FOR USE AS DESIRED
January 20, 2005

NFL PRESS BOX NOTES – NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

QUARTERBACK CLUB:  The Philadelphia Eagles’ DONOVAN MC NABB has become the fourth NFL quarterback since 1970 to lead his team to at least four consecutive conference championship games.  Of the three other quarterbacks who have taken their team to four title games in a row, all reached the Super Bowl at least once.

Quarterbacks who have led their team to four or more consecutive championship games since 1970:

PLAYER

TEAM

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Ken Stabler

Oakland (AFC)

1973 L  27-10 at Miami
1974 L 24-13 vs. Pittsburgh
1975 L 16-10 at Pittsburgh
1976 W 24-7 vs. Pittsburgh
1977 L 20-17 at Denver

Jim Kelly

Buffalo (AFC)

1990 W 51-3 vs. L.A. Raiders
1991 W 10-7 vs. Denver Broncos
1992 W 29-10 at Miami Dolphins
1993 W 30-13 vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Troy Aikman

Dallas (NFC)

1992 W 30-20 at San Francisco 49ers
1993 W 38-21 vs. San Francisco 49ers
1994 L 38-28 at San Francisco 49ers
1995 W 38-27 vs. Green Bay Packers

Donovan McNabb

Philadelphia (NFC)

2001 L 29-24 at St. Louis Rams
2002 L 27-10 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2003 L 14-3  vs. Carolina Panthers
2004 ???  vs. Atlanta Falcons

QUICK FIX:  With a victory on Sunday, Atlanta head coach JIM MORA will become the sixth coach in his first year with a team to lead his club to the Super Bowl.  The last coaches to accomplish the feat were BILL CALLAHAN of the Oakland Raiders and JON GRUDEN of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they met in Super Bowl XXXVII.

First-year coaches whose teams appeared in the Super Bowl:

COACH, TEAM

SEASON

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

SUPER BOWL

Don McCafferty, Baltimore

1970

W 27-17 vs. Oakland

W 16-13 vs. Dallas

Red Miller, Denver

1977

W 20-17 vs. Oakland

L 27-10 vs. Dallas

George Seifert, San Francisco

1989

W 30-3 vs. L.A. Rams

W 55-10 vs. Denver

Bill Callahan, Oakland

2002

W 41-24 vs. Tennessee

L 48-21 vs. Tampa Bay

Jon Gruden, Tampa Bay

2002

W 27-10 at Philadelphia

W 48-21 vs. Oakland

 

 

 

 

Jim Mora, Atlanta

2004

??? at Philadelphia

???

VINTAGE YEAR:  Paced by the 15-1 Pittsburgh Steelers, the AFC-NFC Championship Game participants have a combined .828 regular-season winning percentage, the third highest total since the Super Bowl era began in 1966.

Following is the highest combined winning percentage for championship game teams in a single season since 1966:

YEAR

TEAMS

W-L-T

PCT.

1998

MIN 15-1; ATL 14-2; DEN 14-2; NYJ 12-4

55-9-0

.859

1969

OAK 12-1-1; MIN 12-2; KC 11-3; CLE 10-3-1

45-9-2

.833

2004

PIT 15-1; NE 14-2; PHI 13-3; ATL 11-5

53-11-0

.828

1968

BAL 13-1; OAK 12-2; NYJ 11-3; CLE 10-4

46-10-0

.821

1972

MIA 14-0; PIT 11-3; WAS 11-3; DAL 10-4

46-10-0

.821

AERIAL SUCCESS:  The 2004 NFL season passer rating was 82.8 – the highest in history.  Through the first two rounds of the playoffs, the starting quarterbacks have posted a 94.1 rating, which would top the 87.8 mark of 1993 as the highest in a postseason.

The highest league passer rating in the playoffs since 1973, the year the rating system was implemented:

YEAR

GAMES

RATING

1993

11

87.8

1984

9

83.0

1989

9

82.4

1994

11

82.0

2003

11

81.5

 

 

 

2004

8

94.1

ARMS WITH LEGS:  After last week’s Divisional Playoff round which saw Atlanta’s MICHAEL VICK run for 119 yards against St. Louis, Vick and his opposing quarterback Sunday, DONOVAN MC NABB of Philadelphia, now rank first and third respectively in quarterback career playoff rushing yards per attempt. 

Quarterbacks with the highest career playoff rushing yards per attempt (minimum 20 attempts):

QUARTERBACK

TEAM

ATTEMPTS-YARDS

AVERAGE

Michael Vick

Atlanta

24-213

8.9

Steve McNair

Tennessee

54-349

6.5

Donovan McNabb

Philadelphia

52-330

6.4

Steve Young

San Francisco

96-585

6.1

Joe Kapp

Minnesota/Boston

27-160

5.9

-- NFC --

STATE SUPER BOWL?:  For the first time in history, both championship games will be held in the same state. Pennsylvania could become the second state with opposing teams in the Super Bowl.  Super Bowl XXIX featured an all-California matchup when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the San Diego Chargers 49-26.

-- NFC --

PLAYOFF SUCCESS:  When ANDY REID guided Philadelphia to victory in the Divisional Playoffs last week, he joined JOHN MADDEN and MIKE HOLMGREN as the only coaches to win at least one playoff game in five consecutive seasons.

Most consecutive seasons with a playoff win by a head coach:

HEAD COACH

YEARS

WINS

John Madden, Oakland

1973-73

5

Mike Holmgren, Green Bay

1993-97

5

Andy Reid, Philadelphia

2000-present

5

Tom Landry, Dallas

1970-73

4

Marv Levy, Buffalo

1990-93

4

Bill Cowher, Pittsburgh

1994-97

4

Dennis Green, Minnesota

1997-00

4

-- NFC --

GEORGE HALAS TROPHY:  Former Baltimore Colts quarterback EARL MORRALL, who started for the team in its loss to the New York Jets in Super Bowl III, will present the winner of the NFC Championship Game with the GEORGE HALAS TROPHY after the game.  Morrall’s counterpart in that game, JOE NAMATH, will present the winner of the AFC Championship with the LAMAR HUNT TROPHY on Sunday. 

Halas, the late owner of the Chicago Bears and a founder of the NFL, is the second-winningest coach in NFL history (324-151-31) behind DON SHULA (347-173-6).  He won six NFL championships with the Bears and is a charter enshrinee of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.