"The federal government has failed us. The FEMA system is broken. ... Downstate Illinois doesn't have a chance of getting aid from the federal government."
FEMA told Manier and other state officials that debris cleanup occurring beyond three days after the tornado would not be paid for by the federal government. FEMA also ruled that the federal government was not required to pay for damages done to infrastructure by vehicles helping to clear the street. FEMA later stated Illinois's damage assessments on the tornadoes were not qualified for any federal payment. Manier blamed federal guidelines for the calculation of damages.
On March 4, 2014, the state appealed FEMA's denial; the appeal was conclusively rejected, and less than twelve hours later, on March 5, Pat Quinn visited the city of Washington to announce a $45 million state-funded tornado relief plan for the affected communities. Federal legislators promised to fix FEMA's formula—calculating the certain amount of damage cities need to sustain before they qualify for federal aid—but almost three years after the tornado happened, nothing had changed, and during that time period, the state of Illinois had to pay the recovery costs that FEMA would otherwise have covered.


The weather did no favors in helping the recovery efforts. Through the rest of the month of November, it only got above 50 °F (10 °C) once, with the temperature getting down to a low 10 °F (−12 °C) on November 24 (20 °F [11 °C] below average) with snow being reported. What followed was one of the worst winters on record for the area, with nearby Peoria reporting a record 57.6 inches (146 cm) of snow through the winter and the state of Illinois as a whole having its 9th coldest winter on record.
After the tornado, rebuilding efforts began. One in 20 homes rebuilt in Pekin, East Peoria, and Washington featured safe rooms with 18-inch (46 cm) reinforced concrete walls in the basement; there were more safe rooms than before the tornado. Six months after the tornado happened, over 650 building permits had been issued, but overall progress was slowed by the winter weather. Almost two years after the tornado, the Harry LaHood Park on Kingsbury Road on the Trail Edge subdivision was renovated; a new accessible restroom facility doubled as a tornado shelter capable of withstanding high-end EF4 winds. On September 22, 2015, the Community Spirit sculpture and plaza was unveiled on the south side of Five Points in Washington; the bronze sculpture, funded by private donations, was the centerpiece of a plaza featuring engraved messages referring to the tornado and rebuilding effort. By 2018, the Washington Foundation had disbursed nearly all of the funds it had been donated to support rebuilding efforts.
As of the 2020 United States census, Washington, Illinois, had a population of 16,071 people, an increase from 15,134 people in the 2010 census. Ten years after the tornado, the neighborhoods that were destroyed by the tornado had largely been rebuilt, though some former homesites remained empty lots.


On October 14, 2014, United Way released a 24-page book titled Rebuilding Hope after a Natural Disaster: Pathways to Emotional Healing and Recovery", showing strategies on how to cope emotionally after a natural disaster. Over a year after the tornado, counselors saw an increase in domestic issues and alcohol abuse; adults who survived the tornado had trouble sleeping and concentrating, while some children were more fearful due to flashbacks from the tornado.


During the evening hours of April 27, 2014, a large and destructive high-end EF4 tornado moved through several communities northwest of Little Rock, Arkansas. The tornado, also known as the Mayflower–Vilonia tornado, and which was part of a larger outbreak of severe weather across the central and southern United States, devastated the towns of Paron, Mayflower, Lake Conway, Vilonia, and El Paso, killing sixteen people and injuring over one hundred more. The tornado retained peak wind speeds of 190 miles per hour (310 km/h) as it moved through the town of Vilonia, where eight fatalities were recorded. The tornado was on the ground for almost an hour, and traveled a total of 41.1 miles (66.1 km) along its path, reaching a peak width of 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km).
The tornado touched down near the western edge of Pulaski County, moving to the northwest before impacting Paron at EF3 intensity, killing three people and damaging several residential buildings as it moved by. The tornado continued to move to the northwest as it left the community in ruins, reaching EF4 intensity for the first time as it entered the city limits of Mayflower. The tornado produced heavy structural damage as it tore through the southern edge of the town, killing three people. The tornado later hit Vilonia, where it produced high-end EF4 damage and killed ten people. The tornado dissipated a short time later.
Following the tornado, on April 29, Faulkner County was declared a federal disaster area by President Barack Obama, who was visiting the town of Vilonia to survey the damage and speak with families of the victims. The declaration allowed residents to receive federal aid and low-cost loans to cover uninsured losses. The final rating of the tornado was a source of controversy, with some damage analysts concluding EF5 damage was plausible, and the National Weather Service office in Little Rock said it likely would’ve been rated F5 on the old Fujita scale. It was considered the catalyst for the ongoing EF5 drought as of 2025, sparking discussion within the meteorological community.


