Tag: NFC

Feb 2, 2026; San Francisco, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) during NFC practice at the NFL Flag Fieldhouse at Moscone Center South Building. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Dak Prescott tosses 4 TDs as NFC wins fourth straight Pro Bowl Games

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott threw four touchdown passes to lead the NFC to a come-from-behind 66-52 win over the AFC in the Pro Bowl Games Tuesday in San Francisco.

Prescott completed 11 of 13 passes for 169 yards with a pair of touchdowns in each half, as the NFC secured fourth win in as many years of this updated version of the All-Star event.

This year’s games did away with the skills competitions and was solely the flag-football game to build hype around the sport, which is coming to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

Prescott’s Dallas teammate CeeDee Lamb led the NFC with 80 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Another Cowboys player, tight end Jake Ferguson, also had two touchdown catches and 57 receiving yards, and Lions wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown caught five passes for 68 yards and a score.

Jared Goff (149 yards, two TDs) from Detroit and Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts (92 yards, three TDs) also saw the field as NFC QBs.

An Ohio-centric quarterback room led the AFC’s offense. Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders, and Bengals QBs Joe Burrow and first-time Pro Bowler Joe Flacco each threw for two touchdowns, but also threw a combined four interceptions.

Texans receiver Nico Collins led the AFC with 93 receiving yards and a score on five catches, and Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase caught seven passes for 76 yards with a receiving TD and an interception returned for another score.

After the NFC jumped out to a 14-0 lead, the AFC responded with 32 straight points, featuring a pair of safeties, a 50-yard interception return by Chase and both a touchdown catch and an extra-point grab from Broncos offensive lineman Garrett Bolles.

But the NFC cut the deficit to 44-36 at halftime and scored 24 straight second-half points to take a 60-52 lead with 6:21 left on a 10-yard Cowboys connection from Prescott to George Pickens, who was named the offensive MVP.

Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr., the game’s defensive MVP, came up with a tip-drill interception on the ensuing AFC possession, and the NFC iced the game with Hurts’ touchdown to Lamb with 24 seconds left.

49ers legend Jerry Rice served as honorary coach for the NFC, with San Francisco quarterback Steve Young in the same role for the AFC.

–Field Level Media

NFC title game averages 46M viewers, up 4% from last year

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Sunday’s NFC Championship Game between the host Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams drew 46.087 million viewers on Fox Sports, per Nielsen Media Research.

That’s a 4% increase from last year’s NFC title game between the host Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders. An average of 44.153 million viewers watched the Eagles defeat their NFC East rivals in that contest.

Fox Sports reported Sunday’s game reached its peak audience of 49.69 million viewers from 9:30 to 9:45 p.m. ET.

The Seahawks recorded a 31-27 victory over the Rams to advance to Super Bowl LX. They will face the New England Patriots on Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, Calif., in a game that will be broadcast on NBC Sports and Peacock.

CBS Sports averaged 48.618 million viewers for the AFC Championship Game between the Patriots and host Denver Broncos, with New England posting a 10-7 victory. The total represents a 10% increase from last year’s AFC title game pitting the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens.

–Field Level Media

Packers-Bears locked into NFC wild-card game; Broncos top AFC picture

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The Green Bay Packers will take their Super Bowl dreams into Soldier Field and battle the rival Chicago Bears in the only intra-division matchup of the NFL’s wild-card weekend.

The Bears (11-6) landed the No. 2 seed in the NFC from Sunday’s Week 18 results, while the Packers (9-7-1) were locked into the seventh and final seed in the conference before the weekend began.

The Packers and Bears have played since 1921 but will meet in the playoffs for only the third time. Chicago defeated Green Bay in the 1941 NFL postseason, and the Packers prevailed in the 2010 NFC Championship Game en route to their Super Bowl XLV victory with Aaron Rodgers at the helm.

All dates and times for the wild-card round will be announced by the league later Sunday.

The eliminated Detroit Lions beat Chicago on a late field goal Sunday evening, but the Bears’ only competition for the No. 2 seed, the Philadelphia Eagles, also ended on a losing note against the Washington Commanders.

The third-seeded Eagles (11-6) draw the sixth-seeded San Francisco 49ers (12-5) and the NFC South champion Carolina Panthers (8-9) will welcome the Los Angeles Rams (12-5) in the 4-5 game. The Seattle Seahawks (14-3) locked up the conference’s No. 1 seed by beating San Francisco on Saturday night.

