49ers advance to their 19th NFC Championship Game in franchise history

The 49ers' win over the Packers on Saturday night means they'll be in the NFC Championship Game for the 19th time, the most times any NFL team has appeared in a conference championship.Starting with the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, this year will mark the 54th AFC and NFC Championship Games, and no team has been in as many conference championships as the 49ers. San Francisco played in the first two NFC Championship Games, then played in five in the 1980s, five in the 1990s, three in a row after the 2011-2013 seasons, and has now been in four of the last five.The Steelers, who have played in 16 AFC Championship Games, have appeared in the second-most conference championships, followed by the Patriots with 15 and the Cowboys with 14.If the Lions win today, this year's NFC Championship Game will be a major contrast, as the Lions are the only NFC team that has never won the NFC Championship Game, and the only team that has appeared in it only once.