The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) indicated the potential for a large-scale tornado outbreak for six days in advance on its 4–8 day outlook, beginning early on April 19 valid at day 5. While models diverged on the exact nature and intensity of the expected mid-level shortwave trough, there was broad support for a dry line to develop in central Oklahoma. By April 22, the SPC expanded the threat zone for day 6 for the remainder of Oklahoma and central High Plains region, with strong upper-level winds to spread over the central High Plains. Three days later, a Day 3 moderate risk was issued early on April 25 for the Ark-La-Tex region, citing the increased risk for a severe weather outbreak, with the risk of trailing supercells.
The strong mid-level shortwave trough developed into a closed low-pressure area as the system occluded over the central High Plains on April 27, 2014. An associated surface cyclone reached peak intensity while a trailing cold front moved eastward across eastern Kansas, eastern Oklahoma and northern Texas. There were two areas where severe weather was expected: morning pre-frontal convection from Kansas and Oklahoma into Missouri and Iowa and warm sector supercell development across southeast Oklahoma and northeast Texas into Arkansas. By 20:00 UTC on April 27, the SPC issued a rare high risk for much of central Arkansas and a 30% hatched risk for tornadoes across the same corridor, citing the anticipation of numerous supercells capable of producing intense tornadoes. Expected thermodynamic conditions of storm-relative helicity values in of 300–400 m2s−2, convective available potential energy (CAPE) values of 2,500–3,000 J/kg−1, a 40–50 kn low level jet and boundary-layer dewpoints of 57 to 61 °F (14 to 16 °C) were expected to foster supercell development and strong to intense tornadoes across Arkansas, along with very large hail. A particularly dangerous situation (PDS) tornado watch was issued at that time for central Arkansas, where the Mayflower–Vilonia tornado would soon develop.


At 7:06 p.m. CDT (0006 UTC), the tornado touched down in western Pulaski County, roughly 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Paron, and tracked north-northeast. Within a minute, the tornado dramatically intensified and struck a small residential area at EF3 intensity. Two homes were destroyed, and another was severely damaged in this area. One of the homes was built with bolts along the foundation perimeter and was reduced to a bare slab, normally indicative of EF5 strength; however, it was found that the anchor bolts were not secured with nuts and washers, and nearby vehicles were not moved, which indicated a lesser intensity. Three people were killed in that area. The storm weakened as it turned more northeasterly and moved through a forested area. Damage to trees and homes in this area was rated EF1. At 7:14 p.m. (0014 UTC), it struck Northpoint at EF2 intensity, causing severe damage to several homes. Roofs were removed entirely from homes, though the walls on these structures remained mostly intact. After briefly crossing Lake Maumelle, the tornado caused significant tree damage between Roland and Natural Steps with some trees being stripped of their foliage and debarked. Moving through an unpopulated area, the tornado intensified before crossing the Arkansas River and entering Faulkner County around 7:26 p.m. (0026 UTC).


The tornado entered Faulkner County and struck the River Plantation subdivision at the southwest edge of Mayflower. Here, EF4 damage took place with large, two-story homes being leveled with only piles of debris left on their foundations. On the northeast side of the subdivision, one person was killed after debris struck the door of her storm shelter and opened it, exposing her to the tornado. The storm shelter's door was found to have been of sub-standard construction. Near where this fatality took place, large concrete road barriers were blown over and moved, and calculations revealed that this was also likely indicative of EF4 intensity. Just outside the subdivision, a power substation sustained major damage. Continuing northeast, the storm tore across the south edge of Mayflower and crossed AR 365 and I-40, tossing semi-trucks, cars, and road equipment from the highway. I-40 was closed for a time after the storm.
A business district in this area experienced mainly EF3 damage, with 18-wheelers tossed, industrial buildings damaged or destroyed, and some nearby homes heavily damaged. A recreational vehicle (RV) dealership on the other side of the highway was destroyed at EF4 intensity (though meteorologist/civil engineer Tim Marshall applied an EF3 rating at this location due to structural flaws), along with most of the RVs; three of which were found wrapped around a nearby billboard. A vehicle repair shop, millwork company, construction company, and church in southern Mayflower were also destroyed, and a home improvement store was badly damaged. In addition to the fatality in the storm shelter, two other people were killed in Mayflower.
The tornado then crossed Lake Conway, downing numerous trees and causing a mixture of EF2 and EF3 damage to homes along the lakeshore. Some block-foundation frame homes along with multiple mobile homes were swept into the lake by the tornado. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission lost a clubhouse, shop, horse barn, residence, metal carports, shower house, and several dog kennels in this area, and eventually removed 627 tons of tornado debris from the lake. The tornado then caused mainly EF2 damage as it struck areas in and around Saltillo. Numerous homes, mobile homes, sheds, barns, trees, and a church were damaged or destroyed in the Saltillo area. Two homes near Saltillo had only interior walls left standing, with the damage to those homes rated EF3.


