With the NFC championship game between the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers set for Sunday, what better time is it to take a look back at the best NFC title tilts?
There have been thrilling overtime games, incredible individual performances and hard-to-fathom comebacks.
This is the 29th time that the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds in the NFC will meet with a spot in the Super Bowl at stake. Seven of those games are on this list.
The top-seeded teams are 18-10 against the No. 2 seeds heading into Sunday’s matchup, with the sportsbook listing the Eagles as the 2½-point favorite.
Here’s a look at the best of the previous NFC title showdowns.
Let’s check the latest NFL picks, stats, injury reports, and odds for TEAM1 vs TEAM2. We’ve got plenty of NFL lines for NFC Conference Championship Games.
10. Cowboys 17, 49ers 10
- Date: Jan. 3, 1971
- Site: Kezar Stadium, San Francisco
- Line: San Francisco -4
It seems fitting to start the countdown with the first NFC Championship Game.
It would be hard to find two more well-balanced teams.
Dallas finished with 319 yards of total offense and San Francisco had 307. The two turnovers by San Francisco turned the game in Dallas’ favor.
Dallas running back Duane Thomas was the offensive star with 143 rushing yards and a TD run.
9. Redskins 24, 49ers 21
- Date: Jan. 8, 1984
- Site: Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington
- Line: Washington -10
Two of the greatest coaches in NFL history led their teams into this showdown, with Joe Gibbs’ Washington team a 10-point favorite against Bill Walsh and the 49ers.
John Riggins, known as “The Diesel,” scored the first two touchdowns to give Washington a 14-point lead.
San Francisco did tie the game on three Joe Montana touchdown passes before Mark Moseley won it with a 25-yard field goal in a game when both teams had more than 400 yards of offense.
8. Seahawks 28, Packers 22 (OT)
- Date: Jan. 18, 2015
- Site: CenturyLink Field, Seattle
- Line: Seattle -8½
A game with seven turnovers and 13 accepted penalties makes the list thanks to the way things ended, with a finish that wreaked havoc with the emotions and bank accounts of those who bet online.
Seattle’s bid to return to the Super Bowl appeared to be over when the Packers led 19-7 with just over two minutes to play.
January 18, 2015: The Seahawks miraculously come back to beat the Packers in the NFC Championship. Seattle was down 19-7 with just over two minutes left in the game and won 28-22 in OT.
pic.twitter.com/FKyVTTCJoq— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) January 19, 2023
Touchdown runs by Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch and a two-point pass from Wilson to Luke Willson gave the Seahawks the improbable three-point lead.
Mason Crosby booted a 48-yard field goal to get the game into overtime before Wilson won it with a 35-yard scoring pass to Jermaine Kearse.
7. 49ers 38, Cowboys 28
- Date: Jan. 15, 1995
- Site: Candlestick Park, San Francisco
- Line: San Francisco -7
San Francisco and Dallas played in the NFC title game for three years in a row so take your pick of which game gets listed here.
We went with the final one as the 49ers ended Dallas’ hopes of making a third straight trip to the Super Bowl. Either of the two Dallas wins could have made the list as well.
Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Jerry Rice and Steve Young were among the touchdown scorers, so there was no lack of star power in this matchup.
Eric Davis started things off with an interception return for a score as the 49ers scored the first 21 points. Dallas pulled within 10 points but could get no closer.
Dallas outgained San Francisco 451-294. However, three Troy Aikman interceptions and five turnovers by the Cowboys ended the hopes for a third straight Super Bowl title.
6. Buccaneers 31, Packers 26
- Date: Jan. 24, 2021
- Site: Lambeau Field, Green Bay
- Line: Green Bay -3
Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady are meeting for the only time in the playoffs. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Rodgers had the better numbers with 346 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Brady threw for 280 yards with three TDs and three interceptions.
Brady’s touchdown pass with one second left in the first half was the turning point. He had another touchdown throw on the opening drive to the third quarter to put the Buccaneers up 28-10.
Green Bay pulled within five points on two occasions. Rodgers had three straight incomplete passes from the Tampa Bay 8-yard line as the Packers had to settle for a field goal to pull within five rather than the touchdown that would have given the Packers a chance to tie the game with a successful two-point conversion.
5. Seahawks 23, 49ers 17
- Date: Jan. 19, 2014
- Site: CenturyLink Field, Seattle
- Line: Seattle -4
This was the Legion of Boom during their prime with Richard Sherman making the play of the game with the tip of a pass that resulted in an interception by Malcolm Smith. Kam Chancellor also had an interception for the Seahawks and Bobby Wagner recorded 15 tackles.
Aldon Smith came up with two sacks for San Francisco. The Seahawks didn’t lead until 13:44 remained and Russell Wilson connected with Jermaine Kearse on a 35-yard TD.
4. Giants 15, 49ers 13
- Date: Jan. 20, 1991
- Site: Candlestick Park, San Francisco
- Line: San Francisco -8
The 49ers seemed destined to make it to another Super Bowl when the Giants came to town.
Lovers of hard-hitting, defensive slugfests were in their glory during this matchup. It was also a chance for kickers to get their due. Matt Bahr accounted for all of the points for the Giants while Mike Cofer had a pair of field goals as well.
The lone touchdown came on a 61-yard pass from Joe Montana to John Taylor to put the favored 49ers up by seven points.
Leonard Marshall led the Giants with two sacks and Lawrence Taylor recovered a fumble.
3. Falcons 30, Vikings 27 (OT)
- Date: Jan. 17, 1999
- Site: Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis
- Line: Minnesota -11
What a matchup with the 14-2 Falcons meeting the 15-1 Vikings. The fact that the Las Vegas NFL odds listed Minnesota as a double-digit favorite is an indication of the type of season the Vikings had in 1998.
Minnesota receiver Randy Moss might have authored the greatest rookie season in NFL history. However, it was Atlanta’s Terance Mathis who had a pair of TD grabs in the game.
Gary Anderson picked the worst time to miss his first kick of the season and that opened the door for the Falcons to send the game into overtime.
Once in OT, Morten Andersen won the game with a 38-yard field goal.
2. Saints 31, Vikings 28 (OT)
- Date: Jan. 24, 2010
- Site: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans
- Line: New Orleans -3½
This was the final postseason game in Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre’s career. In true Favre fashion, he had highlight-reel plays but also crucial mistakes with two interceptions and a lost fumble.
Adrian Peterson ran for three scores and his short TD run with 4:58 tied the game at 28.
Drew Brees, who had three touchdown passes and no interceptions, got the Saints in position for Garrett Hartley’s 40-yard field goal in overtime as the Saints advanced to the Super Bowl for the first time.
1. San Francisco 28, Dallas 27
- Date: Jan. 10, 1982
- Site: Candlestick Park, San Francisco
- Line: San Francisco -3
The game will always be remembered for “The Catch” – Dwight Clark’s game-winning TD reception in the back of the end zone.
Dallas rallied to take the lead on Danny White’s TD pass to tight end Doug Cosbie.
The contest won’t go down as the best-played championship contest as the teams combined for nine turnovers. However, it signaled the beginning of the 49ers’ rise to the top of the NFL and, it could be argued, the beginning of the end of the Cowboy’s tenure as “America’s Team” until Jimmy Johnson arrived on the scene at the end of the decade.
