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CLOSE GAMES: No. 2 seed SAN FRANCISCO (13-4-1) defeated No. 1 seed ATLANTA (14-4) 28-24 in yesterday’s NFC Championship Game in Atlanta to advance to Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans. It marked the sixth consecutive NFC Championship Game to be decided by seven points or fewer, the longest streak in conference championship game history. 

The past six NFC Championship Games to finish within seven points or fewer: 

POSTSEASON SUCCESS: SAN FRANCISCO advanced to its sixth Super Bowl yesterday with a 28-24 victory over Atlanta and tied DENVER (six) for the fourth-most Super Bowl appearances in NFL history.

The 49ers have won all five of their Super Bowl appearances (Super Bowl XVI, XIX, XXIII, XXIV and XXIX) and have the fourth-most postseason wins in NFL history (28).

The teams with the most Super Bowl appearances in NFL history: 

WINNING FORMULA: San Francisco head coach JIM HARBAUGH has compiled a 27-8-1 (.764) record in his first two seasons (including postseason), leading his team to two NFC West titles, consecutive NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl berth. 

Harbaugh became the fifth head coach since 1970 to reach the conference championship game in each of his first two seasons, joining DON MC CAFFERTY, REX RYAN, GEORGE SEIFERT and BARRY SWITZER.

With the 49ers win over Atlanta on Sunday, Harbaugh (27) tied STEVE MARIUCCI (27) for the third-most victories by a head coach in his first two seasons in NFL history (including playoffs). 

The head coaches to reach the conference championship in each of their first two seasons since 1970: 

The head coaches with the most wins in their first two seasons in NFL history (including playoffs):

NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED: San Francisco quarterback COLIN KAEPERNICK led the 49ers to a 28-24 win over Atlanta and has a 7-2 career record as a starter, including the postseason.

With Kaepernick starting on Sunday, San Francisco became the first team since WASHINGTON in 1986-1987 (JAY SCHROEDER in 1986; DOUG WILLIAMS in 1987) to start different quarterbacks in consecutive conference championship games. Nine teams have started different quarterbacks in consecutive conference championship games since the merger.

With the start, Kaepernick (seven) tied PAT HADEN (seven) for the fourth-fewest regular season starts by a starting quarterback in an NFC-AFC Championship Game. JEFF HOSTETLER of the New York Giants only had four regular season starts before the 1990 NFC Championship Game.

The quarterbacks with the fewest regular-season starts entering an NFC-AFC Championship Game:

RETURN ENGAGEMENT: BALTIMORE earned a 28-13 victory in the AFC Championship Game at New England, a rematch of a last year’s AFC Championship Game and a Week 3 Ravens’ home win (31-30). It marked the 11th time in 16 opportunities since 1990 that a team won the AFC Championship Game against an opponent it defeated in the regular season.

AFC Championship Games that were rematches of regular-season meetings since 1990: 

HOME AND AWAY: BALTIMORE (9-5, .643), which advanced to the Super Bowl for the second time in franchise history (Super Bowl XXXV), improved its NFL-best postseason road winning percentage (minimum 10 games) with a victory at New England.

The teams with the highest road winning percentages all-time in the playoffs (minimum 10 games):

BRADY BUNCH OF RECORDS: On Sunday, New England quarterback TOM BRADY passed for 320 yards, his sixth career 300-yard passing game in the playoffs. Only PEYTON MANNING (eight) has more 300-yard passing games than Brady in postseason history (Pro Football Hall of Famer JOE MONTANA, six; KURT WARNER, six).

Brady (5,949) surpassed Manning (5,679), Montana (5,772) and BRETT FAVRE (5,855) for the most postseason passing yards in league annals.

The quarterbacks with the most passing yards in playoff history:

A VALUABLE MATCH-UP: The 2012 AFC Championship Game marked the second time in NFL history a Super Bowl MVP quarterback (TOM BRADY, XXXVIII and XXXVI) and MVP linebacker (RAY LEWIS, XXXV) played each other in a Conference Championship Game. The only other occurrence was when the two players faced off in last year’s AFC Championship Game.