Further northeast, the tornado began to re-intensify dramatically as it approached the Vilonia Bypass (US 64), reaching EF4 strength for a second time. Just southwest of the bypass, some poorly anchored homes were obliterated and swept from their foundations, and cars were tossed hundreds of yards away. Another frame home was left with only interior walls standing, and two mobile homes were obliterated with the frames thrown up to two streets away. Two children were killed in these homes. Shortly before 7:50 p.m. (0050 UTC), the tornado moved into the town of Vilonia at high-end EF4 strength, which had been struck by an EF2 tornado that killed four people on April 25, 2011, three years and two days prior. The EF4 tornado first struck the recently built Vilonia Middle School, destroying the top floor and causing most walls to collapse. With winds estimated as high as 190 mph (310 km/h) and the circulation spanning 3⁄4 mi (1.2 km), the tornado moved through the town center. Numerous homes and businesses were destroyed with only piles of debris or bare slabs left behind, and vehicles were thrown hundreds of yards and mangled beyond recognition, some of which were crushed into small balls or stripped down to their frames. Trees in town were completely debarked and denuded, low-lying shrubs were completely stripped and debarked, and extensive wind-rowing of debris occurred. An aerial flyover revealed an extensive swath of ground scouring through the town. A dollar store, a strip mall, two auto repair shops, the old city hall, a gas station, a church life center, a real estate office, an investment firm, an auto parts store, and a fried fish restaurant were all completely destroyed in downtown Vilonia. The crumpled remains of a 29,998-pound metal fertilizer tank were found behind the destroyed strip mall, nearly 3⁄4 mi (1.2 km) away from where it originated. Nine people were killed in the town. As it moved out of downtown Vilonia, it tore directly through the Parkwood Meadows subdivision on the northeast side of town. Entire rows of homes were reduced to bare slabs at this location, though it was revealed that the vast majority of the homes were nailed rather than bolted to their foundations, preventing an EF5 rating.
Continuing past Vilonia, the tornado weakened to EF3 strength as it passed just south of Williams Lake. A large metal arena building and a mobile home were destroyed in that area, with a few other structures sustaining EF1 damage nearby. Shortly after 8:00 p.m. (0100 UTC) the storm moved through densely forested areas and into White County, just west of El Paso. The tornado briefly regained EF2 status and destroyed two manufactured homes. One person was killed in one of the manufactured homes at this location. It soon dissipated at 8:02 p.m. (0106 UTC) roughly 1 mile (1.6 km) north-northeast of El Paso near a forested area. Overall, the tornado remained on the ground for 56 minutes, from 7:06 p.m. to 8:02 p.m. (0006 – 0102 UTC) and traveled along a 41.1 miles (66.1 km) path.


The same supercell that produced the Mayflower–Vilonia tornado later dropped four other tornadoes, all in the state of Arkansas. The strongest, rated EF2, injured one person near Center Hill.


Sixteen people were killed as a direct result of the tornado while 193 others were injured. The sixteen fatalities made the tornado the deadliest in Arkansas since an F4 tornado killed 35 on May 15, 1968. It was also the first EF4 tornado of 2014 in the United States, as well as the first EF4-rated tornado to impact Arkansas since May 24, 2011.


The tornado extensively damaged both Mayflower and Vilonia along a 41.1 mi (66.1 km) path. In Mayflower, the tornado inflicted EF3 and EF4-rated damage to numerous structures, including homes and a large metal building. The tornado also tossed cars and wrapped mobile homes around a billboard, indicative of high strength. Debris produced by the tornado in Mayflower was found in Lake Conway; 1,254,000 pounds (569,000 kg) of debris were fished out of the lake.
In the Vilonia area, the tornado crumbled the concrete walls of a strip mall and a large steel tank weighing approximately 29,998 pounds (13,607 kg) was lofted and tossed 3,911 feet (1,192 m) before being dropped next to the strip mall. Concrete parking stops, located in the parking lot of the Vilonia United Methodist Church were shifted laterally by the tornado; damage of this degree was also observed in the 2011 Joplin and 2011 El Reno–Piedmont EF5 tornadoes. The tornado produced ground scouring deep enough to be viewed on satellite imagery.


