Summary of The American Football Conference (AFC)
The American Football Conference (AFC) is one of two conferences within the National Football League (NFL), the other being the National Football Conference (NFC). The AFC has its roots in the American Football League (AFL), which was founded in 1960 and merged with the NFL in 1970. Today, only three AFC teams—the Browns, Jaguars, and Texans—have yet to win an AFC championship.
The AFC champion is determined by the AFC Championship Game, which is part of the post-season playoffs involving the teams with the best regular-season records. The most AFC championships won by any team is 11, by the New England Patriots, followed by the Pittsburgh Steelers with 8. The record for the most regular-season wins by an AFL or AFC champion is 16, by the 2007 Patriots, who had a perfect 16–0 record.
Bill Belichick holds the record for most AFC championship wins as a head coach, with 9, all with the Patriots. Tom Brady is the most successful quarterback in AFC Championship history, having been the starting quarterback for 9 championship teams (including one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers). Franco Harris and Thurman Thomas hold the record for most rushing yards by an AFC champion, with 4 seasons each. Andre Reed and Travis Kelce have the most receiving yards by an AFC champion, also with 4 seasons each.
The AFC champion has won 29 of the 58 Super Bowls played through the end of the 2023 season, including 11 of the first 13. However, the AFC also lost 13 consecutive Super Bowls from 1984 to 1996. Interestingly, the 1972 Miami Dolphins stand out as the only team to have won both the AFL Championship and the Super Bowl with a perfect 14–0 record.