AFC Championship Game

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,<ref name=WBZ/> 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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 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, Cleveland Browns, and 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 an NFC conference title game, a win over the Carolina Panthers for Super Bowl XL. The Pittsburgh Steelers have the most losses in the AFC Championship Game at 8, along with most appearances at 16, and have hosted the most at 11. 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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

File:Lamar Hunt Trophy - AFC Championship.jpg

The redesigned Lamar Hunt Trophy, awarded since 2010–11 season

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.<ref>Urena, I., Pro Football Schedules: A Complete Historical Guide from 1933 to the Present (Jefferson, NC & London: McFarland & Company, 2014), p. 10.</ref>Template:Rp 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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Lamar Hunt Trophy

Beginning with the 1984–85 NFL playoffs,<ref name=WBZ>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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 by Don Weller consisted of a wooden base with a sculpted AFC logo in the front and a sculpture of various football players in the back, with raised silver frieze utilized.<ref>1990 NFL Pro Set Super Bowl XXV Silver Anniversary Box Set trading card XXV.2, Lamar Hunt Trophy</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

List of AFC Championship Games

Numbers in parentheses in the winning team and losing team columns are AFC Championships won and lost by that team. 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.

Season	Playoffs	Date	Winning team	Score	Losing team	Score	Location	Stadium
Template:Nfly	1970–71	January 3, 1971	Baltimore Colts (1)	27	Oakland Raiders (1)	17	Baltimore, Maryland<ref group="fn" name="Baltimore">Baltimore has hosted 2 total AFC Championship Games: 1 Colts home game and 1 Ravens home game.</ref>	Memorial Stadium<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1971–72	January 2, 1972	Miami Dolphins (1)	21	Baltimore Colts (1)	0	Miami, Florida<ref group="fn" name="Greater Miami">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.</ref>	Miami Orange Bowl<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1972–73	December 31, 1972	Miami Dolphins (2)	21	Pittsburgh Steelers (1)	17	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	Three Rivers Stadium<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1973–74	December 30, 1973	Miami Dolphins (3)	27	Oakland Raiders (2)	10	Miami, Florida (2)<ref group="fn" name="Greater Miami"/>	Miami Orange Bowl (2)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1974–75	December 29, 1974	Pittsburgh Steelers (1)	24	Oakland Raiders (3)	13	Oakland, California	Oakland Coliseum<ref group="fn" name="Oak Coliseum">The Oakland Coliseum was also known as Network Associates Coliseum.</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1975–76	January 4, 1976	Pittsburgh Steelers (2)	16	Oakland Raiders (4)	10	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (2)	Three Rivers Stadium (2)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1976–77	December 26, 1976	Oakland Raiders (1)	24	Pittsburgh Steelers (2)	7	Oakland, California (2)	Oakland Coliseum (2)<ref group="fn" name="Oak Coliseum"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1977–78	January 1, 1978	Denver Broncos (1)	20	Oakland Raiders (5)	17	Denver, Colorado	Mile High Stadium<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1978–79	January 7, 1979	Pittsburgh Steelers (3)	34	Houston Oilers (1)	5	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (3)	Three Rivers Stadium (3)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1979–80	January 6, 1980	Pittsburgh Steelers (4)	27	Houston Oilers (2)	13	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (4)	Three Rivers Stadium (4)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1980–81	January 11, 1981	Oakland Raiders (2)	34	San Diego Chargers (1)	27	San Diego, California	Jack Murphy Stadium<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1981–82	January 10, 1982	Cincinnati Bengals (1)	27	San Diego Chargers (2)	7	Cincinnati, Ohio	Riverfront Stadium<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1982–83	January 23, 1983	Miami Dolphins (4)	14	New York Jets (1)	0	Miami, Florida (3)<ref group="fn" name="Greater Miami"/>	Miami Orange Bowl (3)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1983–84	January 8, 1984	Los Angeles Raiders (3)	30	Seattle Seahawks (1)	14	Los Angeles, California	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1984–85	January 6, 1985	Miami Dolphins (5)	45	Pittsburgh Steelers (3)	28	Miami, Florida (4)<ref group="fn" name="Greater Miami"/>	Miami Orange Bowl (4)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1985–86	January 12, 1986	New England Patriots (1)	31	Miami Dolphins (1)	14	Miami, Florida (5)<ref group="fn" name="Greater Miami"/>	Miami Orange Bowl (5)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1986–87	January 11, 1987	Denver Broncos (2)	23<ref group="fn" name="OT">Overtime</ref>	Cleveland Browns (1)	20	Cleveland, Ohio	Cleveland Municipal Stadium<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1987–88	January 17, 1988	Denver Broncos (3)	38	Cleveland Browns (2)	33	Denver, Colorado (2)	Mile High Stadium (2)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1988–89	January 8, 1989	Cincinnati Bengals (2)	21	Buffalo Bills (1)	10	Cincinnati, Ohio (2)	Riverfront Stadium (2)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1989–90	January 14, 1990	Denver Broncos (4)	37	Cleveland Browns (3)	21	Denver, Colorado (3)	Mile High Stadium (3)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1990–91	January 20, 1991	Buffalo Bills (1)	51	Los Angeles Raiders (6)	3	Orchard Park, New York	Rich Stadium<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1991–92	January 12, 1992	Buffalo Bills (2)	10	Denver Broncos (1)	7	Orchard Park, New York (2)	Rich Stadium (2)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1992–93	January 17, 1993	Buffalo Bills (3)	29	Miami Dolphins (2)	10	Miami, Florida (6)<ref group="fn" name="Greater Miami"/>	Joe Robbie Stadium<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1993–94	January 