The final rating of the tornado was a source of controversy, and the National Weather Service office in Little Rock noted that if this tornado occurred prior to the change to the Enhanced Fujita Scale in 2007, it likely would have been rated as an F5 due to numerous homes being swept clean from their foundations. However, it was revealed that almost every home in Vilonia lacked anchor bolts and were anchored with cut nails instead. The new scale accounts for homes that use cut nails instead of anchor bolts, which do not effectively provide resistance against violent tornadoes.The final decision on an EF4 rating was based on this as well. However, meteorologist/civil engineer Timothy P. Marshall noted in his survey of the damage that the rating assigned was "lower bound", and despite the presence of construction flaws, this doesn't rule out "the possibility that EF5 winds could have occurred." Further inspection from surveyors revealed that one home that was swept away along E Wicker St. was indeed properly bolted to its foundation. However, an inspection of the context surrounding the house revealed that small trees in a ditch near the home were still standing and that the residence had possibly been pummeled by heavy debris from downtown Vilonia, exacerbating the level of destruction.
On January 23, 2025, Anthony W. Lyza with the National Severe Storms Laboratory along with Harold E. Brooks and Makenzie J. Kroca with the University of Oklahoma's School of Meteorology published a paper to the American Meteorological Society, where they stated the tornado in Vilonia was an "EF5 candidate" and opined that the EF5 starting wind speed should be 190 mph (310 km/h) instead of 201 mph (323 km/h).


Following the event, researchers from Texas Tech University conducted a study on an above-ground shelter where one death in Mayflower was recorded. The shelter remained intact, but the metal door of the shelter was bent and blown open by a large piece of debris. The study found that the door was not properly constructed and was not in compliance with Federal Emergency Management Agency standards. The study also recommended that all safe room doors should be tested to prevent in-shelter fatalities from occurring during tornadoes.


An in-depth damage survey was conducted by four researchers, including engineer Timothy P. Marshall, in conjunction with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Weather Service, along the damage path produced by the tornado. The study found that two areas of damage produced by the tornado, both to retail buildings, may have received an EF5 rating if the structures were well-built.

Damage survey of the Mayflower–Vilonia Arkansas tornado


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.


The Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks developed a rivalry through several closely contested games, including a controversial game-ending play in 2012 that became known as the Fail Mary. The Packers and Seahawks were scheduled to open the 2014 season against each other at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington (which would be their first match-up since the Fail Mary game). Both teams had made the playoffs the prior season, with the Seahawks winning Super Bowl XLVIII. The Week 1 game ended up being a 36–16 blow-out by the Seahawks, with Marshawn Lynch rushing for over 100 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Russell Wilson threw 2 more touchdowns. The Seahawks defense held the Packers to just 255 total yards and only 6 points in the second half. After the Week 1 match-up, the Packers won 12 of the remaining 15 games, including separate four-game and five-game winning streaks. The Packers secured the NFC North division title and a first-round bye in a Week 17 match-up against the Detroit Lions, who would have won the division had they emerged victorious. During that game against the Lions, Aaron Rodgers reinjured his calf while throwing a touchdown pass to Randall Cobb. After being helped off the field and missing the rest of the half, Rodgers returned in the third quarter to lead the Packers to victory. The Seahawks finished the season winning 11 of the remaining 15 games, including ending the year on a six-game win streak. The streak included two wins against the Arizona Cardinals, helping the Seahawks overcome a three-game deficit to win the NFC West and secure the first seed in the playoffs.
The Seahawks won the first seed due to a tiebreaker, as they finished with the same 12–4 record as the Packers and Cowboys. The tiebreaker ended up being their record against conference opponents. The Seahawks were awarded the first seed, the Packers the second and the Cowboys the third. At the time, the first and second seeds were awarded a bye week during the first week of the playoffs. During the Divisional Round of the playoffs, the Packers hosted the Dallas Cowboys and the Seahawks hosted the Carolina Panthers. The Packers defeated the Cowboys 26–21 to advance to the NFC Championship Game, but not without controversy. In the fourth quarter, Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant appeared to catch a deep pass and dive for the end zone on what would have given the Cowboys a late lead or a first down near the goal line with the chance to take the lead. After review of the play though, Bryant was deemed to not complete the process of the catch, as the ball became dislodged as he dove and extended for the goal line. The ensuing controversy resulted in the match-up being known as the Dez Caught It game. The Seahawks beat the Panthers 31–17 in their playoff game. The Seahawks higher seeding gave them home field advantage, thus the NFC Championship Game would be hosted at CenturyLink Field. The Seahawks were favored by 8.5 points.


The game began with back-to-back interceptions: Rodgers threw one to Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, followed by Wilson throwing one to Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. After gaining possession, the Packers drove to the one-yard line but were stopped on consecutive plays and settled for a field goal. John Kuhn was originally awarded a touchdown on second down, but the result was overturned after replay review and Eddie Lacy was stopped short on third down. The field goal attempt by Mason Crosby was successful and put the Packers up 3–0. On the ensuing kick off, the Seahawks' returner, wide receiver Doug Baldwin, fumbled and the Packers recovered. The Packers drove to the one-yard line and again settled for a short field goal attempt, with Crosby converting to put the Packers up 6–0. The Seahawks went three-and-out on the next drive, punting the ball back to the Packers who started their drive at midfield. Rodgers led the team on a 7-play, 56-yard drive that culminated in a 13-yard touchdown pass to Randall Cobb to put the Packers up 13–0. The Seahawks again went three-and-out, with their punt being returned by Micah Hyde for 29 yards. The Packers put together a short drive and settled for a field goal on fourth down and one, with Crosby converting for a 16–0 lead. The next three drives ended in interceptions: two by Wilson, another to Clinton-Dix and one to cornerback Sam Shields, and one by Rodgers to cornerback Byron Maxwell. The Packers punted on their next drive and the Seahawks ran two plays for a loss of eight yards before halftime.


With the Seahawks starting the second half with possession, each team went three-and-out and punted the ball. The Seahawks then finally put together a scoring drive, going 78 yards in 11 plays. On fourth down and ten yards to go, the Seahawks lined up for a field goal attempt but ran a fake, with holder Jon Ryan throwing a touchdown pass to Garry Gilliam to bring the score to 16–7. The teams again exchanged punts on short drives. The Packers started their next drive with a 32-yard rush by James Starks, sparking a 57-yard drive that ended with a 48-yard field goal by Crosby. For the third time in the game, the teams exchanged punts. On the ensuing Seahawks drive, Morgan Burnett intercepted Wilson's first pass with about five minutes left in the game. The Packers rushed the ball three straight times, losing 4 yards cumulatively and punted the ball back to the Seahawks. Wilson led the Seahawks on a quick 7-play, 69-yard drive that ended with him rushing for a one-yard touchdown. Down 19–14 with just over two minutes left in the game, the Seahawks attempted an onside kick. Packer Brandon Bostick—whose role was to block—instead leapt into the air and tried to catch the ball. The ball bounced off his helmet and was recovered by Seahawk Chris Matthews. Again, Wilson led the Seahawks in a quick touchdown drive, of 4 plays and 50 yards, that put them in the lead for the first time. Wanting to increase their lead to three points to prevent a potential game-winning field goal by the Packers, the Seahawks attempted a two-point conversion. After getting chased out of the pocket, Wilson threw a high-arcing pass to Luke Willson for a successful conversion, increasing the Seahawks' lead to 22–19. Rodgers led the Packers on a 48-yard drive to get into field goal range, with Crosby hitting a 48-yard field goal to tie the game with just a few seconds left on the clock. The Seahawks knelt the ball on their next drive to run out the clock and force overtime.


The Seahawks won the overtime coin toss and chose to receive the ball. Starting at the 13-yard line, the Seahawks got a first down on a short rush and then a 10-yard pass completion. After another short rush by Lynch, Wilson was sacked for a short loss bringing up a third down and six yards to go. On third down, Wilson completed a 35-yard pass to Baldwin for the first down. On the next play, Wilson threw deep to Jermaine Kearse for another 35-yard completion for a walk-off touchdown. Kearse had been the target on all four of Wilson’s interceptions on the day and the touchdown was his only catch of the game.


