The Retort

The Sports Corner: NFL Postseason

February 2nd, 2012 by Cory Lovec Of The Retort Staff

As the 2011-2012 NFL postseason is underway (and almost finished), I thought it would be appropriate to see a few of the all-time NFL postseason facts and records:

• The Seattle Seahawks have the distinction of being the only team to appear in both an NFC Championship game and an AFC Championship (they were in the AFC until 2002).
• Jerry Rice has played in the most postseason games of all time. In 29 games, Rice had 151 receptions, 2245 yards gained, and 22 touchdowns - all records.
• The Pittsburgh Steelers have appeared in 15 conference championships. They have also hosted 11, won 8 (tied with the Cowboys for most) and lost 7 (tied with the Raiders and 49ers for most).
• Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers has the highest postseason passer rating of all time at 105.6. He is followed closely by former Green Bay QB Bart Starr (104.8).
• The Cleveland Browns have the worst playoff record of all time, posting a 0.355 winning percentage (11-20 record).
• The Green Bay Packers have won the most NFL Championships of all time (4 Super Bowls).
• Willie McGinest of the New England Patriots retired with the most quarterback sacks in postseason history, with 16.
• This year produced the quickest playoff overtime win as Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 11 seconds into overtime in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
• The Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers have met in the NFC Championship 6 times, an NFL record. Dallas has the edge, beating San Francisco in 4 of the 6 match-ups.
• The Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys are tied for most playoff wins all-time (33). Green Bay, however, has the best all time playoff win percentage (0.630, a 29-17 record).
• San Francisco 49er Ricky Watters set the NFL postseason record with 5 TD vs. tin 1993.
• The most points ever scored by a team in the postseason was in 1940, when the Chicago Bears beat the Washington Redskins 73-0 in the Championship game. This is also the largest margin of defeat for any NFL game ever.
• Adam Vinatieri, kicker for the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts, has scored the most points ever in the NFL postseason, scoring 177 total points in 24 games.
• Terrell Davis ran for over 100 yards in 7 of his 8 total playoff games. It took Emmitt Smith 17 games to accomplish the feat.
• In the 1970 divisional round, Dallas beat Detroit 5-0, the lowest scoring playoff game in NFL history.
• Joe Montana has the most playoff TD passes of all time. In 23 games, Montana threw 45 TDs.
• The Minnesota Vikings have lost the most playoff games (26) in NFL history.
• The highest scoring game in NFL history was the 2009 Wild Card matchup between the Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers. Arizona won in overtime 51-45.