2014 NFC Championship Game

2014 NFC Championship Game
DateJanuary 18, 2015
StadiumCenturyLink Field
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
FavoriteSeahawks by 8.5
RefereeTony Corrente
Attendance68,538
TV in the United States
NetworkFox
AnnouncersJoe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews, and Chris Myers

The 2014 National Football Conference (NFC) Championship Game was an American football game played between the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks on January 18, 2015, at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington. Both the Packers and Seahawks finished the 2014 season at 12–4, winning their respective divisions. The Dallas Cowboys also won their division with a 12–4 record, necessitating a tiebreaker for seeding in the playoffs. The Seahawks were awarded the first seed, the Packers the second, and the Cowboys the third based on each team's respective conference winning percentages. With the first and second seeds, the Packers and Seahawks both received first-round byes. The Packers faced the Cowboys in the Divisional Round, winning 26–21 in a game that became known as the Dez Caught It game after a controversial ruling of an incomplete catch by Dez Bryant. The Seahawks beat the Carolina Panthers 31–17 in the Divisional Round and with their higher seeding had home field advantage for the NFC Championship Game against the Packers.

The Packers started the game strong, taking a 16–0 lead into halftime. In the third quarter, the Seahawks scored their first points on a passing touchdown by their punter, Jon Ryan, after a fake field goal attempt. After a late interception by Morgan Burnett, the Packers had the ball on a first down with about five minutes left in the game and a 19–7 lead. However, the Seahawks began an improbable comeback: a defensive stop followed by a quick touchdown; a successful onside kick recovery; and another touchdown with a successful two-point conversion to take a 22–19 lead with about a minute remaining. The Packers were able to tie the game with a field goal to force overtime. The Seahawks won the coin toss and scored on a walk-off touchdown pass by Russell Wilson to send the team to Super Bowl XLIX. The game continued a growing rivalry between the two teams and gained widespread media attention for the unlikely comeback and questionable decisions made by Packers' coaches and players.