Much of the post-game analyses centered on the improbability of the Seahawks comeback. Other analyses centered on key decisions by Packers' players and coaches that contributed to the unlikely comeback, missed opportunities by the Packers, the boldness of certain play calls by the Seahawks and the impacts that injuries had on the game. Statistically, the Seahawks won despite almost certain defeat, with one source noting over a 99.9% chance of a Packers' victory in the fourth quarter. The Packers' defense up to that point had stymied the Seahawks, with the only score allowed on a touchdown pass during a fake field goal attempt. Starting at just under four minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Seahawks' next three drives, all ending in touchdowns, gained over half of their total yards for the whole game.
McCarthy was questioned for conservative play calls throughout the game. The Packers kicked field goals twice on fourth down from the one-yard line, part of a total of five field goals in the game. Touchdowns on either of the fourth down calls could have increased the Packers point total by four or eight points, increasing the Packers' overall lead and limiting the possibility of a comeback. McCarthy also was criticized for calling three straight running plays in the fourth quarter after Burnett's interception. The rushes accumulated negative four yards and with the Seahawks calling two timeouts, the series only took about a minute off the clock. The criticism centered on McCarthy not putting the ball in the hands of Rodgers, his star player, to try to put the game out of reach.
Rodgers had injured his calf twice at the end of the 2014 season, which limited his mobility throughout the playoffs. Packers linebacker Clay Matthews III also sustained an injury during the game that prevented him from staying on the field consistently during the Seahawks' surge in the fourth quarter and overtime. Specific Packers' players were criticized for their decisions during the game. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix dropped a possible interception that might have been returned for a touchdown and he was criticized on the two-point conversion for not being more aggressive and making a play on the ball. During Burnett's interception in the fourth quarter, there appeared to be significant open space for a long return that could have ended in a touchdown or getting into field goal range. Instead, Burnett slid to end the play. Both Burnett and Julius Peppers, who appeared to indicate to Burnett to slide to end the play, were maligned for not being more aggressive and their mistaken belief the game was over.
Several specific plays proved decisive in the game's outcome. In the first quarter, Rodgers thought that the defense had jumped offside, in essence giving him a free opportunity to take a shot to the end zone (since a penalty would negate any unsuccessful pass). However, a flag had not been thrown, and his pass was intercepted in the end zone. Also in the first quarter, Mike Daniels was flagged 15 yards for taunting after Clinton-Dix intercepted a pass and returned it to the four-yard line. Instead of starting the drive there, the Packers started on the 19-yard line and ended up settling for a field goal. In the third quarter, the Seahawks ran a fake field goal that resulted in a touchdown pass by their punter. After the game, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the Seahawks were only going to run the play if Brad Jones was on the field because they noticed his aggressiveness during field goals. During the play, A. J. Hawk also chose to rush the Seahawks' punter instead of covering the eventual receiver, Garry Gilliam. In the fourth quarter, James Starks dropped what would have likely been a touchdown pass and Eddie Lacy did not see a screen pass thrown to him that would have kept the Packers moving on their drive. The penultimate key play though was the onside kick by the Seahawks late in the fourth quarter. With a Packers' recovery, the game would have essentially been over. Brandon Bostick, the Packers back-up tight end, attempted to field a high bouncing onside kick that ended up ricocheting off his helmet and being recovered by the Seahawks. Bostick was supposed to block on the play, to allow Jordy Nelson, who was in a good position, to recover the kick. The Seahawks scored shortly thereafter and then attempted a two-point conversion to try to increase their lead to three points. Wilson was flushed from the pocket on the play and threw a desperation pass to the end zone. Clinton-Dix had good position but for unknown reasons he did not converge on the football, allowing Willson to catch the pass. This play ended up being important because the Packers would tie the game shortly thereafter with a field goal that would have won the game if the two-point conversion was unsuccessful.


The Seahawks advanced to Super Bowl XLIX against the New England Patriots to be played at University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona. The Seahawks were on the other side of a come-from-behind victory, with the Patriots scoring two fourth quarter touchdowns to overcome a 10-point deficit and take a 28–24 lead. The Seahawks had a chance to win the game, driving down to the one-yard line with 26 seconds left in the game, however a Wilson pass was intercepted at the goal line by Malcolm Butler to secure the Patriots' victory.
After being heavily criticized by the national media for his offensive play-calling during the game, McCarthy gave-up these duties to Tom Clements for the upcoming 2015 NFL season. McCarthy continued as the Packers' head coach for another three seasons, before being fired near the end of the 2018 NFL season.


