The NFL Championship has become the pinnacle of American sports, putting its rivals from the world’s of basketball and baseball in the shade however you choose to measure success.
And a potentially blockbuster 2023 NFL Championship should continue that trend with the two best teams from the AFC and NFC in the regular season squaring off at State Farm Stadium in Arizona for the right to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
The Philadelphia Eagles are -125 favorites to become the 16th team in NFL history to win multiple championships, their only previous title coming in 2017, while the Kansas City Chiefs are chasing a third championship.
But before we get too wrapped up in the 57th edition of the NFL Championship, it’s important to know what came before it as we examine the history of the big game.
| What | Kansas City Chiefs vs Philadelphia Eagles, 20223 NFL Championship |
| Where | State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona |
| When | 18.30 ET, Sunday February 12th, 2023 |
| How to watch | ITV1 and Sky Sports NFL |
| Odds | KC Chiefs +105, PHI Eagles -125 |
The New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers are the two most successful franchises since 1966, having both won an impressive six titles.
The majority of the Steelers’ titles came in the 1970s, thanks largely to their fearsome defence, which has dubbed the ‘Steel Curtain’. Pittsburgh added two more championships to their haul in 2005 and 2008.
The Patriots’ big game wins came during a dominant 17-year period under head coach Bill Belichick, picking up their first crown in 2001 and clinching their sixth in 2018.
Tom Brady was the quarterback for all six of those successes for New England but has since eclipsed the Pats and the Steelers when it comes to championships, claiming a seventh winners’ ring with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.
That’s still one ring short of his old coach Belichick’s collection, the 70-year-old owning eight in total, six from his time with the Patriots and two as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants.
There are 12 teams currently in the NFL that have never won a championship: Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, and Tennessee Titans.
Of the 12, the Bills and the Vikings rank as the two most hopeless cases having lost four championship games each. Buffalo’s quartet of defeats were in successive years with the Bills reaching the title game in each season between 1990 and 1993.
The New England Patriots are the only franchise to hit double figures in terms of championship game appearances having been to the big game 11 times.
The Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers are tied for second with eight championship game outings.
Only four teams have never been to a championship game - Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars.
The MVP honor goes to the game’s best performer and has been around since the very first championship, with the recipient awarded the Pete Rozelle Trophy to acknowledge their performance.
More often than not, the honour is given to a quarterback, who have collected 31 of the past 56 prizes. Only five men have ever won multiple MVPs - Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, Bart Starr and Eli Manning - with Brady having scooped the award five times.
NFL: AFC Championship Reaction: Chiefs edge Bengals to reach Super Bowl
NFL: NFC Championship Reaction: Eagles secure Super Bowl return
The first Super Bowl took place on January 15th 1967 at the Los Angeles Coliseum with the AFL champions Kansas City Chiefs facing off against the NFL’s Green Bay Packers.
The Packers would comfortably win Super Bowl I 35-10 with Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr crowned the game’s first MVP.
The Super Bowl is played at a different venue every year with State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona hosting Super Bowl LVII.
This will be the second time a Super Bowl has been played at State Farm Stadium, with the Superdome in New Orleans having hosted an unmatched seven title games and counting, the home of the New Orleans Saints having also been selected to host Super Bowl LIX in 2025.
The Super Bowl made its name with its winner-take-all high-stakes game but has become more than that over the years, with the half-time musical performance evolving into one of the main attractions.
From a medley by The University of Arizona Symphonic Marching Band in Super Bowl I to performances by some of music’s biggest names, including the likes of Michael Jackson, Prince and Paul McCartney, the Super Bowl half-time show has come a long way.
This year, Rihanna will take to the stage to provide the entertainment at the interval.
Super Bowl I (1967): Packers 35-10 Chiefs
Super Bowl II (1968): Packers 33-14 Raiders
Super Bowl III (1969): Jets 16-7 Colts
Super Bowl IV (1970): Chiefs 23-7 Viking
Super Bowl V (1971): Colts 16-13 Cowboys
Super Bowl VI (1972): Cowboys 24-3 Dolphins
Super Bowl VII (1973): Dolphins 14-7 Redskins
Super Bowl VIII (1974): Dolphins 24-7 Vikings
Super Bowl IX (1975): Steelers 16-6 Vikings
Super Bowl X (1976): Steelers 21-17 Cowboys
Super Bowl XI (1977): Raiders 32-14 Vikings
Super Bowl XII (1978): Cowboys 27-10 Broncos
Super Bowl XIII (1979): Steelers 35-31 Cowboys
Super Bowl XIV (1980): Steelers 31-19 Rams
Super Bowl XV (1981): Raiders 27-10 Eagles
Super Bowl XVI (1982): 49ers 26-21 Bengals
Super Bowl XVII (1983): Redskins 27-17 Dolphins
Super Bowl XVIII (1984): Raiders 38-9 Redskins
Super Bowl XIX (1985): 49ers 38-16 Dolphins
Super Bowl XX (1986): Bears 46-10 Patriots
Super Bowl XXI (1987): Giants 39-20 Broncos
Super Bowl XXII (1988): Redskins 42-10 Broncos
Super Bowl XXIII (1989): 49ers 20-16 Bengals
Super Bowl XXIV (1990): 49ers 55-10 Broncos
Super Bowl XXV (1991): Giants 20-19 Bills
Super Bowl XXVI (1992): Redskins 37-24 Bills
Super Bowl XXVII (1993): Cowboys 52-17 Bills
Super Bowl XXVIII (1994): Cowboys 30-13 Bills
Super Bowl XXIX (1995): 49ers 49-26 Chargers
Super Bowl XXX (1996): Cowboys 27-17 Steelers
Super Bowl XXXI (1997): Packers 35-21 Patriots
Super Bowl XXXII (1998): Broncos 31-24 Packers
Super Bowl XXXIII (1999): Broncos 34-19 Falcons
Super Bowl XXXIV (2000): Rams 23-16 Titans
Super Bowl XXXV (2001): Ravens 34-7 Giants
Super Bowl XXXVI (2002): Patriots 20-17 Rams
Super Bowl XXXVII (2003): Buccaneers 48-21 Raiders
Super Bowl XXXVIII (2004): Patriots 32-29 Panthers
Super Bowl XXXIX (2005): Patriots 24-21 Eagles
Super Bowl XL (2006): Steelers 21-10 Seahawks
Super Bowl XLI (2007): Colts 29-17 Bears
Super Bowl XLII (2008): Giants 17-14 Patriots
Super Bowl XLIII (2009): Steelers 27-23 Cardinals
Super Bowl XLIV (2010): Saints 31-17 Colts
Super Bowl XLV (2011): Packers 31-25 Steelers
Super Bowl XLVI (2012): Giants 21-17 Patriots
Super Bowl XLVII (2013): Ravens 34-31 49ers
Super Bowl XLVIII (2014): Seahawks 43-8 Broncos
Super Bowl XLIX (2015): Patriots 28-24 Seahawks
Super Bowl 50 (2016): Broncos 24-10 Panthers
Super Bowl LI (2017): Patriots 34-28 Falcons (OT)
Super Bowl LII (2018): Eagles 41-33 Patriots
Super Bowl LIII (2019): Patriots 13-9 Rams
Super Bowl LIV (2020): Chiefs 31-20 49ers
Super Bowl LV (2021): Buccaneers 31-9 Chiefs
Super Bowl LVI (2022): Rams 23-20 Bengals
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