On two previous occasions, Super Bowl offensive and defensive MVPs other than a quarterback and linebacker have met in a conference championship game or Super Bowl. In Super Bowl XIII (1979), Pro Football Hall of Famer RANDY WHITE (XII) and HARVEY MARTIN (XII) of the Dallas Cowboys matched up against Pro Football Hall of Famers FRANCO HARRIS (IX) and LYNN SWANN (X) of the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the 2009 AFC Championship Game, Lewis competed against HINES WARD (XL) of the Steelers.

By Patrick Imig (@patrickimig)
Cold Hard Football Facts Resident Voice-of-God

Click the play button if you're having trouble with that listening experience.

You can also dive into the first and second editions of Raymond mic'd up while talking to God.

1. Click to revisit Ray Lewis' first Mic'd Up session at Congregation.

2. And for his second encounter, in which Raymond asked God why the Ravens were struggling. 

3. Ray Lewis & Hannibal Lecter. Hmmm.

by Kennedy Ross (@FNscribeny)

Cold, Hard Football Facts AFC East Overlord 

They say playing sports is more mental than it is physical. Even the collision fest we call pro football a lot of times comes down to a matter of will. Baltimore Ravens future Hall Of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis personifies the will that goes into playing football.

With every tear he has shed in the post season, it seems to water the fertile growth of indomitable will that grew in his team. Tonight that will manifested itself into pure aggression and physicality in the second half of this AFC Championship game. 

The Ravens defense were hitting, and they were hitting hard. They were making the Patriot receivers pay for every quick slant and short out pass that Tom Brady threw to them. By games end, Wes Welker could be seen clearly wincing with every limping step he took to the line of scrimmage.

The Ravens were going home, but only to pick up a few things on their way to New Orleans and the Super Bowl. 

The highest scoring team in the league was shut out in the second half of tonight's game. New England managed only one touchdown in four quarters. Normally it's one touchdown every four minutes, or so it seemed before tonight. 

Tom Brady threw a lot (29-of-54). He threw for a lot (320 YDS). But that is where the good times ended. Brady threw two interceptions including the game clincher in the end zone. It was a poorly under thrown ball, that was easily picked off.

Speaking of end zone, the Patriots were 1-4 in the red zone in this game. The Ravens tightened, clamped down, and strangled the Patriots when they came close to the end zone.

They even knocked Patriots running back Steven Ridley completely unconscious for several seconds while the ball slipped out of his limp hands and into the Ravens clutches for one of their three turnovers. 

On the other hand, Joe Flacco used the second half of the game to justify his confusion of why he gets no respect in this league. Flacco was 21-36 for 240 YDS and three touchdowns. It was definitely a coming out party for Flacco.

And as if things weren't bad enough for the Patriots, who haven't won a Super Bowl since SpyGate, head coach Bill Belichick snubbed the CBS post game interview, again. Pre-game show co-host Shannon Sharpe blasted Belichick for continuing to be a bad sport when the Patriots lose.

No doubt Belichick's poor sportsmanship will be morphed into competitive fire or some other euphemism that softens his Sith Lord persona. 

Now Ray Lewis gets another two weeks to stock up on Kleenex if they manage to defeat the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl in a coupe of weeks. He should send a box to Belichick who probably just didn't want to cry on camera.

The "Dark Side" abhors a cry baby. 

by Kennedy Ross

Cold Hard, Football Facts AFC East Overlord (@FNscribeNY)

This AFC Championship game between the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots have two equally important angles to it. Statistically, this is going to be a classic game; high powered offense verses hardcore defense.

The patriots are ranked 7th in OPR, 5th in QBR, and 1st in OHI. That means they are really freaking good on offense. How good are they? It was not too long ago that they were on pace to score just under 600 points this season. They as much as anyone have taken advantage of the rule changes in the passing game. 

