With the NFL's first 18 weeks in the books, eight teams will battle it out this weekend for the right to play in the NFL's championship round. And while this weekend's slate of games is known as the "divisional round," the Saints-Buccaneers showdown is the only game between divisional foes. There are no games between teams that won their respective division.Why is the NFL's second round called the divisional round? To find the answer, you have to go back to 1941, when the and finished in a tie for the NFL's Western Division title. Back then, the Western and Eastern division champions played each other Corey Dickerson Jersey in the NFC Championship Game. To determine which team would face the Eastern Division champion in the title game, the Bears and Packers played in a "divisional round" playoff game. The Bears, led by the duo of George McAfee (14 carries, 119 yards) and Norm Standlee (15 carries, 79 yards, two touchdowns), defeated the Packers, 33-14. Chicago then went on to defeat the Giants in the NFL title game, 37-9.A divisional round tiebreaker was used eight more times between Francisco Cervelli Jersey 1943 and 1965. In 1950, both the American and National conferences needed to play divisional round playoff games to determine their champions. The , playing in their first NFL season, defeated the Giants 8-3 to capture the American Conference title. Cleveland then defeated the (who had edged the Bears 24-14 in the Western Conference tiebreaker) to capture its first NFL title.The divisional round was implemented on a permanent basis in 1967, after the NFL decided to split into four divisions. Under this format, the four division champions played one another for the Chris Archer Jersey right to play for the NFL title. The Packers won the first NFC title under this format while becoming the last team to win three consecutive league titles. The divisional round remained the same after the NFL and AFL merged before the start of the 1970 season. In 1978, the NFL expanded its postseason to include two non-division winners from each conference, thus creating the "wild-card" round. And despite the fact that the second round would no longer be exclusively played between division champions, the league continued to call it the "divisional round."The NFL has since expanded its postseason twice (the league went from 10 to 12 playoff teams in 1990 before expanding the field to 14 times this postseason), and the divisional round has kept its name. It also continues to be one of the best weekends of the NFL season. Here's a Dave Parker Jersey quick rundown of some of the best divisional round playoff games since the AFL-NFL merger. 1971: On Christmas Day, the outlast the in .1972: Franco Harris' gives the their first-ever playoff victory.1974: Clarence Davis' touchdown catch amidst a ends the Dolphins' two-year title defense.1975: Roger Staubach completes to Drew Pearson, as the upset the en route to an NFC title.1977:The propelled the to a double-overtime win over the .1981: Dan Fouts, Kellen Winslow and the hold off the Dolphins in the1987: Anthony Carter's lead the Vikings to a monumental upset win over the .1988: Bears best in hallowed 1996: In just their second year of existence, the , 30-27.2001: The controversial helped the beat the Raiders while jump-starting New England's dynasty.2012: helped Baltimore upset Denver in the "Mile High Miracle."2014: Cowboys fans still haven't gotten over in their team's playoff lo s to the Packers.2015: After ' Hail Mary forced overtime, gives the a win over Green Bay.2017: On the last play of the Kent Tekulve Jersey game, ' lifted the Vikings a stunning 29-24 win over the .2019: Down 24-0 to the , and the Chiefs . The game was the first of three straight games that saw the Chiefs win after overcoming a double-digit deficit.While its name may not still apply, the divisional round is an integral part of the NFL's rich postseason history. Another chapter is waiting to be written this weekend.
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