NFL History – NFC Divisional Championship Weekend

With the NFC being several years older than the AFC the history of the NFC Divisional Playoffs is deeper by 27 years. Back before the AFL and NFL merger the Divisional Championship weekend was a spring board to the League Championship game.

The original NFL basically toyed with the issue for the better part of three decades. Divisional Championship games were played in some years but not in others until they were made a permanent fixture after the NFL-AFL merger.

NFC Divisional Championship History

The history of the NFC Divisional Championship games goes back to 1941 when the Chicago Bears defeated the Green Bay Packers 33-14 in front of a crowd of 43,425 fans on December 14, 1941. In that game the players received 1/10 of their annual salary as a playoff bonus. As mentioned, the NFC Divisional Championship playoff games were played sporadically from 1941 until 1967 as only nine games were played over that time period.

Some NFL fans may not know it but the Detroit Lions were a powerhouse team in the 1950s as they participated in NFC Divisional Championship playoff games in 1952 and then again in 1957. They defeated the Los Angeles Rams in 1952 and lost to the San Francisco 49ers in 1957. The players share in those games actually dropped from 1/10 down to 1/12 of their annual salary in what would be the last time that player payments ever dropped.

NFL Fans Flock To NFC Divisional Championship Games

Throughout its history, the NFC Divisional Championship playoff games have been viewed live and in person by 5,858,097 fans.

The record high for attendance at an NFC Divisional Championship playoff game is 83,501 set in 1950. In that game the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Chicago Bears 24-14. That was a very good year for the NFL as the second highest attendance record was also set in 1950 at 81,479. In that game the Cleveland Browns, who joined the NFL after the All-American Football League went defunct in 1946, defeated the Dallas Texans 31-20.

Four of the five  NFC Divisional Championship playoff games played between 1941 and 1950 hold the record for the lowest four attendance totals. In those four games the average attendance was 38,752 with the lowest being 33,054 back in 1950. Those who missed the 1950 game didn’t miss much as the Browns defeated the New York Giants by a 8-3 final score.

NFC Divisional Championship Weekend – Winners

The Dallas franchise has won more NFC Divisional Championship playoff games than any other franchise with 15 wins. They are followed by the San Francisco 49ers with 12 wins while the Rams franchise has won ten games split between Los Angeles and St. Louis. Every NFC team has won a NFC Divisional Championship playoff game as Arizona, Seattle and New Orleans have one win each.

The lowest scoring game in NFC Divisional Championship history was a “thriller” in 1970 when the Dallas Cowboys beat the Detroit Lions 5-0. The highest scoring game was played in 1999 when the St. Louis Rams defeated the Minnesota Vikings 49-37.

NFC Divisional Championship Weekend – Losers

The Minnesota Vikings hold the dubious distinction of losing the most NFC Divisional Championship games with 12 loses. The Rams franchise has lost ten games while the Washington Redskins are third with nine loses. The most lopsided game occurred in 1986 when the San Francisco 49ers were defeated 49-3 by the New York Giants.

The losing teams in the NFC Divisional Championship games have been shut out seven times in 93 games. The most lopsided shutout occurred in 1981 when the Cowboys won 38-0 over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The NFC Divisional Championship game history will continue as play begins in 2010 and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for us this year.