Baltimore on the other hand is ranked 11th in DQBR, DPR and 8th in DHI. They are a seasoned defense (or old if you wanna be mean about it). They are playing as hard as any team in the league. But they have a not so secret weapon lurking around in a "Beyond Thunderdome" mask.

Inside linebacker Ray Lewis is on his farewell tour, but he just doesn't seem to want to say goodbye just yet. Lewis has been leading his team and quite frankly any team on the field with him in tackles. Now more than ever, Lewis is the emotional leader of not only the defense but of the whole team. 

All of his teammates want to see him go out on top. That means they have to top the Patriots first in order to do that. 

It's also no secret that the Ravens believe they, not the Patriots, should have won last years AFC Championship game. The Patriots won that game 23-20 thanks to a mind blowing 32-yard missed field goal by Billy Cundiff.

The Patriots are hoping Cundiff sells out the 49er's this year in the NFC Championship game so they wo't have to face them again in the Super Bowl.

So between revenge and the ultimate retirement party for Ray Lewis, the Ravens are soaked with motivation to come into New England and leave their guts on the floor if they have to. The only question is did they leave to much of their guts on the field back in Denver? After a knock-down, drag-out battle in freezing, thin overtime air, will the Ravens have enough to contend with the myriad of Patriots weapons? 

As noted earlier this week, Rob Gronkowski will not be available for the rest of the playoffs. Aaron Hernandez has been doing a good job in his stead, but it just aint "The Gronk".

But if any team in the NFL can mix and match a winning team, it's the Patriots. They make it back to the big show. Thanks for everything Ray.

RETURN ENGAGEMENT: This Sunday, NEW ENGLAND and BALTIMORE meet in a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship Game when the Patriots claimed a 23-20 victory to advance to Super Bowl XLVI. This weekend’s matchup marks the seventh time two teams have faced off in the AFL/AFC Championship in back-to-back seasons and the first time since the 1986 and 1987 seasons (Denver-Cleveland).

If the Patriots beat the Ravens, clubs who defeated the same opponent in the previous year’s AFC Championship Game will improve to 6-1 all-time.

AFC Championship Game-winning teams which faced the same opponent in next year’s title game:

For the 16th time since 1990 when the NFL adopted the 12-team playoff format and the sixth time in the past seven seasons, teams that played at least once during the regular season will meet in the AFC Championship Game. On Sunday Night Football in Week 3, the Ravens kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired to earn a 31-30 home victory over the Patriots.

If the Ravens defeat the Patriots, it will mark the 11th time in 16 opportunities that a team won the AFC Championship Game against a team it defeated in the regular season.

AFC Championship Games that were rematches of regular-season meetings since 1990:

HOME AND AWAY: In the Divisional Playoffs, NEW ENGLAND (13-4, AFC No. 2 seed) defeated Houston 41-28, while BALTIMORE (12-6, AFC No. 4 seed) edged top-seeded Denver 38-35 in double overtime.

The Patriots have a 14-3 (.824) all-time record at home during the playoffs, the highest winning percentage in postseason history (minimum 10 games), whereas the Ravens have an 8-5 (.615) all-time road record in the postseason, the highest winning percentage in postseason history (minimum 10 games).

The teams with the highest home and highest road winning percentages all-time in the postseason (minimum 10 games):

PATRIOT WAY: In 2012, NEW ENGLAND won the AFC East title for the 14th time and became the second team in NFL history to win at least 10 games in 10 consecutive seasons (San Francisco, 1983-1998, 16 consecutive seasons).

With a win against the Ravens on Sunday, New England (four, 2003-present) can join DALLAS (five, 1970-1978) as the only franchises to reach five Super Bowls in a 10-year span.

The Patriots (seven) can also tie Dallas (eight) and PITTSBURGH (eight) for the most Super Bowl berths in NFL history:

BRADY BUNCH OF RECORDS: New England quarterback TOM BRADY has thrown for 5,629 yards and 41 touchdowns in his postseason career.