23, 1994	Buffalo Bills (4)	30	Kansas City Chiefs (1)	13	Orchard Park, New York (3)	Rich Stadium (3)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1994–95	January 15, 1995	San Diego Chargers (1)	17	Pittsburgh Steelers (4)	13	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (5)	Three Rivers Stadium (5)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1995–96	January 14, 1996	Pittsburgh Steelers (5)	20	Indianapolis Colts (2)	16	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (6)	Three Rivers Stadium (6)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1996–97	January 12, 1997	New England Patriots (2)	20	Jacksonville Jaguars (1)	6	Foxborough, Massachusetts	Foxboro Stadium<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1997–98	January 11, 1998	Denver Broncos (5)	24	Pittsburgh Steelers (5)	21	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (7)	Three Rivers Stadium (7)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1998–99	January 17, 1999	Denver Broncos (6)	23	New York Jets (2)	10	Denver, Colorado (4)	Mile High Stadium (4)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	1999–00	January 23, 2000	Tennessee Titans (1)	33	Jacksonville Jaguars (2)	14	Jacksonville, Florida	Alltel Stadium<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	2000–01	January 14, 2001	Baltimore Ravens (1)	16	Oakland Raiders (7)	3	Oakland, California (3)	Oakland Coliseum (3)<ref group="fn" name="Oak Coliseum"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	2001–02	January 27, 2002	New England Patriots (3)	24	Pittsburgh Steelers (6)	17	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (8)	Heinz Field<ref group="fn" name="Acrisue Stadium">Acrisure Stadium was previously known as Heinz Field</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	2002–03	January 19, 2003	Oakland Raiders (4)	41	Tennessee Titans (3)	24	Oakland, California (4)	Network Associates Coliseum (4)<ref group="fn" name="Oak Coliseum"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	2003–04	January 18, 2004	New England Patriots (4)	24	Indianapolis Colts (3)	14	Foxborough, Massachusetts (2)	Gillette Stadium<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	2004–05	January 23, 2005	New England Patriots (5)	41	Pittsburgh Steelers (7)	27	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (9)	Heinz Field (2)<ref name="Acrisue Stadium" group="fn" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	2005–06	January 22, 2006	Pittsburgh Steelers (6)	34	Denver Broncos (2)	17	Denver, Colorado (5)	Invesco Field at Mile High<ref group="fn" name="Empower">Empower Field at Mile High was also known as Invesco Field at Mile High, then Sports Authority Field at Mile High.</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	2006–07	January 21, 2007	Indianapolis Colts (2)	38	New England Patriots (1)	34	Indianapolis, Indiana	RCA Dome<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	2007–08	January 20, 2008	New England Patriots (6)	21	San Diego Chargers (3)	12	Foxborough, Massachusetts (3)	Gillette Stadium (2)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	2008–09	January 18, 2009	Pittsburgh Steelers (7)	23	Baltimore Ravens (1)	14	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (10)	Heinz Field (3)<ref name="Acrisue Stadium" group="fn" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	2009–10	January 24, 2010	Indianapolis Colts (3)	30	New York Jets (3)	17	Indianapolis, Indiana (2)	Lucas Oil Stadium<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	2010–11	January 23, 2011	Pittsburgh Steelers (8)	24	New York Jets (4)	19	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (11)	Heinz Field (4)<ref name="Acrisue Stadium" group="fn" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	2011–12	January 22, 2012	New England Patriots (7)	23	Baltimore Ravens (2)	20	Foxborough, Massachusetts (4)	Gillette Stadium (3)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	2012–13	January 20, 2013	Baltimore Ravens (2)	28	New England Patriots (2)	13	Foxborough, Massachusetts (5)	Gillette Stadium (4)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	2013–14	January 19, 2014	Denver Broncos (7)	26	New England Patriots (3)	16	Denver, Colorado (6)	Sports Authority Field at Mile High (2)<ref group="fn" name="Empower"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	2014–15	January 18, 2015	New England Patriots (8)	45	Indianapolis Colts (4)	7	Foxborough, Massachusetts (6)	Gillette Stadium (5)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	2015–16	January 24, 2016	Denver Broncos (8)	20	New England Patriots (4)	18	Denver, Colorado (7)	Sports Authority Field at Mile High (3)<ref group="fn" name="Empower"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	2016–17	January 22, 2017	New England Patriots (9)	36	Pittsburgh Steelers (8)	17	Foxborough, Massachusetts (7)	Gillette Stadium (6)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	2017–18	January 21, 2018	New England Patriots (10)	24	Jacksonville Jaguars (3)	20	Foxborough, Massachusetts (8)	Gillette Stadium (7)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	2018–19	January 20, 2019	New England Patriots (11)	37<ref group="fn" name="OT"/>	Kansas City Chiefs (2)	31	Kansas City, Missouri	Arrowhead Stadium<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	2019–20	January 19, 2020	Kansas City Chiefs (1)	35	Tennessee Titans (4)	24	Kansas City, Missouri (2)	Arrowhead Stadium (2)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	2020–21	January 24, 2021	Kansas City Chiefs (2)	38	Buffalo Bills (2)	24	Kansas City, Missouri (3)	Arrowhead Stadium (3)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	2021–22	January 30, 2022	Cincinnati Bengals (3)	27<ref group="fn" name="OT"/>	Kansas City Chiefs (3)	24	Kansas City, Missouri (4)	Arrowhead Stadium (4)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	2022–23	January 29, 2023	Kansas City Chiefs (3)	23	Cincinnati Bengals (1)	20	Kansas City, Missouri (5)	Arrowhead Stadium (5)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	2023–24	January 28, 2024	Kansas City Chiefs (4)	17	Baltimore Ravens (3)	10	Baltimore, Maryland (2)<ref group="fn" name="Baltimore"/>	M&T Bank Stadium<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Nfly	2024–25	January 26, 2025	Kansas City Chiefs (5)	32	Buffalo Bills (3)	29	Kansas City, Missouri (6)	Arrowhead Stadium (6)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.<ref group="fn" name="Hou2002"/>

