Ranking the best defensive performances in AFC/NFC Championship game history

You know the old saying: Offense wins games, but defense wins championship. While Patrick Mahomes and other sensational quarterbacks have certainly put that theory to the test in recent years, the fact remains that NFL history is largely written by teams that were able to get stops when they needed them.

So, ahead of a loaded conference championship Sunday featuring stars like the Chiefs' Mahomes, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley and Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, we thought we'd show the defenses a little love. What are the five most impressive defensive performances in conference championship game history? Read on to find out.

5. 1987 AFC Championship Game: Bengals 21, Bills 10

Behind Jim Kelly, Andre Reed and a rookie running back named Thurman Thomas, Buffalo's offense stormed through the regular season, and propelling the franchise to its first playoff appearance since 1981. The Bengals, however, were unimpressed: Cincinnati harassed Kelly into three picks, while Thomas gained just six yards on four carries. In all, Buffalo managed just 181 yards of total offense, the fourth-lowest in AFC Championship Game history — and two of the totals ahead of them on the list, the 1978 Steelers and 1982 Dolphins, had the benefit of some seriously inclement weather.

The Bengals, however, just manhandled the Bills from the opening kick. Buffalo managed just 10 first downs all day, and went a whopping 0-for-10 on third down.

4. 2000 AFC Championship Game: Ravens 16, Raiders 0

It's only fitting that one of the very best defenses in NFL history found its way onto this list. The then-Oakland Raiders were actually the home team here, the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs thanks to an offense that led the league in rushing and boasted an All-Pro at quarterback in Rich Gannon. But Baltimore's defense more or less won this all by themselves, allowing just 17 yards on the ground and harassing Gannon into just four yards per attempt and two picks (while knocking him briefly out of the game in the second quarter).

Despite an offense that did more or less nothing beyond Shannon Sharpe's 96-yard catch and run in the first quarter, the Ravens never felt seriously threatened, making one of the NFL's best offensive lines look like a college team. Their performance against the Giants in that year's Super Bowl wasn't too shabby either, but all up, all in, this was their crowning achievement.

3. 2008 AFC Championship Game: Steelers 23, Ravens 14

It may seem blasphemous to put a Steelers defense on this list that wasn't the Steel Curtain. But with all due respect, those teams didn't feature Troy Polamalu at safety.

Pittsburgh's only offensive touchdown on the day came courtesy of a Santonio Holmes 65-yard catch and run. But that was all they'd need to get to the Super Bowl, thanks to a defense that held Joe Flacco, Ray Rice and the Ravens to just 198 yards of total offense. And when it looked like Baltimore might be threatening to take the lead late, down just 16-14 with five minutes left, Polamalu shut the door with an instantly iconic pick-six.

2. 1985 NFC Championship Game: Bears 24, Rams 0

No list would be complete without the '85 Bears, right? This was Chicago's second consecutive shutout after blanking the Giants in the Divisional Round, and poor Eric Dickerson and the Rams never had a chance: Dickerson ran for just 46 yards on 17 carries, while quarterback Dieter Brock somehow turned 31 pass attempts into only 10 completions, 66 yards and a pick. Jim McMahon got Chicago on the board early with a touchdown run, and from there, the Bears offense never had to get out of second gear, confident in the knowledge that there wasn't a thing Los Angeles could do to threaten them on the other side of the ball.

And yet, for as overwhelming as the Bears were that day, their 130 total yards allowed still isn't the record for the lowest in a conference title game. That honor goes to No. 1 on our list, which just about nobody saw coming.

1. 2000 NFC Championship Game: Giants 41, Vikings 0

That's not to say that the 2000 Giants defense was bad, necessarily; they were fifth in the NFL that year in both total defense and yards per play allowed. But the 2000 Vikings had one of the most loaded offenses the sport had ever seen, with Daunte Culpepper throwing to Cris Carter and Randy Moss and Robert Smith racking up over 1,500 yards rushing. Despite being the road team, Minnesota was favored by a point, and most figured that this offense would simply be too much to handle in the end.

New York, however, had other ideas. The Giants started hot and never let up, scoring two touchdowns in the first three minutes of game action en route to a stunning 41-0 win. Kerry Collins and the offense deserve a ton of credit, but the defense was the real star, holding Minnesota to just 114 total yards and five turnovers. Culpepper managed just 78 yards passing on 28 attempts, a complete blanking that, considering the context, makes it the greatest defensive performance in championship game history.