WINS
Tom Landry
Dallas Cowboys
20
Don Shula
Baltimore Colts, Miami Dolphins
19
Joe Gibbs
Washington Redskins
17
*Bill Belichick
Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots**
16
Chuck Noll
Pittsburgh Steelers
16
*Active
-- NFL --
SUPER COMBINATION:New England head coach BILL BELICHICKand quarterback TOM BRADYhave made four Super Bowl appearances together, tying for the most appearances by any head coach-quarterback combination in NFL history. With a win Sunday against the Ravens, they can become the first head coach-quarterback combination to reach five Super Bowls.
* *
The head coach-quarterback combinations with the most Super Bowl appearances in NFL history:
QUARTERBACK
HEAD COACH
TEAM
SUPER BOWL APPEARANCES
Tom Brady
Bill Belichick
New England Patriots *
4
Roger Staubach
Tom Landry
Dallas Cowboys
4
Jim Kelly
Marv Levy
Buffalo Bills
4
Terry Bradshaw
Chuck Noll
Pittsburgh Steelers
4
*Active
-- NFL --
A VALUABLE MATCH-UP: This Sunday will mark the first time in NFL history a Super Bowl MVP quarterback (TOM BRADY,XXXVIII and XXXVI) and MVP linebacker (RAY LEWIS,XXXV) will meet in a conference championship game.
On two previous occasions, Super Bowl offensive and defensive MVPs other than a quarterback and linebacker have met in a conference championship game or Super Bowl. In Super Bowl XIII (1979), Pro Football Hall of Famer RANDY WHITE(XII) and HARVEY MARTIN(XII) of the Dallas Cowboys met Pro Football Hall of Famers FRANCO HARRIS(IX) and LYNN SWANN(X) of the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the 2009 AFC Championship Game, Lewis competed against HINES WARD(XL) of the Steelers.
-- NFL --
AFC TROPHY PRESENTATION: *The *LAMAR HUNT TROPHY will be presented to the winner of the AFC Championship Game.
The late Hunt, founder of the Kansas City Chiefs and American Football League, helped professional football attain its stature as America's No. 1 sport. In the 10-year history of the AFL, his team posted the most wins (87) and earned berths in two of the first four Super Bowls, including a victory in Super Bowl IV.
In 1972, Hunt became the first person from the AFL to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR – NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
GRACIOUS HOST:There have been 25 postseason games played at Candlestick Park since 1970, with the 49ers compiling a 19-6 (.760) record in those contests, including last weekend's 36-32 Divisional victory over New Orleans.
This will be the 13th Championship Game appearance for San Francisco, the third-most in the NFL since the 1970 merger. Sunday will mark the second meeting against the New York Giants in the Conference Championship. The Giants defeated San Francisco 15-13 at Candlestick Park following the 1990 regular season.
This weekend, Candlestick Park will host its 26th playoff game, the most playoff games hosted by a stadium in the NFC since 1970.
STADIUM
NFC PLAYOFF GAMES HOSTED SINCE 1970
Candlestick Park* *
*26
Texas Stadium
22
Soldier Field
14
Lambeau Field
13
RFK Stadium
12
*Includes Sunday's NFC Championship game
-- NFC --
* *
ONE-ON-ONE:Sunday's NFC Championship game will feature two quarterbacks selected No. 1 overall, the New York Giants' ELI MANNING (2004) and San Francisco's ALEX SMITH (2005).
The game will mark just the second time in NFL playoff history two quarterbacks selected No. 1 overall will start against each other in a conference championship game. VINNY TESTAVERDE (1987) of the New York Jets and Pro Football Hall of Famer JOHN ELWAY (1983) of the Denver Broncos faced off in the 1998 AFC Championship game.
Sunday's game will be the fourth such matchup overall in the postseason:
DATE
ROUND
MATCHUP
January 22, 2012
Conference Championship
Eli Manning (NYG) vs. Alex Smith (SF)
January 9, 2000
Wild Card
Jeff George (Min.) vs. Troy Aikman (Dal.)
January 17, 1999
Conference Championship
John Elway (Den.) vs. Vinny Testaverde (NYJ)
January 1, 1995
Wild Card
Vinny Testaverde (Cle.) vs. Drew Bledsoe (NE)
-- NFC --
* *
ON THE ROAD AGAIN:New York Giants quarterback ELI MANNING has a 6-3 career postseason record, including a 4-1 record on the road.
With a win on Sunday, Manning could set the record for the most postseason road wins in NFL history. Manning's four postseason road wins are currently tied for the most with Pro Football Hall of Famers LEN DAWSON and ROGER STAUBACH, JAKE DELHOMME, MARK SANCHEZ and JOE FLACCO.
Manning has compiled a 100.1 passer rating in road playoff games, the third highest total in NFL history (min. 100 attempts).
The quarterbacks with the highest passer rating in road playoff games (min. 100 attempts):
QUARTERBACK
POSTSEASON PASSER RATING ON ROAD
Aaron Rodgers
113.0
Ben Roethlisberger
107.3
Eli Manning
*100.1
Mark Sanchez
94.3
Drew Brees
91.2
*Active this weekend
-- NFC --
FIRST-TIMER: San Francisco head coach JIM HARBAUGH has compiled a 14-3 record this season, leading his team to the NFC West title and a berth in the NFC Championship game. Harbaugh is one of three head coaches in team history to win the division in his first year as head coach (GEORGE SEIFERT, 1989 and STEVE MARIUCCI, 1997).
With a win this Sunday against the New York Giants, Harbaugh can become the sixth rookie head coach to lead a team to the Super Bowl.
The rookie head coaches to lead a team to the Super Bowl:
YEAR
HEAD COACH
TEAM
SUPER BOWL RESULT (OPPONENT)
1970
Don McCafferty
Baltimore Colts
Won SB V, 16-13 (Dallas)
1977
Red Miller
Denver Broncos
Lost SB XII, 27-10 (Dallas)
1989
George Seifert
San Francisco 49ers
Won SB XXIV 55-10 (Denver)
2002
Bill Callahan
Oakland Raiders
Lost SB XXXVII, 48-21 (Tampa Bay)
2009
Jim Caldwell
Indianapolis Colts
Lost SB XLIV, 31-17 (New Orleans)
POSTSEASON SUCCESS: Last weekend at Green Bay, New York head coach TOM COUGHLIN recorded his sixth postseason road victory.
With a win at San Francisco this Sunday, Coughlin would tie Pro Football Hall of Famer TOM LANDRY (7) for the most postseason road wins by a head coach in NFL history.
The coaches with the most postseason road wins in NFL history:
HEAD COACH
POSTSEASON ROAD VICTORIES
Tom Landry
7
Tom Coughlin
6
Joe Gibbs
5
Many tied
4
NFC TROPHY PRESENTATION:The winner of the NFC Championship Game will be presented with the GEORGE HALAS TROPHY.
Halas, the late owner of the Chicago Bears and a founder of the NFL, is the second-winningest coach in history (324-151-31) behind DON SHULA (347-173-6). He won six NFL championships with the Bears and is a charter enshrinee of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1963).
