AFC Championship Game

STILL SUPER: The Baltimore Ravens can become the eighth non-division winner to advance to the Super Bowl. If the Ravens play in the game, it would mark the first time non-division winners have played in Super Bowl in consecutive seasons (1999, Tennessee). The seven non-division winners to advance to the Super Bowl:

Team	Super Bowl	Result
1969 Kansas City Chiefs	Super Bowl IV	Defeated Minnesota, 23-7
1975 Dallas Cowboys	Super Bowl X	Lost to Pittsburgh, 21-17
1980 Oakland Raiders	Super Bowl XV	Defeated Philadelphia, 27-10
1985 New England Patriots	Super Bowl XX	Lost to Chicago, 46-10
1992 Buffalo Bills	Super Bowl XXVII	Lost to Dallas, 52-17
1997 Denver Broncos	Super Bowl XXXII	Defeated Green Bay, 31-24
1999 Tennessee Titans	Super Bowl XXXIV	Lost to St. Louis, 23-16

FAMILIAR TERRITORY: The Oakland Raiders are making their 13th appearance in an AFC Championship Game, while the Ravens are making their first. How the most frequent participants in the AFC title game have fared in the Super Bowl:

Team	AFL/AFC Championship Games	AFL/AFC Champ. Game Records	Super Bowl Record
Oakland Raiders	12	4-8	3-1
Pittsburgh Steelers	10	5-5	4-1
Buffalo Bills	8	6-2	0-4
San Diego Chargers	8	2-6	0-1
Denver Broncos	7	6-1	2-4
Tennessee Titans	7	3-4	0-1

ROOKIE RUSHERS: Ravens rookie running back JAMAL LEWIS has rushed for three touchdowns and 157 yards in the playoffs. With two rushing touchdowns Sunday, he will break the record for most rookie rushing TDs in a postseason. If Lewis rushes for 92 yards against Oakland, he will move into fifth place among rookies in postseason rushing yards:

Playoff Rookie Rushing TD Leaders			Playoff Rookie Rushing Leaders
Season	Player/Team	Rushing TDs	Season	Player/Team	Rushing Yards
1941	Norm Standlee, Chicago	4	1987	Timmy Smith, Washington	342
1977	Tony Dorsett, Dallas	4	1970	Duane Thomas, Dallas	313
1994	William Floyd, S.F.	4	1988	Ickey Woods, Cincinnati	307
1982	Marcus Allen, Oakland	3	1978	Earl Campbell, Houston	264
1988	Ickey Woods, Cincinnati	3	1998	Fred Taylor, Jacksonville	248
2000	Jamal Lewis, Baltimore	3

RETURN REWARDS: The Ravens have scored two touchdowns on returns in the 2000 playoffs and can tie the NFL playoff record with one more. Five clubs scored three touchdowns on returns in a single postseason. Four of them won the NFL championship or Super Bowl that season:

Postseason	Team	Return TDs	Result
1940	Chicago Bears	3	Won NFL Championship
1975	Los Angeles Rams	3	Lost NFC Championship
1983	Los Angeles Raiders	3	Won Super Bowl XVIII
1985	Chicago Bears	3	Won Super Bowl XX
1996	Green Bay Packers	3	Won Super Bowl XXXI

CONSECUTIVE INTERCEPTIONS: Ravens linebacker RAY LEWIS has had one interception in two consecutive playoff games. With an interception in the AFC Championship, Lewis can tie the NFL record (with many others) for consecutive playoff games with an interception, but become only the ninth player in history to accomplish the feat in a single postseason. The eight others and how their clubs fared in the postseason:

Postseason	Player/Team	Interceptions	Playoffs
1969	Emmitt Thomas, K.C.	3	Won Super Bowl IV
1970	Mel Renfro, Dallas	3	Lost Super Bowl V
1980	Lester Hayes, Oakland	3	Won Super Bowl XV
1982	Gerald Small, Miami	3	Lost Super Bowl XVII
1985	Fred Marion, N.E.	3	Lost Super Bowl XX
1991	Kurt Gouveia, Washington	3	Won Super Bowl XXVI
1994	Eric Davis, S.F.	3	Won Super Bowl XXIX
1996	Craig Newsome, G.B.	3	Won Super Bowl XXXI

ALEX SPANOS TO PRESENT LAMAR HUNT TROPHY: San Diego Chargers Chairman of the Board ALEX SPANOS will present the winner of Sunday’s AFC Championship Game with the LAMAR HUNT TROPHY. The trophy is named in honor of Pro Football Hall of Fame member Hunt, who is one of the founders of the American Football League and owner and founder of the Kansas City Chiefs.