The AFC playoff picture grew clearer when the Denver Broncos secured the top seed and first-round bye with a win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

Both Denver and New England finished 14-3 after the Patriots’ season-ending win over Miami, but the Broncos hold the tiebreaker over the Patriots thanks to a better record over common opponents.

The No. 2 seed Patriots will host the No. 7 Chargers (11-6). The Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4) locked up the AFC South and will host the sixth-seeded Buffalo Bills (12-5).

And Sunday night’s Ravens-Steelers game in Pittsburgh will determine the last of the league’s 14 playoff berths by virtue of the AFC North title. The Steelers advance with a win or a tie, while Baltimore must win to leapfrog its rivals.

The reward will be a home game against the red-hot Houston Texans, who won their ninth in a row Sunday over Indianapolis to finish 12-5 and claim the fifth seed in the AFC bracket.

–Field Level Media

NFL Playoff Picture: NFC nearly set, Jaguars join race for No. 1 in AFC

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With two weeks remaining in the regular season, the NFC playoff field is nearly set. Drama has intensified in the AFC, where the Jacksonville Jaguars are in the race for the No. 1 seed and first-round bye after an attention-grabbing win at Denver on Sunday.

Week 16 wraps Monday night at Indianapolis, where the Colts’ desperation is palpable and the 49ers have all the motivation they need to bump their record to 11-4. That dangling carrot is the NFC’s top seed, which is attainable for San Francisco with the Chicago Bears (11-4) and Seattle Seahawks (12-3) left to play in the final two weeks.

The Seahawks, Bears, Eagles, Rams and 49ers all have tickets to the NFC postseason party but the pecking order can stack multiple ways depending on outcomes over the next two weeks. Undecided are the NFC South entry — Tampa Bay dropped a stride behind the Panthers with a 23-20 loss at Carolina on Sunday — and the final wild-card spot.

The wild-card spot is still Green Bay’s to lose. But it’s complicated for the Packers, who have two hurting quarterbacks and a game with the Baltimore Ravens (7-8) to prepare for this week.

The Panthers (8-7) and Bucs (7-8) are set for one of the few possible win-and-in scenarios in Week 18. It will be a de facto division title game at Tampa unless the Dolphins trip up Baker Mayfield and the Bucs this week. Tampa is trending in the wrong direction with a 1-6 record since a Week 9 bye.

Here is the full playoff picture by conference as it stands Monday before the 49ers and Colts face off on “Monday Night Football.”

–AFC Playoff Picture
1. Denver Broncos (12-3)
Status: Clinched playoff spot; First place, AFC West
Up Next: at Kansas City Chiefs (Thursday, Dec. 25); vs. Los Angeles Chargers (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: The Chargers won the first matchup, 23-20, in Week 3. Should Denver lose and finish with the same record as the Chargers, the Broncos could go from the No. 1 seed in the AFC to traveling to the No. 4 seed — currently the Pittsburgh Steelers — in the wild-card playoffs.

2. New England Patriots (12-3)
Status: Clinched playoff spot; First place, AFC East
Up Next: at New York Jets (Dec. 28); vs. Miami Dolphins (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: Finishing with two more wins and a 14-3 record would not assure the Patriots the No. 1 seed, but it would guarantee they can fall no lower than No. 2 in the conference.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars (11-4)
Status: First place, AFC South
Up Next: at Indianapolis Colts (Dec. 28); vs. Tennessee Titans (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: The Houston Texans, who split two games with Jacksonville, can still win the AFC South.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6)
Status: First place, AFC North
Up Next: at Cleveland Browns (Dec. 28); vs. Baltimore Ravens (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: A statement win at Detroit gives the Steelers a chance to clinch the division at Cleveland on Sunday, but hold the noisemakers and confetti. Pittsburgh lost at Cleveland last season (24-19), in 2023 (13-10) and 2022 (29-17), last beating the Browns on the road on Halloween 2021.

5. Los Angeles Chargers (11-4)
Status: Second place, AFC West
Up Next: vs. Houston Texans (Saturday, Dec. 27); at Denver Broncos (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: With seven wins in the past eight games, the Chargers are not yet assured a playoff spot but could still land any of the AFC’s seven seed positions.