If Brady passes for at least 227 yards and four touchdowns this weekend against Baltimore, he would surpass BRETT FAVRE (5,855 yards, 44 TDs) for the most postseason passing yards and tie Pro Football Hall of Famer JOE MONTANA (5,772 yards, 45 TDs) for the most postseason passing TDs in NFL history.

Last week, Brady (17) surpassed Montana (16) for the most playoff wins all-time.

The quarterbacks with the most postseason passing yards and passing touchdowns in NFL history:

T-SIZZLE: Baltimore linebacker TERRELL SUGGS posted two sacks last weekend to increase his postseason sack total to 12, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer REGGIE WHITE for the third-most since the sack became an official statistic. It marked Suggs’ fourth multiple-sack playoff game, tied with Pittsburgh linebacker LA MARR WOODLEY (four) for the most since 1982.

With 2.5 sacks against the Patriots, Suggs will tie Pro Football Hall of Famer BRUCE SMITH (14.5) for the second-most postseason sacks since 1982 and own the most multiple-sack games in the playoffs since the sack became an official statistic. 

The players with the most postseason sacks since the stat was made official in 1982:

REED-ING THE QB: Baltimore safety ED REED has eight career playoff interceptions, including one in a Wild Card contest against New England on January 10, 2010.

With one interception this weekend, Reed can tie Pro Football Hall of Famer RONNIE LOTT, BILL SIMPSON and CHARLIE WATERS for the most postseason interceptions in league history.

Atlanta cornerback ASANTE SAMUEL (seven INTs, 227 yards), whose team hosts San Francisco in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game, has the most INT-return yards in postseason history.

The players with the most postseason interceptions and interception-return yards in NFL history:

HEAD OF THE CLASS: New England head coach BILL BELICHICK (18-7, .720) led his team to a 41-28 win over Houston last week. With a win in the AFC Championship game, Belichick can tie Pro Football Hall of Famer DON SHULA (19) for second place on the postseason wins list and pull within one victory of the all-time leader, Pro Football Hall of Famer TOM LANDRY (20).

If the Patriots win, Belichick (five) would join Shula (six) as the only head coaches to lead their team to six Super Bowls.

Belichick has reached five Super Bowls with Brady, already the most by any head coach-quarterback combination in NFL history. Three other duos have accomplished the feat four times.  

The head coaches to reach the most Super Bowls in league annals:

A VALUABLE MATCH-UP: This Sunday will mark the second time in NFL history a Super Bowl MVP quarterback (TOM BRADY, XXXVIII and XXXVI) and MVP linebacker (RAY LEWIS, XXXV) will meet in a Conference Championship Game. The only other occurrence was when the two players opposed each other in last year’s AFC Championship Game.

On two previous occasions, Super Bowl offensive and defensive MVPs other than a quarterback and linebacker have met in a conference championship game or Super Bowl. In Super Bowl XIII (1979), Pro Football Hall of Famer RANDY WHITE (XII) and HARVEY MARTIN (XII) of the Dallas Cowboys met Pro Football Hall of Famers FRANCO HARRIS (IX) and LYNN SWANN (X) of the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the 2009 AFC Championship Game, Lewis competed against HINES WARD (XL) of the Steelers.

AFC TROPHY PRESENTATION:  The LAMAR HUNT TROPHY will be presented to the winner of the AFC Championship Game.

The late Hunt, founder of the Kansas City Chiefs and American Football League, helped professional football attain its stature as America’s No. 1 sport.  In the 10-year history of the AFL, his team posted the most wins (87) and earned berths in two of the first four Super Bowls, including a victory in Super Bowl IV.

In 1972, Hunt became the first person from the AFL to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

by Patrick Imig (@patrickimig)
Cold Hard Football Facts' Invisible Paparazzi

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The following information comes from the NFL:

CLOSE GAMES: The NFC Championship Game has featured close games in each of the past five seasons, including three overtime games. There have been five consecutiveNFC Championship Games that were decided by seven points or fewer, the longest streak in conference championship game history. 