Template:Abbr	Team	Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr	Template:Abbr	Last game	Last win	Home games	Home wins	Home losses	Home win %	Away games	Away wins	Away losses	Away win %
16	Pittsburgh Steelers	8	8	Template:Winpct	332	303	2016	2010	11	6	5	Template:Winpct	5	2	3	Template:Winpct
15	New England Patriots	11	4	Template:Winpct	371	280	2018	2018	8	7	1	Template:Winpct	7	4	3	Template:Winpct
11	Las Vegas Raiders<ref group="fn" name="Raiders appearances"/>	4	7	Template:Winpct	202	253	2002	2002	5	3	2	Template:Winpct	6	1	5	Template:Winpct
10	Denver Broncos	8	2	Template:Winpct	235	200	2015	2015	7	6	1	Template:Winpct	3	2	1	Template:Winpct
8	Kansas City Chiefs	5	3	Template:Winpct	213	201	2024	2024	6	4	2	Template:Winpct	2	1	1	Template:Winpct
7	Miami Dolphins	5	2	Template:Winpct	152	115	1992	1984	6	4	2	Template:Winpct	1	1	0	Template:Winpct
7	Buffalo Bills	4	3	Template:Winpct	187	124	2024	1993	3	3	0	Template:Winpct	4	1	3	Template:Winpct
7	Indianapolis Colts<ref group="fn" name="Colts appearances"/>	3	4	Template:Winpct	132	178	2014	2009	3	3	0	Template:Winpct	4	0	4	Template:Winpct
5	Baltimore Ravens	2	3	Template:Winpct	88	79	2023	2012	1	0	1	Template:Winpct	4	2	2	Template:Winpct
5	Tennessee Titans<ref group="fn" name="Titans appearances"/>	1	4	Template:Winpct	99	151	2019	1999	0	0	0	Template:Sort	5	1	4	Template:Winpct
4	Cincinnati Bengals	3	1	Template:Winpct	95	64	2022	2021	2	2	0	Template:Winpct	2	1	1	Template:Winpct
4	Los Angeles Chargers<ref group="fn" name="Chargers appearances"/>	1	3	Template:Winpct	63	95	2007	1994	1	0	1	Template:Winpct	3	1	2	Template:Winpct
4	New York Jets	0	4	Template:Winpct	46	91	2010	N/A	0	0	0	Template:Sort	4	0	4	Template:Winpct
3	Cleveland Browns	0	3	Template:Winpct	74	98	1989	N/A	1	0	1	Template:Winpct	2	0	2	Template:Winpct
3	Jacksonville Jaguars	0	3	Template:Winpct	40	77	2017	N/A	1	0	1	Template:Winpct	2	0	2	Template:Winpct
1	Seattle Seahawks<ref group="fn" name="SEA appearances"/>	0	1	Template:Winpct	14	30	1983	N/ATemplate:Cref	0	0	0	Template:Sort	1	0	1	Template:Winpct

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.

Template:Abbr	Team	Wins	Losses	Win %	Season(s)
16	Pittsburgh Steelers	8	8	Template:Winpct	1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2016
15	New England Patriots	11	4	Template:Winpct	1985, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
11	Oakland/Los Angeles/Las Vegas Raiders<ref group="fn" name="Raiders appearances">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.</ref>	4	7	Template:Winpct	1970, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1990, 2000, 2002
10	Denver Broncos	8	2	Template:Winpct	1977, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2005, 2013, 2015
8	Kansas City Chiefs	5	3	Template:Winpct	1993, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
7	Miami Dolphins	5	2	Template:Winpct	1971, 1972, 1973, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1992
7	Buffalo Bills	4	3	Template:Winpct	1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2020, 2024
7	Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts<ref group="fn" name="Colts appearances">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.</ref>	3	4	Template:Winpct	1970, 1971, 1995, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2014
5	Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans<ref group="fn" name="Titans appearances">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.</ref>	1	4	Template:Winpct	1978, 1979, 1999, 2002, 2019
5	Baltimore Ravens	2	3	Template:Winpct	2000, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2023
4	Cincinnati Bengals	3	1	Template:Winpct	1981, 1988, 2021, 2022
4	San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers<ref group="fn" name="Chargers appearances">The Chargers were playing in San Diego at the time of all their AFC Championship appearances.</ref>	1	3	Template:Winpct	1980, 1981, 1994, 2007
4	New York Jets	0	4	Template:Winpct	1982, 1998, 2009, 2010
3	Jacksonville Jaguars	0	3	Template:Winpct	1996, 1999, 2017
3	Cleveland Browns	0	3	Template:Winpct	1986, 1987, 1989
1	Seattle Seahawks<ref group="fn" name="SEA appearances">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.</ref>	0	1	Template:Winpct	1983
0	Houston Texans<ref group="fn" name="Hou2002">The Houston Texans were founded in 2002.</ref>	0	0	Template:Winpct
0	Tampa Bay Buccaneers<ref group="fn" name="TB appearances">The Buccaneers were members of the AFC in 1976 before moving to the NFC in 1977.</ref>	0	0	Template:Winpct

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.

Division	Total				1970–2001				2002–present
	Template:Abbr	Wins	Losses	Win %	Template:Abbr	Wins	Losses	Win %	Template:Abbr	Wins	Losses	Win %
AFC East	36	21	15	Template:Winpct	20	14<ref name="eastwins" group="fn">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.</ref>	7<ref name="eastdefeats" group="fn">AFC East conference championship game losses. Pre-2002: 1971, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1992, 1995, 1998. Since 2002: 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2020, 2024.</ref>	Template:Winpct	16	8<ref name="eastwins" group="fn"/>	8<ref name="eastdefeats" group="fn"/>	Template:Winpct
AFC North	33	14	19	Template:Winpct	22	9<ref name="Northwins" group="fn">AFC North conference championship game victories. Pre-2002: 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1988, 1995, 1999, 2000. Since 2002: 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2021.</ref>	13<ref name="Northdefeats" group="fn">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. </ref>	Template:Winpct	11	5<ref name="Northwins" group="fn"/>	6<ref name="Northdefeats" group="fn"/>	Template:Winpct
AFC South	7	2	5	Template:Winpct	colspan=4 Template:N/a	7	2<ref group="fn">AFC South conference championship game victories: 2006, 2009.</ref>	5<ref group="fn">AFC South conference championship game losses: 2002, 2003, 2014, 2017, 2019.</ref>	Template:Winpct
AFC West	35	18	17	Template:Winpct	22	10<ref name="WestWins" group="fn">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, 2024. </ref>	13<ref name="WestDefeats" group="fn">AFC West conference championship game losses. Pre-2002: 1970, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1993, 2000. Since 2002: 2005, 2007, 2018, 2021 </ref>	Template:Winpct	12	8<ref name="WestWins" group="fn"/>	4<ref name="WestDefeats" group="fn"/>	Template:Winpct

Most common matchups

Count	Matchup	Record	Years Played
3	Oakland / Los Angeles / Las Vegas Raiders vs. Pittsburgh Steelers	Steelers, 2–1	1974, 1975, 1976
3	Denver Broncos vs. Cleveland Browns	Broncos, 3–0	1986, 1987, 1989
3	New England Patriots vs. Pittsburgh Steelers	Patriots, 3–0	2001, 2004, 2016
3	Baltimore / Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots	Patriots, 2–1	2003, 2006, 2014
3	Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs	Chiefs, 2–1	1993, 2020, 2024
2	Miami Dolphins vs. Pittsburgh Steelers	Dolphins, 2–0	1972, 1984
2	Houston / Tennessee Oilers / Titans vs. Pittsburgh Steelers	Steelers, 2–0	1978, 1979
2	Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New England Patriots	Patriots, 2–0	1996, 2017
2	Denver Broncos vs. Pittsburgh Steelers	Tie, 1–1	1997, 2005
2	Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots	Tie, 1–1	2011, 2012
2	Denver Broncos vs. New England Patriots	Broncos, 2–0	2013, 2015
2	Cincinnati Bengals vs. Kansas City Chiefs	Tie, 1–1	2021, 2022

AFC Championship Game records

File:AFCChampionship2005.png

AFC Championship Game logo, 2001–2005

File:AFC Championship logo old.svg

AFC Championship Game logo, 2008–2010 (Used with old shield since 2005)

• 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 defensive 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 common 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)
• Smallest margin of victory: 2 points – January 24, 2016 (2015) – Denver Broncos (20) vs. New England Patriots (18)
• Fewest points scored, winning team: 10 – January 12, 1992 (1991) – Buffalo Bills (10) vs. Denver Broncos (7)
• Fewest points scored: 0* (tie)
  • January 2, 1972 (1971) – Baltimore Colts 0 vs. Miami Dolphins 21
  • January 23, 1983 (1982) – New York Jets (0) vs. Miami 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)
• Longest game: 65 minutes, 48 seconds – January 11, 1987 (1986) – Denver Broncos (23) vs. Cleveland Browns (20), OT
• Most AFC Championships lost in overtime: 2* – Kansas City Chiefs (2018, 2021)
• Current teams which have never appeared in an AFC Championship Game: Houston Texans
• Current teams which have never hosted an AFC Championship Game:
  • Houston Texans
  • New York Jets<ref group="fn" name=":0">The Jets last hosted and won the 1968 AFL Championship Game during the Super Bowl era.</ref>
  • Tennessee Titans<ref group="fn">The Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans franchise last hosted the 1962 AFL Championship Game.</ref>
• Current teams which have never won an AFC Championship Game:
  • Cleveland Browns (0–3)
  • Houston Texans (0–0)
  • Jacksonville Jaguars (0–3)
  • New York Jets (0–4)<ref name=":0" group="fn" />
• Longest drought without appearing in an AFC Championship Game: Cleveland Browns (last appearance – 1989)
• Longest drought without an AFC Championship: New York Jets<ref name=":0" group="fn" />
• 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<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• 2003: 41.5 million viewers
• 2005: 44.3 million viewers
• 2006: 39 million viewers<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• 2007: 46.7 million viewers<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• 2009: 42 million viewers<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• 2010: 42.3 million viewers
• 2011: 54.9 million viewers<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2012: 48.7 million viewers<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• 2013: 47.7 million viewers<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2014: 51.3 million viewers<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• 2015: 42.1 million viewers<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• 2016: 53.3 million viewers<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• 2017: 41.2 million viewers<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• 2018: 53.9 million viewers<ref name="bostonglobe.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• 2019: 41.1 million viewers<ref name="bostonglobe.com" />
• 2020: 41.8 million viewers<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• 2021: 47.8 million viewers<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• 2022: 53.1 million viewers<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• 2023: 55.5 million viewers<ref name=":9">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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• 2024: 57.4 million viewers<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Footnotes

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