6. Buffalo Bills (11-4)
Status: Second place, AFC East
Up Next: vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Dec. 28); vs. New York Jets (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: The Bills are 28-4 at home over the past four seasons.

7. Houston Texans (10-5)
Status: Second place, AFC South
Up Next: at Los Angeles Chargers (Saturday, Dec. 27); vs. Indianapolis Colts (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: The Texans are 13-4 in AFC South games since the start of the 2023 season and have won four consecutive games against the Colts.

–AFC, next in line
8. Indianapolis Colts (8-6): Hope leaves the building if the Colts lose to the 49ers on Monday night.
9. Baltimore Ravens (7-8): Unable to catch Houston, the Ravens are rooting against the Steelers at Cleveland. A Pittsburgh win eliminates Baltimore from the postseason.

–NFC Playoff Picture
1. Seattle Seahawks (12-3)
Status: Clinched playoff spot; First place, AFC West
Up Next: at Carolina Panthers (Dec. 28); at San Francisco 49ers (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: Alarmed by finishing the season with consecutive road games? Seattle is 13-2 in away games since 2024.

2. Chicago Bears (11-4)
Status: Clinched playoff spot; First place, NFC North
Up Next: at San Francisco 49ers (Dec. 28); vs. Detroit Lions (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: The Bears are 9-1 outside the NFC North and 2-3 in division games this season.

3. Philadelphia Eagles (10-5)
Status: Clinched NFC East, playoff spot
Up Next: at Buffalo Bills (Dec. 28); vs. Washington Commanders (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: Philadelphia can move up to No. 2 if the Seahawks and Bears lose their final two games.

4. Carolina Panthers (8-7)
Status: First place, NFC South
Up Next: vs. Seattle Seahawks (Dec. 28); at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: The Panthers and Rams are both 6-4 against conference opponents, tied for the worst among the NFC’s current playoff seeds.

5. Los Angeles Rams (11-4)
Status: Clinched playoff spot; Second place, NFC West
Up Next: at Atlanta Falcons (Monday, Dec. 29); vs. Arizona Cardinals (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: The Rams play the primetime Week 17 finale on Monday night and are 0-2 in non-Sunday games this season.

6. San Francisco 49ers (10-4)
Status: Clinched playoff spot; Third place, NFC West
Up Next: Monday at Indianapolis Colts; vs. Chicago Bears (Sunday, Dec. 28); vs. Seattle Seahawks (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: Ready for primetime? We’re about to find out. The 49ers play Monday night, face the Bears on “Sunday Night Football” and could be flexed into a third spotlight game — to be determined — to close the season against Seattle.

7. Green Bay Packers (9-5-1)
Status: Second place, NFC North
Up Next: vs. Baltimore Ravens (Saturday, Dec. 27); vs. Minnesota Vikings (Jan. 4)
Noteworthy: If Minnesota beats Detroit on Christmas Day, the Packers clinch a wild-card spot. They can still get in the postseason field without winning either of their final two games.

–NFC, next in line
8. Detroit Lions (8-7): All of a sudden closer to fourth place in the NFC North than the playoffs after their loss to the Steelers.
9. Minnesota Vikings (7-8): Beating the Lions and Packers to end the season is not likely to be enough to push the Vikings into the playoffs.
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-8): No margin for error as the Bucs pull for a Panthers loss, then host Carolina in the Week 18 finale.

–Field Level Media

Playoff Picture: Bears at Packers center of seismic Sunday ahead

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New England, Baltimore, Jacksonville and Denver. Those are the first-place teams in the AFC, and we’d like to connect the polygraph machine if you claim these were your preseason division winner picks.

Spoiler alert: this isn’t how it ends.

That’s because as division matchups ramp up in December, a whole lot of chaos is coming down the chimney before the month ends.

Only four teams — New England (3-0), the LA Chargers (4-0), Tampa Bay (2-0) and Green Bay (3-0) — are undefeated in their own division.

The Colts have lost three of four and dropped into second place in the AFC South on Sunday. The Texans (4-1 in the division) are 7-5 overall and just a game back of first-place Jacksonville (8-4). The Colts (8-4) play the Jaguars this week and end the regular season at Houston.

