The two teams that made it to Super Bowl LIV -- the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs -- know all too well that most don't get frequent trips to the biggest game of the year. No matter how easy the New England Patriots have made it look over the past 20 years, the Super Bowl is never easy to reach. After all, the Chiefs had to wait 50 -- fifty! -- years to even make it back to the title game after last reaching it in Super Bowl IV. The 49ers have five Super Bowl titles in their name but none in the last 25 years. One of those teams will finally end their championship drought, and it will happen in a matter of hours.
If San Francisco wins, it will be tied for the most Super Bowl championship wins in NFL history. The 49ers had to battle through tough losses in December to retain their home field advantage, and the Green Bay Packers wished they hadn't, because it combined with a stifling defensive effort to end Aaron Rodgers season in unceremonious fashion with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. The 49ers are trying to win their first Super Bowl in over 25 years.
Here's a look at how the entire postseason schedule played out, along with the TV schedule for Super Bowl LIV, and a lot more.
Wild-Card Weekend
Saturday, Jan. 4
No. 4 Texans 22-19 over No. 5 Bills (OT): The playoffs got off to a wild start in Houston as the Texans fought back from a 16-0 deficit in the second half to pull out a 22-19 win in overtime. Deshaun Watson rushed for a touchdown in the third quarter and then gave the Texans the lead with a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Watson also pulled off a crazy play in overtime that set up Ka'imi Fairbairn's game-winning field goal from 28 yards. To read our full recap of the game, be sure to click here.
No. 6 Titans 20-13 over No. 3 Patriots: The Titans were able to pull off the biggest upset of the wild-card round thanks to Derrick Henry. The bruising running back put Tennessee on his shoulders and carried them to the win with 182 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries. To read our full recap of the game, be sure to click here.
Sunday, Jan. 5
No. 6 Vikings 26-20 over No. 3 Saints (OT): The Vikings went into New Orleans and pulled off the upset thanks to a nearly perfect all-around performance. Offensively, Dalvin Cook came up big with 94 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Kirk Cousins also came up huge, completing four passes for 63 yards in overtime, including a game-winning 4-yard score to Kyle Rudolph. The Vikings defense forced the Saints to turn the ball over twice, which is something New Orleans hadn't done all season. To read our full recap of the game, be sure to click here.
No. 5 Seahawks 17-9 over No. 4 Eagles: The Eagles lost Carson Wentz to injury in the first quarter and their offense just wasn't able to keep up with the Seahawks despite a valiant effort from Josh McCown. Although the Seahawks also struggled on offense, they did come up with one big play and that came in the third quarter when Russell Wilson hit D.K. Metcalf for a 53-yard score that ended being the only touchdown of the second half. To read our full recap of the game, be sure to click here.
Divisional Round
Saturday, Jan. 11
No. 1 49ers 27-10 over No. 6 Vikings: If you can run the ball and play defense, you can win in the playoffs, and that's exactly what the 49ers did against the Vikings. The 49ers defense smothered Kirk Cousins, sacking him six times while holding him to just 172 passing yards. Offensively, the 49ers did most of their damage on the ground as they rushed for 187 yards. Tevin Coleman led the way with 22 carries for 105 yards and two touchdowns in the win. To read our full recap of the game, be sure to click here.
No. 6 Titans 28-12 over No. 1 Ravens: For the second straight week, the Titans rode Derrick Henry to a stunning playoff win. Not only did Henry rush for 195 yards, but he also threw a touchdown pass in the win. Defensively, the Titans put together a brilliant game plan that slowed down Lamar Jackson. The Ravens didn't score their first touchdown until the Titans were already up 28-6 in the fourth quarter. To read our full recap of the game, be sure to click here.
Sunday, Jan. 12
No. 2 Chiefs 51-31 over No. 4 Texans: The Texans defense had no answers for Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who threw for 321 yards and five touchdowns. Although the scoreboard says this game was a blowout, the Chiefs actually got quite the scare in the first half when the Texans jumped out to a 24-0 lead. Unfortunately for Houston, they got outscored, 51-7 the rest of the way.
No. 2 Packers 28-23 over No. 5 Seahawks: The Packers offense caught fire in this game thanks to Davante Adams, who ran circles around the Seahawks secondary. The Packers receiver caught eight passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns. The yardage total set a new franchise record. The frozen tundra of Lambeau Field got the better of the Seahawks in the first half as Seattle got off to a slow start, scoring just three points in the game's first two quarters. Although Russell Wilson rallied his team in the second half by leading them to three touchdowns, it wasn't enough to pull off the upset.
Championship Sunday
Sunday, Jan. 19
AFC Championship
No. 2 Chiefs 35-24 over No. 6 Titans: Maybe the Chiefs should start spotting their opponents a double-digit lead every week, because that's when Kansas City seems to thrive. The Chiefs trailed by 10 points early, but were able to come back thanks to a huge game from Patrick Mahomes and a surprise performance from Sammy Watkins, who caught seven passes for 114 yards and a touchdown. Before Sunday's game, Watkins hadn't caught a TD pass since Week 1.
NFC Championship
No. 1 49ers 37-20 over No. 2 Packers: The 49ers defense forced three turnovers and then it sat back and watched as Raheem Mostert did the rest. The 49ers running back was nearly unstoppable in the NFC title game, carrying the ball 29 times for a franchise playoff record 220 yards. The former undrafted free agent also scored four of San Francisco's five touchdowns in the game.
Super Bowl LIV
Sunday, Feb. 2
Chiefs vs. 49ers at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, 6:30 p.m. ET (Fox, stream on fuboTV here)
And here's a look at how the bracket shakes out:
