Misplaced Pages

Latest revision as of 23:50, 22 January 2025

The AFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the American Football Conference (AFC) and one of the two semifinal playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. The game is played on the last Sunday in January by the two remaining playoff teams, following the AFC postseason's first two rounds. The AFC champion then advances to face the winner of the NFC Championship Game in the Super Bowl.

The game was established as part of the 1970 merger between the NFL and the American Football League (AFL), with the merged league realigning into two conferences. Since 1984, each winner of the AFC Championship Game has also received the Lamar Hunt Trophy, named after the founder of the AFL and founder and longtime owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, Lamar Hunt.

History

The first AFC Championship Game was played following the 1970 regular season after the merger between the NFL and the AFL. The game is considered the successor to the former AFL Championship, and its game results are listed with that of its predecessor in the annual NFL Record and Fact Book. Since the pre-merger NFL consisted of six more teams than the AFL (16 teams for the NFL and 10 for the AFL), a realignment was required as part of the merger to create two conferences with an equal number of teams: The NFL's Baltimore Colts, the Cleveland Browns, and the Pittsburgh Steelers joined the ten former AFL teams to form the AFC; while the remaining 13 pre-merger NFL clubs formed the NFC.

Every current AFC team except the Houston Texans has played in an AFC Championship Game at least once, while the New York Jets and the Tennessee Titans have yet to host one. The Seattle Seahawks, who have been members in both the AFC and the NFC, hold the distinction of appearing in both conference title games, a loss in the AFC conference title game to the Los Angeles Raiders for Super Bowl XVIII and, in their first appearance in a NFC conference title game, a win over the Carolina Panthers for Super Bowl XL. The Pittsburgh Steelers have the most appearances in the AFC Championship Game at 16, with 11 of those games being in Pittsburgh, the most for either conference. The New England Patriots have won the most AFC Championships at 11, and played in a record eight straight AFC title games (2011–2018). At least one of New England quarterback Tom Brady and Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger played in every championship game between the 2003 and the 2018 seasons, except for the 2009 season. The Kansas City Chiefs have hosted the AFC Championship a record five consecutive times, between the 2018–2022 seasons.

The Denver Broncos and the Pittsburgh Steelers are the only two AFC teams to appear in at least one AFC Championship game in every decade since 1970.

Playoff structure

The structure of the NFL playoffs has changed several times since 1970. At the end of each regular season, the top teams in the AFC qualify for the postseason, including all division champions (three division winners from the 1970–71 to 2001–02 seasons; four since the 2002–03 season) and a set number of "wild card" teams that possess the best win–loss records after the regular season yet fail to win their division (one wild card team from the 1970–71 to 1977–78 seasons; two wild cards from 1978–79 to 1989–90, and from 2002–03 to 2019–20; three from 1990–91 to 2001–02, and since 2020–21). The two teams remaining following the wild-card round (first round) and the divisional round (second round) play in the AFC Championship Game, with the winner advancing to the Super Bowl.

Initially, the site of the AFC Championship Game was determined on a rotating basis. Since the 1975–76 season, the site of the game has been based on playoff seeding based on the regular season won-loss record, with the highest surviving seed hosting the game. A wild card team can only host the game if both participants are wild cards; such an instance has yet to occur in the NFL.

For the 2022–23 season, NFL owners passed a temporary modification to accommodate for a Buffalo Bills–Cincinnati Bengals regular season game that was eventually canceled after Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest in the first quarter of that contest. (See also Damar Hamlin § In-game collapse.) The league decided neither to resume nor replay the game, and therefore both Buffalo and Cincinnati finished the regular season with one less game than the other NFL teams. Because both the Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs ended with the same number of regular season losses, it was decided that a Buffalo–Kansas City AFC Championship Game would be played at a neutral site, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, if both teams advanced that far. This never came to fruition, as the Bengals defeated the Bills in the divisional round.

Lamar Hunt Trophy

External image
The (former version of the) Lamar Hunt Trophy on display at a press conference at the Westin Hotel in Denver, Colorado. Getty Images. January 20, 2006.

Beginning with the 1984–85 NFL playoffs, the winner of the AFC Championship Game has received the Lamar Hunt Trophy, named after the founder of the AFL and founder and longtime owner of the Kansas City Chiefs. The original design consisted of a wooden base with a sculpted AFC logo in the front and a sculpture of various football players in the back.

For the 2010–11 NFL playoffs, the Lamar Hunt Trophy and the George Halas Trophy, which is awarded to the NFC Champion, were redesigned by Tiffany & Co. at the request of the NFL in an attempt to make both awards more significant. The trophies are now a new, silver design with the outline of a hollow football positioned on a small base to more closely resemble the Vince Lombardi Trophy, which is awarded to the winner of the Super Bowl.

In recent years Conference championship rings are also awarded to members of the team who wins the AFC or NFC championship since they are the winners of the conference, even though they may not necessarily follow it up with a win in the Super Bowl.

List of AFC Championship Games

Numbers in parentheses in the table are AFC Championships. Bold indicates team won Super Bowl that year.

Numbers in parentheses in the city and stadium column is the number of times that metropolitan area and stadium has hosted an AFC Championship, respectively.

Appearances, 1970–present

In the sortable table below, teams are ordered first by number of appearances, then by number of wins, and finally by year of first appearance.

The Houston Texans, the last current AFC team to have never made an appearance, are omitted.

Appearances by year

In the sortable table below, teams are ordered first by number of appearances, then by number of wins, and finally by year of first appearance. In the "Season(s)" column, bold years indicate winning Conference Championship appearances.

Records by division

The table below shows AFC Championship Game records by division, based on the division the franchise was in during the season the championship game was played. The NFL realigned divisions prior to the 2002 season, renaming the AFC Central as the AFC North, creating the AFC South, and shifting several teams among the divisions.

Most common matchups

AFC Championship Game records

• Most victories: 11**; New England Patriots (1985, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018)
• Most losses: 8; Pittsburgh Steelers, (1972, 1976, 1984, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2016)
• Most appearances: 16; Pittsburgh Steelers (1972, 1974–1976, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2016)
• Most consecutive appearances: 8**; New England Patriots (2011–2018)
• Most consecutive victories: 4**; Buffalo Bills (1990–1993)
• Most appearances without a win: 4; New York Jets (1982, 1998, 2009, 2010)
• Most consecutive losses before first win: 4; Oakland Raiders (1970, 1973, 1974, 1975)
• Most consecutive appearances without a win: 4; (tie) Oakland Raiders (1970, 1973, 1974, 1975), New York Jets (1982, 1998, 2009, 2010)
• Most shutouts: 2**; Miami Dolphins (1971, 21–0 vs Colts and 1982, 14–0 vs Jets)
• Most consecutive losses: 3; Oakland Raiders (1973–1975)
• Most games hosted: 11*; Pittsburgh Steelers (1972, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2008, 2010)
• Most consecutive games hosted: 5**; Kansas City Chiefs (2018–2022)
• Most numerous matchups: 5 (tie)
  • Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Oakland Raiders (1974, 1975, 1976)
  • Cleveland Browns vs. Denver Broncos (1986, 1987, 1989)
  • New England Patriots vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (2001, 2004, 2016)
  • New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts (2003, 2006, 2014)
  • Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs (1993, 2020, 2024)
• Most points scored: 51**; January 20, 1991 (1990) – Buffalo Bills (51) vs. Los Angeles Raiders (3)
• Largest margin of victory: 48 points**; January 20, 1991 (1990) – Buffalo Bills (51) vs. Los Angeles Raiders (3)
• Fewest points scored, winning team: 10; January 12, 1992 (1991) – Buffalo Bills (10) vs. Denver Broncos (7)
• Fewest points scored: 0*; (tie) Jan 2, 1972 (1971) Baltimore Colts 0 vs Dolphins 21, Jan 23, 1983 (1982) NY Jets (0) vs Dolphins (14)
• Most points scored, losing team: 34**; January 21, 2007 (2006) – New England Patriots (34) vs. Indianapolis Colts (38)
• Most combined points scored: 73**; January 6, 1985 (1984) – Miami Dolphins (45) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (28)
• Fewest combined points scored: 14; January 23, 1983 (1982) – Miami Dolphins (14) vs. New York Jets (0)
• Current AFC teams which have never appeared in a Conference Championship Game: Houston Texans
• Current AFC teams which have never hosted a Conference Championship Game: Houston Texans, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans
• Current AFC teams which have never won a Conference Championship: Cleveland Browns (0–3), Houston Texans (0–0), Jacksonville Jaguars (0–3) and New York Jets (0–4)
• Longest drought without appearing in an AFC Championship Game: Cleveland Browns (last appearance – 1989)
• Longest drought without an AFC Championship: New York Jets
• Highest attendance: 91,445**; Seattle Seahawks vs. Los Angeles Raiders at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on January 8, 1984 (1983)
• Largest comeback: 18 points** (tie)
  • Indianapolis Colts (trailed 21–3; won 38–34) 2006
  • Cincinnati Bengals (trailed 21–3; won 27–24), 2021
• Overtime games:
  • 1986 Denver Broncos 23 Cleveland Browns 20
  • 2018 New England Patriots 37 Kansas City Chiefs 31
  • 2021 Cincinnati Bengals 27 Kansas City Chiefs 24