NFC North-leading Chicago is 1-2 in the division and packs for frigid Lambeau Field on Sunday to face the Packers in what sets up as a seismic Week 14 in the playoff picture.

The Bears (9-3) might be flagged as frauds this month with the lowest strength of victory (.347) of any division leader and a net-TD differential of minus-3.

For those who stack weight into the scoring margin column this time of year, the Seahawks (9-3) are tops in the league at plus-133. Indianapolis leads the AFC at plus-108.

Chicago? The Bears check in at plus-6. But credit first-year coach Ben Johnson for thriving in one-score games with a 6-1 record.

Currently outside of the NFC playoff picture, Detroit (7-5) treads on thinning ice despite a win over the Bears head-to-head. That’s because of two losses to the Packers (8-3-1) and a 1-3 division record overall. Now, the Lions are under growing pressure Thursday night against the Dallas Cowboys (6-5-1). But Dallas might rue a loss to the Carolina Panthers (7-6) when it’s all said and done.

San Francisco (9-4) finally rolls into a bye week and has the best intradivision record among the NFC West’s three nine-win teams at 4-1.

Here is where the NFL playoff picture stands prior to New England’s Week 13 game Monday night:

AFC
1.
Denver Broncos (10-2)
2.
New England
Patriots (10-2)

3. Jacksonville
Jaguars (8-4)
4.
Baltimore
Ravens (6-6)
5.
Los Angeles Chargers
(8-4)
6.
Indianapolis Colts (8-4)
7. Buffalo Bills (
8-4)
————
8.
Houston Texans (7-5)
9.
Pittsburgh
Steelers (6-6)
10. Kansas City Chiefs (6-6)
11.
Miami
Dolphins (5-7)
12.
Cincinnati
Bengals (4-8)

NFC
1. Chicago Bears (9-3)

2. Los Angeles Rams (9-3)

3. Philadelphia Eagles (8-4)

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5)

5. Seattle Seahawks (9-3)

6. Green Bay Packers (8-3-1)

7. San Francisco 49ers (9-4)
————

8. Detroit Lions (7-5)

9. Dallas Cowboys (6-5-1)

10. Carolina Panthers (7-6)

11. Atlanta Falcons (4-8)

12. Minnesota Vikings (4-8)

–Field Level Media

Jan 18, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) runs the ball against Detroit Lions during the second half at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images

Playoff Picture entering Week 11: Woe in Washington

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Good news, Commanders fans: At 3-7, Washington can still become bowl eligible this season.

Bad news: Six wins won’t mean much in the NFL, and those Super Bowl thoughts percolating in January when the Commanders crashed the NFC Championship game are a distant memory.

Hard times are hanging around the NFC East. The Philadelphia Eagles are the lone playoff contender at this early stage in the race, the Dallas Cowboys have three wins and the New York Giants fired head coach Brian Daboll after a 2-8 start to 2025.

Philadelphia (7-2) outlasted the Green Bay Packers on Monday night. Now the Eagles are in a spotlight game with the Detroit Lions (6-3) in what sets up as a massive week for the playoff standings, potential tiebreakers and even a couple last-chance turnarounds.

The headlines on the Week 11 schedule are the AFC West duel in Denver between the Broncos (8-2) and Kansas City Chiefs (5-4). Kansas City currently is out of the playoffs and the No. 8 seed on the heels of the Jacksonville Jaguars (5-4), who own a head-to-head win over KC. The Broncos are right in the thick of the race for the AFC’s first-round bye and home field with the Indianapolis Colts (8-2) and New England Patriots (8-2).

Indianapolis beat Denver 29-28 in Week 2 and is one of two teams with just one loss against conference teams (6-1). The Chargers (6-3) are the AFC’s other one-loss team.

NFC playoff standings are a rollercoaster.

A three-point home loss Monday cost the Packers (5-3-1) the top spot in the NFC and then some. They enter Week 11 as the last team in the conference bracket with a ticket to play in Seattle in the wild-card round based on current standings.

In pursuit of the Eagles, the Seahawks (7-2) and Rams (7-2) duel Sunday for the top spot in the NFC West and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3) visit the Buffalo Bills (6-3).

How crowded is the NFC West? The loser of Rams-Seahawks slides from the No. 2 spot in the conference to a potential trip to Tampa — or Carolina — depending on how the NFC South shakes out.

And the six-win 49ers, who have wins at Seattle and Los Angeles, are not in the playoffs at the moment.

Here is a complete look at the playoff bracket in each conference after 10 weeks:

AFC
First Round Bye: 1. Indianapolis Colts (8-2)

7. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-4) at 2. Denver Broncos (8-2)
6. Buffalo Bills (6-3) at 3. New England Patriots (8-2)
5. Los Angeles Chargers (7-3) at 4. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-4)

Wild-card contenders:
8. Kansas City Chiefs (5-4)
9. Houston Texans (4-5); Texans own a head-to-head win over the Ravens.
10. Baltimore Ravens (4-5)
11. Cincinnati Bengals (3-6)
12. Miami Dolphins (3-7)

NFC
First Round Bye: 1. Philadelphia Eagles (7-2)

7. Green Bay Packers (5-3-1) at 2. Seattle Seahawks (7-2)
6. Chicago Bears (6-3) at 3. Detroit Lions (6-3)
5. Los Angeles Rams (7-2) at 4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3)

Wild-card contenders:
8. San Francisco 49ers (6-4)
9. Carolina Panthers (5-5)
10. Minnesota Vikings (4-5)
11. Dallas Cowboys (3-5-1)

–Field Level Media

NFL Playoff Picture entering Week 10: Bears, Chiefs just miss cut

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If the NFL playoffs began this week, Super Bowl mainstay and AFC powerhouse Kansas City would miss the tournament with the Jacksonville Jaguars swiping the final wild-card spot.

In the NFC, the Chicago Bears (5-3) are eighth in the conference, meaning no postseason — despite being one of three teams in the NFC North with an identical record. The No. 7 seed in the loaded NFC at present is the Detroit Lions (5-3).

Here is a complete look at the playoff bracket in each conference after nine weeks:

AFC
First Round Bye: 1. Indianapolis Colts (7-2)

7. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-3) at 2. New England Patriots (7-2)
6. Los Angeles Chargers (6-3) at 3. Denver Broncos (7-2)
5. Buffalo Bills (6-2) at 4. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3)

Wild-card contenders:
8. Kansas City Chiefs (5-4)
9. Houston Texans (3-5); Texans own a head-to-head win over the Ravens.
10. Baltimore Ravens (3-5)

NFC
First Round Bye
1. Philadelphia Eagles (6-2)
7. Detroit Lions (5-3) at 2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2)*
6. San Francisco 49ers (6-3) at 3. Seattle Seahawks (6-2)
5. Los Angeles Rams (6-2) at 4. Green Bay Packers (5-2-1)

*Buccaneers own a head-to-head win over the Seahawks

Wild-card contenders:
8. Chicago Bears (5-3)
9. Carolina Panthers (5-4)
10. Minnesota Vikings (4-4)
11. Dallas Cowboys (3-5-1)
12. Arizona Cardinals (3-5)
13. Atlanta Falcons (3-5)
14. Washington Commanders (3-6)

–Field Level Media

Feb 1, 2025; Orlando, FL, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) throws the ball during NFC Practice for the Pro Bowl Games at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Jared Goff, NFC defeat AFC to win Pro Bowl Games

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Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff tossed three touchdowns and two defenders scored on interception returns Sunday as the NFC won the flag football game 56-50 and the overall competition 76-63 at the 2025 Pro Bowl Games in Orlando, Fla.

Goff completed 10 of 11 passes for 126 yards, while the Arizona Cardinals’ Budda Baker and Minnesota Vikings’ Byron Murphy each returned interceptions for touchdowns in the second half to end any AFC comeback chances. Goff was named the game’s offensive MVP and Murphy was announced as defensive MVP.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield threw three touchdowns of his own, and New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers scored two TDs on five receptions.

The AFC was paced by the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Russell Wilson, who tossed four touchdown passes in defeat.

Coming into the day, the NFC had a 14-7 lead on the overall scoreboard, winning Thursday’s skills events competition.

The NFC increased its advantage and grabbed a 13-6 lead at the flag football game through one quarter of play. Goff threw touchdown passes to San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk and Nabers.

Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow answered with a scoring toss to Bengals teammate Ja’Marr Chase, but Burrow was also picked off by the Lions’ Brian Branch to close the first quarter.

Chase, the league’s leader in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns, finished with five catches for 101 yards and three touchdowns.

