Times that the top two Score% Teams have met in the playoffs

[SeahawkFever]

The NFC Championship Game is the Seahawks and Rams this year.

I personally, I really enjoyed the Thursday night matchup between these two and I hoped they would be the NFC Championship Game.

Also, when I calculated my main Score% Differential stat this season the Rams were the top team and the Seahawks second.

Out of personal curiosity, I decided to look at the top two in every season for as far back as my stat can be calculated, and looked into who won.

Here are the postseason games since 1941 where the top two teams by my stat faced off and the results (For each of them, the year listed is the NFL season that the playoff game is a part of):

1941 Western Division Tiebreaker: Bears (1) over Packers (2)
1951 NFL Championship Game: Rams (2) over Browns (1)
1952 NFL Championship Game: Lions (1) over Browns (2)
1954 NFL Championship Game: Browns (1) over Lions (2)
1958 NFL Championship Game: Colts (1) over Giants (2)
1959 NFL Championship Game: Colts (2) over Giants (1)
1966 NFL Championship Game: Packers (2) over Cowboys (1)
1969 Super Bowl: Chiefs (2) over Vikings (1)
1971 AFC Championship Game: Dolphins (2) over Colts (1)
1972 AFC Championship Game: Dolphins (1) over Steelers (2)
1976 AFC Divisional Round: Steelers (1) over Colts (2)
1978 Super Bowl: Steelers (1) over Cowboys (2)
1984 Super Bowl: 49ers (1) over Dolphins (2)
1988 NFC Wild Card: Vikings (1) over Rams (2)
1989 Super Bowl: 49ers (1) over Broncos (2)
1993 NFC Championship Game: Cowboys (1) over 49ers (2)
1994 NFC Championship Game: 49ers (1) over Cowboys (2)
1996 NFC Divisional Round: Packers (1) over 49ers (2)
1997 Super Bowl: Broncos (1) over Packers (2)
2000 AFC Divisional Round: Ravens (2) over Titans (1)
2004 AFC Divisional Round: Patriots (1) over Colts (2)
2006 AFC Divisional Round: Patriots (1) over Chargers (2)
2013 Super Bowl: Seahawks (1) over Broncos (2)
2014 Super Bowl: Patriots (2) over Seahawks (1)
2015 NFC Divisional Round: Panthers (2) over Seahawks (1)
2016 Super Bowl: Patriots (1) over Falcons (2)
2017 Super Bowl: Eagles (2) over Patriots (1)
2018 NFC Championship Game: Rams (2) over Saints (1)
2021 AFC Wild Card: Bills (1) over Patriots (2)
And the 2025 NFC Championship Game between the Seahawks and Rams will be the 30th such playoff game.

Out of 29 playoff games between the top two in Score% since 1941:

The number one team has won 19 of the games and the number two team has won ten of them.

Nine of these games were Super Bowls, with the number one team winning six of them. Prior to the Super Bowl, the top two rankings split the six NFL Championship Games that they squared off in.

Not counting this season’s NFC Championship Game, there are five conference championship games between the top two teams statistically, with the number one team winning three out of the five. Could’ve been one more if the no-call doesn’t happen, but still. That total is four out of six if you count the 1941 Western Division tiebreaker as a conference championship game (which it could de-facto be since the winner played one more playoff round afterward)

Of the five winners of the conference championships, three of them won the Super Bowl following, and the 1941 Bears were also champions pre-Super Bowl.

The conference championship is a weekend of the NFL that I look forward to every year in particular because it’s the last round before the Super Bowl. No knock on the Super Bowl, but let’s face it, a lot of the discussion about it these days is the spectacle of the game as opposed to the game itself, and at most parties I’ve been to more recently, I find myself a bit more dialed into the game than most people there.

I’ve gotten busier the past few years, and I’ve had lots of commitments come up on weekends, but no matter how busy things get, I make sure to set aside one Sunday each year to watch the last four teams standing square off.

[JuggernautJ]

Interesting.
Thanks.

One question: For 1969, are the rankings for the separate leagues or the AFL/NFL combined?
In other words, were the Chiefs #2 in the AFL or #2 in the NFL and AFL combined?
(And if just for the AFL who was #1 in the AFL?)

And likewise for the (#1) Vikings?

[RichardBak]

Now watch, we'll be treated to a 9-3 game, with 4 FGs.

[SeahawkFever]

Interesting.
Thanks.

One question: For 1969, are the rankings for the separate leagues or the AFL/NFL combined?
In other words, were the Chiefs #2 in the AFL or #2 in the NFL and AFL combined?
(And if just for the AFL who was #1 in the AFL?)

And likewise for the (#1) Vikings?

Your welcome!

And Rankings are not separated by AFL and NFL (or AAFC and NFL for that matter), so both teams were the best on their respective sides of the league.

[Brian wolf]

Richard, I would welcome hard hitting, low scoring championship games, run the football and knock some sense into people. The NFC teams are the best but the Patriots are set up to succeed. Lets hope they earn it ...

[JWL]

Richard, I would welcome hard hitting, low scoring championship games, run the football and knock some sense into people. The NFC teams are the best but the Patriots are set up to succeed. Lets hope they earn it ...

Darnold wasn't tested last week which is cool- no fault of his. The 49ers were overwhelmed from the kickoff and never recovered. If the Seahawks can play great on defense vs the Rams, they will win probably 20-10. If not, then it becomes something else and a test to see if Darnold can win.

[Brian wolf]

Both teams know each other well and will probably fill the air with footballs rather than run it alot, but Darnold has to be overwhelmed just getting to a championship game. Seems like alot of years between the Jets and Panthers.

If the Seahawks can just run alot -- I would even let Milroe get in some game action -- it will make things much easier for him. He has to continue to stay calm and collected.