WHAT TO LOOK FOR – CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
FROM “WORST TO FIRST”: The PHILADELPHIA EAGLES and JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS both advanced to the Conference Championship Games after completing “worst-to-first” turnarounds this season. At least one team has won its division the season after finishing in or tied for last place in 14 of the past 15 seasons.
The last two teams that went from “worst-to-first” in their divisions to earn a Super Bowl berth were the 2003 Carolina Panthers (Super Bowl XXXVIII) and the 2009 New Orleans Saints, who won Super Bowl XLIV.
The teams to go from “worst-to-first” in their divisions and advance to the Super Bowl since 2003:
| SEASON | TEAM | RECORD | PRIOR SEASON RECORD | ADVANCED TO |
| 2003 | Carolina | 11-5 | 7-9 | Super Bowl XXXVIII |
| 2009 | New Orleans | 13-3 | 8-8 | Won Super Bowl XLIV |
| 2017 | Jacksonville | 10-6 | 3-13 | ??? |
| 2017 | Philadelphia | 13-3 | 7-9 | ??? |
Three of the remaining four clubs – the Eagles and MINNESOTA VIKINGS in the NFC and the Jaguars in the AFC – missed the postseason in 2016, marking the fifth time since 1990 – and the first since 2008 – that three teams advanced to the Championship Game after missing the postseason in the previous year.
The seasons which had three teams advance to the Conference Championship Game after missing the postseason in the previous season since 1990:
| SEASON | TEAMS TO ADVANCE TO CONFERENCE CHAMPIOHSHIP GAME WHO MISSED PLAYOFFS IN PREVIOUS SEASON |
| 1996 | 3 (Carolina, Jacksonville, New England) |
| 1999 | 3 (St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Tennessee) |
| 2000 | 3 (Baltimore, New York Giants, Oakland) |
| 2008 | 3 (Arizona, Baltimore, Philadelphia) |
| 2017 | 3 (Jacksonville, Minnesota, Philadelphia) |
— CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES –
OVER 100: Philadelphia quarterback NICK FOLES completed 23 of 30 passes (76.7 percent) for 246 yards and a 100.1 passer rating in the Eagles’ 15-10 win over Atlanta in the Divisional Playoffs.
Foles, who faces Minnesota on Sunday night, can become the fifth quarterback in NFL history to record a passer rating of at least 100 in each of his first three postseason starts.
The quarterbacks with the most starts with a passer rating of at least 100 to begin postseason career:
| PLAYER | TEAM | SEASON(S) | GAMES WITH 100+ PASSER RATING |
| Troy Aikman^ | Dallas | 1992-93 | 5 |
| Aaron Rodgers | Green Bay | 2009-10 | 3 |
| Tony Eason | New England | 1985 | 3 |
| Joe Theismann | Washington | 1982 | 3 |
| Nick Foles | Philadelphia | 2013, 2017 | 2* |
| *Active streak | |||
| ^Pro Football Hall of Famer | |||
— CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES —
DANGEROUS JAGUARS: The JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS defeated Pittsburgh, the No. 2 seed in the AFC, 45-42 in the Divisional Playoffs to advance to their third AFC Championship game in franchise history.
Jacksonville, who plays at No. 1 seed New England on Sunday, can become the 11th team to defeat the top two seeds from their own conference in the same postseason since 1990 when the current playoff format was adopted.
The teams to defeat the top two seeds from their own conference in the same postseason since 1990:
| YEAR | TEAM | CONFERENCE |
| 1992 | Buffalo | AFC |
| 1997 | Denver | AFC |
| 1999 | Tennessee | AFC |
| 2000 | Baltimore | AFC |
| 2003 | Carolina | NFC |
| 2005 | Pittsburgh | AFC |
| 2007 | New York Giants | NFC |
| 2010 | Green Bay | NFC |
| 2011 | New York Giants | NFC |
| 2012 | Baltimore | AFC |
| 2017 | Jacksonville* | AFC |
| *Play at No. 1 seed New England on Sunday | ||
— CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES —
RUMBLING ROOKIE: Jacksonville rookie running back LEONARD FOURNETTE rushed for 109 yards and three touchdowns in the Jaguars’ 45-42 victory over Pittsburgh in the Divisional Playoffs.
With one rushing touchdown on Sunday against New England, Fournette can tie the postseason record for the most rushing touchdowns by a rookie.
The rookies with the most rushing touchdowns in a single postseason:
| PLAYER | TEAM | SEASON | RUSH TDS | |
| Jamal Lewis | Baltimore | 2000 | 4 | |
| William Floyd | San Francisco | 1994 | 4 | |
| Tony Dorsett^ | Dallas | 1977 | 4 | |
| Norm Standlee | Chicago | 1941 | 4 | |
| Leonard Fournette | Jacksonville | 2017 | 3* | |
| *Active | ||||
| ^Pro Football Hall of Famer | ||||
— CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES —
PROLIFIC PASSER: New England quarterback TOM BRADY completed 35 of 53 passes (66 percent) for 337 yards and three touchdowns for a 102.5 passer rating in the Patriots’ 35-14 win against Tennessee in the Divisional Playoffs.
Brady, who faces Jacksonville on Sunday, can become the first quarterback in postseason history to record four consecutive games with at least 300 yards and multiple touchdown passes.
The quarterbacks with the most consecutive postseason games with 300+ yards and 2+ touchdown passes:
| PLAYER | TEAM | SEASONS | CONSECUTIVE PLAYOFF GAMES WITH 300+ YARDS & 2+ TDs |
| Tom Brady | New England | 2016-17 | 3* |
| Matt Ryan | Atlanta | 2013, 2016 | 3 |
| Drew Brees | New Orleans | 2010-11 | 3 |
| Jim Kelly^ | Buffalo | 1989-90 | 3 |
| Dan Fouts^ | San Diego | 1980-81 | 3 |
| *Active streak | |||
| ^Pro Football Hall of Famer | |||
— CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES —
TOUCHDOWN MACHINE: New England running back JAMES WHITE recorded two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) in the Patriots’ win against Tennessee in the Divisional Playoffs.
White, who had three touchdowns in SB LI, needs two touchdowns to tie Pro Football Hall of Famer EMMITT SMITH (seven) and LARRY FITZGERALD (seven) for the most combined rushing and receiving touchdowns over a three-game span in postseason history.
The players with the most combined rushing and receiving touchdowns in a three-game span in postseason history:
| PLAYER | TEAM(S) | SEASONS | MOST RUSH & REC. TDS IN 3-GAME SPAN IN PLAYOFF HISTORY |
| Larry Fitzgerald | Arizona | 2008-09 | 7 |
| Emmitt Smith^ | Dallas | 1995-96 | 7 |
| Many tied | 6 | ||
| James White | New England | 2016-17 | 5* |
| *Active | |||
| ^Pro Football Hall of Famer | |||
— CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES —
BRING IT HOME: The MINNESOTA VIKINGS defeated New Orleans 29-24 to advance to their 10th NFL/NFC Championship game in franchise history.
With a win against Philadelphia on Sunday, the Vikings will become the first team to play in a Super Bowl in the team’s home stadium and the fifth team to play in a Super Bowl that was hosted in their home state.
The teams to play in a Super Bowl hosted in their home state:
| SUPER BOWL | DATE | WINNER | LOSER | SITE |
| XXXVII | January 26, 2003 | Tampa Bay | Oakland | San Diego, CA |
| XIX | January 20, 1985 | San Francisco | Miami | Stanford, CA |
| XIV | January 20, 1980 | Pittsburgh | LA Rams | Pasadena, CA |
| XI | January 9, 1977 | Oakland | Minnesota | Pasadena, CA |