In 2019, the NFL identified the game as the 44th greatest in NFL history up to that point. The game became an important part of the Packers–Seahawks rivalry and is identified as one of the most notable games between the two teams. The game gained notoriety by Packers' fans for the team's collapse at the end of the game, with one source calculating the team's chances of winning the game peaking at 99.9% late in the fourth quarter. From the Seahawks' perspective, the game has been identified as a defining moment and one of the greatest in the team's history. The unlikely comeback led to the team's second consecutive Super Bowl appearance and some discussions of a possible sports dynasty. The victory was dampened though by the dramatic loss by the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX at the hands of the Patriots. Instead of a dynasty, the loss in the Super Bowl marked the last appearance for the Seahawks in either the NFC Championship Game or a Super Bowl under Carroll and Wilson. McCarthy and Rodgers would return to the NFC Championship in 2016, losing to the Atlanta Falcons 44–21, before McCarthy was fired two seasons later. Rodgers returned the Packers to the NFC Championship two more times before he was traded to the New York Jets in 2023. The Packers lost both games, a 37–20 loss in 2019 to the San Francisco 49ers and a 31–26 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. The loss to the Seahawks began a four-game losing streak for Rodgers in NFC Championship Games which made him the first quarterback to lose that many consecutive conference championship games.


On the afternoon and early evening of June 16, 2014, a powerful cyclic supercell struck northeast Nebraska, producing six tornadoes, including four violent (EF4+) tornadoes. The tornadoes impacted areas east of Norfolk, including the village of Pilger, which sustained major damage, as well as farmsteads near Stanton, Wisner, and Wakefield. This outbreak resulted in two fatalities, 20 injuries, and approximately $20.92 million (2014 USD) in damages. The event was part of the tornado outbreak of June 16–18, 2014, and the supercell produced the year's third, fourth, fifth, and sixth violent tornadoes. The main Pilger tornado was tied as the strongest tornado of 2014, with wind speeds comparable to the Mayflower-Vilonia tornado.
The first tornado touched down in an open field near Stanton but quickly dissipated. A more significant tornado then formed near Stanton. This tornado traveled for approximately 12 miles, causing extensive damage to several farmsteads and sweeping away a few farmhouses before lifting north of Dewey. Shortly thereafter, the supercell produced two additional violent tornadoes, known as the Pilger twins. One of these tornadoes struck the village of Pilger directly, resulting in devastating damage. The other tornado in the Pilger twin leveled a farmhouse before dissipating east of Altona, Nebraska. Meanwhile, the main Pilger tornado continued to wreak havoc across farmlands before eventually being absorbed by the Wakefield tornado. The final violent tornado from the supercell swept away three farmhouses and inflicted significant damage on multiple other farmsteads before dissipating north of Wakefield. The sixth and last tornado produced by the supercell was weak and short-lived.


On June 13, 2014, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) noted the possibility of severe weather associated with potential mesoscale convective systems in the northern United States for June 16–18. However, the predictability of this event was too low for the SPC to designate areas at risk of severe weather. The following day, the SPC revised their forecasts, indicating a slight risk for severe activity for areas around the confluence of the Big Sioux and Missouri rivers two days before the eventual tornado outbreak. The development of a low-pressure area and increasing atmospheric instability were expected to be contributing factors. Forecasts remained relatively unchanged on June 15, though the probability for "significant severe weather" was predicted for a large area of northern Iowa and adjacent areas.
The morning of June 16 was marked only by isolated storms in the Nebraska area with only marginal severe weather. Beginning at around 0800 UTC, however, favorable conditions for severe weather, particularly for large hail, began to build across central Nebraska. Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico began to make its way into southern Nebraska and over Kansas, raising dew points over the region. In addition, the prevalence of altocumulus castellanus clouds was an indicator of additional severe weather later in the day. The flow of moisture into the region was further enhanced by an eastward progressing warm front, and at 0600 UTC on June 16, the SPC once again issued a slight risk for severe weather for the eastern halves of South Dakota, Nebraska, and extending eastward into the western Great Lakes region. This was followed shortly after by the day's first severe thunderstorm watch, issued for primarily eastern Nebraska in response to a developing line of supercells. An hour later, the SPC upgraded some areas previously under a slight risk for severe weather to a moderate risk as a result of continuously increasing moisture content and CAPE in the atmosphere. At 1613 UTC, the SPC issued the first of three public severe weather outlooks for the day, covering a region centered on Sioux City, Iowa. A Particularly Dangerous Situation tornado watch was issued later that afternoon.