The NFC’s No. 2 seed SAN FRANCISCO (12-4-1) will travel this Sunday to play the No. 1 seed ATLANTA (14-3). The Falcons had 10 games this season that finished within seven points or fewer, including last week’s 30-28 win over Seattle, while San Francisco had four such games.

The past five NFC Championship Games to finish within seven points or fewer: 

POSTSEASON SUCCESS: SAN FRANCISCO advanced to its 14th NFC Championship Game last week and tied DALLAS (14) for the second-most appearances in a conference championship game since 1970.The 49ers (27) have the fourth-most postseason wins in NFL history and are tied for the fifth-most Super Bowl appearances (five).

With a win against Atlanta on Sunday, San Francisco can earn its sixth Super Bowl berth, tying DENVER (six) for the fourth-most ever. The 49ers have won all five of their Super Bowl appearances (Super Bowl XVI, XIX, XXIII, XXIV and XXIX).

The teams with the most Super Bowl appearances in NFL history:

FALCONS AIMING HIGH: ATLANTA started the season 8-0 for the first time in franchise history and finished with a 13-3 record, earning the NFC’s No. 1 seed.

The Falcons became the ninth team since realignment in 2002 to start a season 8-0 and with a victory Sunday over San Francisco, they would become the fifth such team to reach the Super Bowl. Two of the four teams to accomplish the feat went on to win the Super Bowl (2006 Indianapolis and 2009 New Orleans).

The teams to begin a season 8-0 or better since realignment in 2002:

WINNING FORMULA: San Francisco head coach JIM HARBAUGH has compiled a 26-8-1 (.757) record in his first two seasons (including postseason), leading his team to two NFC West titles and a second consecutive NFC Championship Game. 

Harbaugh became the fifth head coach since 1970 to reach the conference championship game in each of his first two seasons, joining DON MC CAFFERTY, REX RYAN, GEORGE SEIFERT and BARRY SWITZER.

With a win at Atlanta on Sunday, Harbaugh (26) can tie STEVE MARIUCCI (27) for the third-most victories by a head coach in his first two seasons in NFL history (including playoffs). 

The head coaches to reach the conference championship in each of their first two seasons since 1970:

The head coaches with the most wins in their first two seasons in NFL history (including playoffs):

NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED: San Francisco quarterback COLIN KAEPERNICK has a 5-2 regular-season record as a starter and led the 49ers to their second consecutive NFC Championship game last week with 181 rushing yards, the most by a quarterback in an NFL game in regular-season or postseason history.

With Kaepernick starting this weekend against Atlanta, San Francisco would become the first team since the 1986-1987 WASHINGTON REDSKINS (JAY SCHROEDER in 1986; DOUG WILLIAMS in 1987) to start different quarterbacks in consecutive conference championship games. Eight teams have started different quarterbacks in consecutive conference championship games since the merger.

With a start, Kaepernick (seven) would tie PAT HADEN (seven) for the fourth-fewest regular season starts by a starting quarterback in an NFC-AFC Championship Game. JEFF HOSTETLER of the New York Giants only had four regular season starts before the 1990 NFC Championship Game.

The quarterbacks with the fewest regular-season starts entering an NFC-AFC Championship Game:

SENSATIONAL SAMUEL: Atlanta cornerback ASANTE SAMUEL played in his 20th career postseason game last week and has amassed four interception-return touchdowns and 227 interception-return yards, the most in postseason history. His seven playoff interceptions are tied for the sixth-most in NFL postseason history.

With an interception this Sunday, Samuel could add to his league leading totals and tie ED REED (eight)and LESTER HAYES (eight) for the fourth-most INTs in postseason history.

The players with the most postseason interceptions, interception-return yards and interception-return TDs in NFL history:

NFC TROPHY PRESENTATION: The winner of the NFC Championship Game will be presented with the GEORGE HALAS TROPHY. 

Halas, the late owner of the Chicago Bears and a founder of the NFL, is the second-winningest coach in 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 (1963).