Notes:

• *Tied for Conference Championship record
• **Conference Championship record

TV ratings

• 1982: 51.6 million viewers
• 2003: 41.5 million
• 2005: 44.3 million
• 2006: 39 million viewers
• 2007: 46.7 million viewers
• 2009: 42 million viewers
• 2010: 42.3 million viewers
• 2011: 54.9 million viewers
• 2012: 48.7 million viewers
• 2013: 47.7 million viewers
• 2014: 51.3 million viewers
• 2015: 42.1 million viewers
• 2016: 53.3 million viewers
• 2017: 41.2 million viewers
• 2018: 53.9 million viewers
• 2019: 41.1 million viewers
• 2020: 41.8 million viewers
• 2021: 47.8 million viewers
• 2022: 53.1 million viewers
• 2023: 55.5 million viewers

Footnotes

1. ^ Baltimore has hosted 2 total AFC Championship Games: 1 Colts home game and 1 Ravens home game.
2. ^ The Miami Orange Bowl was in Miami proper. Joe Robbie Stadium, now Hard Rock Stadium, opened in 1987 in an unincorporated area with a Miami address; the area was then incorporated as Miami Gardens in 2003.
3. ^ The Oakland Coliseum was also known as Network Associates Coliseum.
4. ^ Overtime
5. ^ Acrisure Stadium was previously known as Heinz Field
6. ^ Empower Field at Mile High was also known as Invesco Field at Mile High, then Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
7. ^ The Houston Texans were founded in 2002.
8. ^ Includes appearances during the Raiders' first tenure in Oakland (the 1970 merger until 1981), where they went 2–5 in AFC Championship Games; their period as the Los Angeles Raiders (1982–1994), where they went 1–1 in AFC Championship Games; and their second tenure in Oakland (1995–2019), where they went 1–1 in AFC Championship Games. Since moving to Las Vegas in 2020, the Raiders are 0–0 in AFC Championship Games.
9. ^ Includes appearances as the Baltimore Colts (the 1970 merger to 1983), where they went 1–1 in AFC Championship Games. Since moving to Indianapolis in 1984, the Colts are 2–3 in AFC Championship Games.
10. ^ Includes appearances as the Houston Oilers (the 1970 merger to 1996), where they went 0–2 in AFC Championship Games. Since moving to Tennessee in 1997, they are 1–2 in AFC Championship Games.
11. ^ The Chargers were playing in San Diego at the time of all their AFC Championship appearances.
12. ^ The Seahawks were members of the NFC in 1976 and then members of the AFC from 1977 to 2001, before rejoining the NFC in 2002. Including their appearances in the NFC Championship Game (3–0), they hold a combined 3–1 record between both Conference Championship Games.
13. The Buccaneers were members of the AFC in 1976 before moving to the NFC in 1977.
14. ^ AFC East conference championship game victories. Pre-2002: 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 2001. Since 2002: 2003, 2004, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018.
15. ^ AFC East conference championship game losses. Pre-2002: 1971, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1992, 1995, 1998. Since 2002: 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2020.
16. ^ AFC North conference championship game victories. Pre-2002: 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1988, 1995, 1999, 2000. Since 2002: 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2021.
17. ^ AFC North conference championship game losses. Pre-2002: 1972, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001. Since 2002: 2004, 2008, 2011, 2016, 2022, 2023.
18. AFC South conference championship game victories: 2006, 2009.
19. AFC South conference championship game losses: 2002, 2003, 2014, 2017, 2019.
20. ^ AFC West conference championship game victories. Pre-2002: 1976, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1994, 1997, 1998. Since 2002: 2002, 2013, 2015, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023.
21. ^ AFC West conference championship game losses. Pre-2002: 1970, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1993, 2000. Since 2002: 2005, 2007, 2018, 2021
22. The Jets last hosted the 1968 AFL Championship Game during the pre-AFL-NFL merger era.
23. The Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans franchise last hosted the 1962 AFL Championship Game.
24. The Jets won Super Bowl III as the 1968 AFL Champion.

References

1. ^ "Patriots Blog: AFC Championship Trophy In The House". WBZ-TV. January 18, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2014. The Lamar Hunt Trophy, given to the winners of the AFC Championship since 1984
2. "AFC Championship Game Results. Includes AFL Championship Games (1960-69)". 2023 NFL Record and Fact Book. National Football League. p. 498. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
3. Staff, KMBC 9 News (2022-01-24). "Chiefs to host record-setting fourth straight AFC Championship". KMBC. Retrieved 2024-01-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
4. Palmer, Tod (2022-01-24). "Chiefs make history by hosting 4th straight AFC Championship Game". KSHB 41 Kansas City News. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
5. Wawrow, John (2023-01-23). "Bengals return to AFC championship with 27-10 rout of Bills". AP News. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
6. Kerkhoff, Blair (January 27, 2023). "Five-timers club: This group has been here for Chiefs' full run of AFC-title home games". Kansas City Star. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
7. "AFC Championship Game returns to Kansas City for record 5th straight year". KSHB 41 Kansas City News. 2023-01-22. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
8. Urena, I., Pro Football Schedules: A Complete Historical Guide from 1933 to the Present (Jefferson, NC & London: McFarland & Company, 2014), p. 10.
9. Palmer, Pete; Pullis, Ken; Lahman, Sean; Maher, Tod; Silverman, Matthew; Gillette, Gary (2007). The ESPN pro football encyclopedia (2nd ed.). Sterling Pub. Co. p. 1207. ISBN 9781402752506.
10. Baby, Ben (January 5, 2023). "Bills-Bengals game will not resume amid Damar Hamlin's continued recovery". ESPN. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
11. Around the NFL Staff (January 6, 2023). "Changes to AFC playoffs approved by NFL owners: What you need to know". NFL. NFL. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
12. "Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta selected as site for potential Bills-Chiefs AFC Championship Game". NFL. NFL. January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
13. "NFC's Halas trophy has new look". Chicago Sun-Times.
14. Bell, Jarrett (January 25, 2011). "NFL Replay: Gritty Steelers aren't pretty, but they are Super". USA Today.
15. "First look at the Atlanta Falcons NFC Championship rings". 247sports.com. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
16. "Brandin Cooks thanks Patriots for AFC Championship ring". 247sports.com. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
17. "Championship - Oakland Raiders at Baltimore Colts - January 3rd, 1971". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
18. "AFC Championship - Baltimore Colts at Miami Dolphins - January 2nd, 1972". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
19. "AFC Championship - Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers - December 31st, 1972". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
20. "AFC Championship - Oakland Raiders at Miami Dolphins - December 30th, 1973". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
21. "AFC Championship - Pittsburgh Steelers at Oakland Raiders - December 29th, 1974". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
22. "AFC Championship - Oakland Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers - January 4th, 1976". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
23. "AFC Championship - Pittsburgh Steelers at Oakland Raiders - December 26th, 1976". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
24. "AFC Championship - Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos - January 1st, 1978". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
25. "AFC Championship - Houston Oilers at Pittsburgh Steelers - January 7th, 1979". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
26. "AFC Championship - Houston Oilers at Pittsburgh Steelers - January 6th, 1980". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
27. "AFC Championship - Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers - January 11th, 1981". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
28. "AFC Championship - San Diego Chargers at Cincinnati Bengals - January 10th, 1982". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
29. "AFC Championship - New York Jets at Miami Dolphins - January 23rd, 1983". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
30. "AFC Championship - Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Raiders - January 8th, 1984". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
31. "AFC Championship - Pittsburgh Steelers at Miami Dolphins - January 6th, 1985". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
32. "AFC Championship - New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins - January 12th, 1986". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
33. "AFC Championship - Denver Broncos at Cleveland Browns - January 11th, 1987". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
34. "AFC Championship - Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos - January 17th, 1988". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
35. "AFC Championship - Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals - January 8th, 1989". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
36. "AFC Championship - Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos - January 14th, 1990". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
37. "AFC Championship - Los Angeles Raiders at Buffalo Bills - January 20th, 1991". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
38. "AFC Championship - Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills - January 12th, 1992". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
39. "AFC Championship - Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins - January 17th, 1993". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
40. "AFC Championship - Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills - January 23rd, 1994". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
41. "AFC Championship - San Diego Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers - January 15th, 1995". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
42. "AFC Championship - Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers - January 14th, 1996". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
43. "AFC Championship - Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots - January 12th, 1997". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
44. "AFC Championship - Denver Broncos at Pittsburgh Steelers - January 11th, 1998". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
45. "AFC Championship - New York Jets at Denver Broncos - January 17th, 1999". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
46. "AFC Championship - Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars - January 23rd, 2000". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
47. "AFC Championship - Baltimore Ravens at Oakland Raiders - January 14th, 2001". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
48. "AFC Championship - New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers - January 27th, 2002". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
49. "AFC Championship - Tennessee Titans at Oakland Raiders - January 19th, 2003". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
50. "AFC Championship - Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots - January 18th, 2004". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
51. "AFC Championship - New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers - January 23rd, 2005". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
52. "AFC Championship - Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos - January 22nd, 2006". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
53. "AFC Championship - New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts - January 21st, 2007". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
54. "AFC Championship - San Diego Chargers at New England Patriots - January 20th, 2008". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
55. "AFC Championship - Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers - January 18th, 2009". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
56. "AFC Championship - New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts - January 24th, 2010". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
57. "AFC Championship - New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers - January 23rd, 2011". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
58. "AFC Championship - Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots - January 22nd, 2012". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
59. "AFC Championship - Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots - January 20th, 2013". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
60. "AFC Championship - New England Patriots at Denver Broncos - January 19th, 2014". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
61. "AFC Championship - Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots - January 18th, 2015". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
62. "AFC Championship - New England Patriots at Denver Broncos - January 24th, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
63. "AFC Championship - Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots - January 22nd, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
64. "AFC Championship - Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots - January 21st, 2018". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
65. "AFC Championship - New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs - January 20th, 2019". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
66. "AFC Championship - Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs - January 19th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
67. "AFC Championship - Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs - January 24th, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
68. "AFC Championship - Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs - January 30th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
69. "AFC Championship - Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs - January 29th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
70. "AFC Championship - Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens - January 28th, 2024". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
71. "Ratings - "The NFL on CBS" Scores with Second Highest Rating for AFC Championship Game in 27 Years". TheFutonCritic.com. 2014-01-20. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
72. "Ratings - CBS Sports' Coverage of the Afc Championship (Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos) Attracts 39 Million Viewers - the Number One Broadcast on Any Network This Season". TheFutonCritic.com. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
73. "Ratings - CBS Wins the Week with the Best Viewer Delivery by Any Network This Season and Best by Any Network in Nearly a Year". TheFutonCritic.com. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
74. "AFC Champ Highest rated telecast of 2008-09 TV season". 20 January 2009.
75. "NFL passes new records in TV ratings". USA Today. 1 February 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
76. "NFL Ratings Spike: 48.7 Million Watch AFC Title Game, NFC Game Draws 57.6 Mil". Deadline Hollywood. 23 January 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
77. "AFC Championship Ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
78. "Astonishing Chart Shows How The NFL Dominates TV Ratings". Business Insider. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
79. "CBS Sports Earns Second Highest Viewer Average for AFC Championship Game in 32 Years - Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. Archived from the original on 23 January 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
80. Patten, Dominic (19 January 2015). "AFC Championship Game Ratings Stumble For CBS, 'Revenge' Rises". Deadline Hollywood.
81. Hipes, Patrick (25 January 2016). "AFC Title Game Ratings Score For CBS With 53.3 Million Viewers". Deadline Hollywood.
82. "NFL Conference Championships Overnight TV Ratings 2006-2016". sportstvratings.com. 23 January 2017.
83. ^ "Without the Patriots, TV ratings for AFC championship game reportedly take a dip - the Boston Globe". The Boston Globe.
84. "TV Ratings: NFL Conference Championships Grow". HollywoodReporter.com. 26 January 2021.
85. "TV Ratings: NFL Conference Championships Hit Multi-Year Highs". HollywoodReporter.com. February 2022.
86. "Local Bengals-Chiefs TV ratings top 2022 Super Bowl". WVXU. 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
87. Lewis, Jon (2024-01-30). "Over 55 million for Chiefs-Ravens AFC title game". Sports Media Watch. Retrieved 2024-01-30.

• AFC Championship Games
• Recurring sporting events established in 1971