The “punt perfect” event was held at the quarter break, and Jacksonville’s Logan Cooke won in a sudden death overtime, making his kick and watching the Lions’ Jack Fox’s effort bounce out. That gave the AFC a 3-0 win in that portion of the event, cutting the overall deficit to 27-16.

The NFC responded quickly, as Goff found Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba on a short route, and Smith-Njigba split the defense to score from 46 yards out.

The AFC looked in danger of falling even further behind before Marlon Humphrey of the Baltimore Ravens intercepted Minnesota’s Sam Darnold. That set up Wilson finding the Jaguars’ Brian Thomas for a touchdown, making the flag football score 19-12.

Darnold answered with a scoring pass to Vikings teammate Justin Jefferson.

At halftime, it was revealed the AFC won the “Madden NFL Head-to-Head” challenge, prevailing in a game of Madden 2025. Thomas and the Los Angeles Chargers’ Derwin James defeated Jefferson and the Dallas Cowboys’ Micah Parsons to earn the AFC three more points.

Halftime also featured an obstacle course relay, “The Great Football Race,” in which the NFC teammates prevailed to score three points and build their overall lead to 42-25.

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye entered the game in the third quarter and immediately introduced some chaos, surrendering a pick-6 to Baker before tossing two quick touchdowns (to Chase and Thomas) to put the flag football score at 31-26.

Mayfield answered with a touchdown pass to 49ers tight end George Kittle to close out the quarter, and then the NFC added three more points by winning the tug of war competition to build a 58-39 lead going into the fourth.

Maye surrendered another pick-6 to Murphy on the first play of the fourth, and the teams traded touchdowns most of the rest of the way.

–Field Level Media

Jan 26, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Recording artist Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) react after the AFC Championship game against the Buffalo Bills at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Report: Chiefs-Bills sets AFC title game viewership record

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Kansas City Chiefs’ 32-29 win Sunday over the Buffalo Bills was the most-watched AFC Championship game in history with 57.4 million viewers on CBS, according to the Sports Business Journal.

That eclipsed the 55.5 million set the previous year for the Chiefs’ 17-10 victory against the Baltimore Ravens.

It was the highest number for any AFC or NFC title game since the New York Giants’ 20-17 triumph against the San Francisco 49ers had an audience of 57.6 million on Jan. 22, 2012.

Sunday’s NFC Championship on FOX, played in the earlier broadcast slot, averaged 44.2 million viewers to see the Philadelphia Eagles roll to a 55-23 win over the Washington Commanders.

That was the lowest number for an NFC title game since 2019.

In addition to the later time slot, potential reasons for the much higher audience for Chiefs-Bills includes the game being closer and featuring two high-profile quarterbacks — the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and the Bills’ Josh Allen — as well as the presence at the game of pop star Taylor Swift, the girlfriend of Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce.

–Field Level Media

Dec 21, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) celebrates with quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) after Mahomes’ touchdown against the Houston Texans during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images

NFL Championship Sunday capsules

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Four teams are left in the race for the Lombardi.

Two-time defending champion Kansas City, the top seed in the AFC, welcomes an opponent the Chiefs know all too well — and not just because of a 30-21 loss at Buffalo on Nov. 17.

This is the fourth postseason meeting in five years between the Bills and Chiefs, with marquee quarterbacks front and center.

A new name in lights, rookie Jayden Daniels, orchestrated a landslide upset of the NFC favorite and No. 1-seeded Detroit Lions last week to set up the Washington Commanders for a third game in three months against East division rival Philadelphia.

The Eagles are crossing their fingers quarterback Jalen Hurts can be ready after a knee injury slowed him down in a 28-22 home win over the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional playoffs. Philadelphia’s plan still centers around the man lined up behind Hurts — running back Saquon Barkley — who delivered the goods in both games with Washington in the regular season.

More details and all the dirt on Sunday’s AFC Championship and NFC Championship in the capsules below:

–NFC Championship Game
No. 6 Washington Commanders (14-5) at No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles (16-3)
Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, FOX/FOX Deportes

The NFC title game in Philadelphia completes a trilogy between rivals and the fifth time teams from the same division square off in the conference championship. This is Washington’s first championship game appearance since 1991, when the franchise won its last Super Bowl.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has 52 wins in his first four seasons. Only George Seifert, who inherited a gunpowder-infused roster in San Francisco, has more victories (57). Joe Gibbs and Mike Tomlin are the only head coaches with two Super Bowl appearances in their first four seasons. Sirianni would join them with a win over Washington on Sunday.

Previously this season, the Eagles defeated the Commanders, 26-18, on Nov. 14 as Barkley rushed for 146 yards, including two rushing touchdowns in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter to seal the win. In Week 16, Washington overcame a 13-point fourth quarter deficit to defeat Philadelphia, 36-33, as Daniels set a career high with five TD passes. He threw the game-winning TD with six seconds left after Eagles backup Kenny Pickett’s pass to likely seal the win was dropped by Barkley.

Philadelphia ranked No. 1 in total defense in 2024 and intercepted Daniels three times in two games. At the heart of the defense, second-year defensive tackle Jalen Carter took over late in last week’s win over the Rams with a key sack and forced fumble. Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury threw a few bouquets at Carter this week, calling him “maybe the best I’ve ever seen” at the position. The Eagles have more firepower behind Carter with Defensive Player of the Year candidate Zack Baun and all-rookie defensive backs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Mitchell’s shoulder injury forced him out of last week’s game.

Barkley has the third-most rushing yards (2,329) and is fourth in total yards (2,638) in the NFL’s single-season record books. Broncos running back Terrell Davis set the record in 1998.

The game is a second homecoming for Commanders tight end Zach Ertz, who is second in Eagles franchise history to Hall of Famer Harold Carmichael with 639 receptions. Ertz caught a TD pass for visiting Washington when the teams played in November.

–AFC Championship Game
No. 2 Buffalo Bills (15-4) at No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs (16-2)
Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET, CBS/Paramount+

Buffalo beat the Chiefs after Kansas City’s 9-0 start to the regular season, taking a 30-21 victory to push the Bills’ regular-season winning streak over the Chiefs to four games. But Kansas City rattled off six consecutive wins to earn the No. 1 seed and first-round bye in the AFC. The Chiefs have three consecutive victories over the Bills in the playoffs — the 2020 AFC Championship Game and 2021 and 2023 AFC divisional wins.

Quarterback Josh Allen is tightening the margins for opponents by taking care of the ball. Buffalo sports a plus-27 turnover margin and is the first team in NFL history with zero turnovers in four consecutive playoff games. Including the postseason, the Bills lead the NFL with 35 takeaways and a league-low eight turnovers in 19 total games. No team has ever reached the Super Bowl with 10 or fewer turnovers.

Counterpart Patrick Mahomes knows a thing or two about coming out on top in close games. Turnovers? It’s been eight games — since Week 12 of the regular season — without losing the ball for Kansas City, as the Chiefs peak on schedule. The Chiefs have won eight playoff games in a row, the third-longest such streak all-time (2001-2005 New England Patriots – 10 consecutive wins; 1961-67 Green Bay Packers – nine) and since Week 12.

Stopping the run will be a vital element to winning Sunday, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo noted this week. He pointed to James Cook’s 16 rushing touchdowns and Allen’s game-sealing rumble that beat Kansas City earlier this season.

Buffalo allowed 176 yards rushing to the Ravens, who gained 416 total yards but had three critical turnovers.

Bills safety Taylor Rapp was ruled out with a hip injury on Friday. It’s likely rookie Cole Bishop will be in the starting 11 against Mahomes on Sunday night.

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is two TD receptions shy of tying the all-time playoff record held by Jerry Rice (22). Kelce hauled in a pair of Mahomes TD passes in the Chiefs’ playoff win at Buffalo last year. He added a touchdown reception as part of a seven-catch, 117-yard game last week to beat the Houston Texans.

Mahomes and Andy Reid have the Chiefs in the AFC Championship for the eighth consecutive season. Mahomes’ 16 playoff wins are second among all starting quarterbacks, he owns the second-highest postseason passer rating (105.6, minimum 150 attempts), fifth-most postseason touchdown passes (42) and eighth-most postseason passing yards (5,312) in NFL playoff history.

Only three teams have reached the Super Bowl three consecutive seasons: the 1990-93 Bills (four consecutive), 1971-73 Miami Dolphins (three) and 2016-18 Patriots (three).

–Field Level Media