The first tornado produced by the supercell was a brief, weak EF0 tornado that was recorded by multiple storm chasers in an open field south of Stanton. The tornado lasted two minutes, peaked at 100 yd (91 m), and traveled for 1.25 mi (2.01 km). After that tornado dissipated, the storm spawned the first violent tornado, which touched down near 560th Ave, causing minor damage to trees along the road. It moved northeastward over open terrain with few damage indicators, although an area of snapped trees near 561st Ave received a high-end EF1 rating. The tornado continued to cause minimal EF0 damage to trees as it crossed the Elkhorn River. It then quickly intensified and reached EF2 strength as it crossed N-24 west of Stanton. An outbuilding was destroyed and power poles along N-24 were snapped. The tornado then weakened to EF1 strength, continuing to snap trees and power poles before rapidly intensifying to a much stronger high-end EF3 intensity as it struck a farmstead along 563rd 1/2 Avenue. A farmhouse was leveled, an outbuilding on the property was demolished, and trees were snapped. During this time, the tornado reached its maximum width of 400 yards (370 m).


The tornado then weakened to EF2 intensity as it struck another farmstead, causing major roof damage to the farmhouse, partial wall collapse, and the destruction of outbuildings. A semi-truck was overturned. The tornado then moved over open terrain with few damage indicators; this segment was rated EF0 as a result. As it reached 565th Road, the tornado abruptly became violent, leveling and sweeping away a home along 565th Road at low-end EF4 intensity with winds of 170 mph (270 km/h). Trees at this farmstead were snapped and debarked, an outbuilding was obliterated, and another home was also leveled and swept away. Two vehicles were thrown 0.25 mi (0.40 km) away, mangled, with one crushed into a ball. The tornado continued traveling northeastward, snapping multiple softwood trees, and became violent once more as it crossed 842nd Road on Payne Creek. A well-built farmhouse was swept away at low-end EF4 intensity, with nearby trees severely debarked and an outbuilding destroyed. A car was thrown a quarter of a mile away, mangled and folded into a ball. Another nearby home suffered light roof damage. The tornado continued to move northeast, destroying a barn with low-end EF2 damage before dissipating northwest of Dewey. The tornado traveled 12.21 miles (19.65 km), lasted 29 minutes, caused no injuries or fatalities, inflicted $2.25 million (2014 USD) in damages, and had a maximum wind speed of 170 mph (270 km/h).


The supercell recycled and produced its third tornado, which was also the second violent tornado of the day. At 4:00 p.m. CDT, the tornado touched down 5.5 miles (8.9 km) southwest of Pilger on 570 Ave near Cedar Creek, causing minor damage to trees. It strengthened to high-end EF1 intensity on 837th Road, snapping some trees and power poles, before quickly weakening back to EF0. The tornado continued northeast, regaining EF1 strength on 572 Ave, where it snapped trees and caused minor roof damage to an outbuilding. The tornado then changed direction to north-northeast and intensified to low-end EF2 strength with winds of 112 mph (180 km/h). At this intensity, several outbuildings near Willers Cove North Dr were flattened, and additional trees were snapped. The tornado made a sharp northeast turn, crossing the Elkhorn River before entering Pilger.


Alongside Highway 15 west of town, the tornado intensified further. An unanchored home was swept away at high-end EF3 intensity, and a feed store north of the home was leveled. An RV was completely wrecked and mangled, and trees were snapped. The tornado crossed S Murray Street, rapidly intensifying to near high-end EF4 intensity. A well-constructed home on this street was swept away, and nearby homes were mostly leveled, leaving only a few interior walls standing. Homes near the intersection of W Black Hills Road and S Murray Street were flattened, trees were debarked, and mobile homes along W Elm Street were obliterated. Debris was scattered, and a five-year-old girl was killed around this area.
The tornado continued its path of destruction, sweeping away a home along S Stanton St at near high-end EF4 intensity. An entire home was shifted off its foundation further upstream. On S Main Street, a row of well-built homes was swept away with estimated wind speeds of 179 mph (288 km/h). The tornado then crossed Black Hills Trail Road into downtown Pilger, where it weakened to mid-range EF3 strength. Multiple cars were thrown and heavily damaged, a couple of outbuildings were destroyed, and the town's grain silos were razed. The silos were replaced a few months later. A church was destroyed, and a small business alongside N Main Street suffered severe damage. The tornado then rapidly intensified to near high-end EF4 strength. On E 2nd Street, another row of homes was flattened. Along the street, a well-constructed home at the intersection of E 2nd Street and N Monroe Street was completely swept off its foundation at 189 mph (304 km/h). The old and historic Wisner-Pilger Middle School on S 2nd Street sustained major damage and was left unrecoverable; it was later demolished. St. John Lutheran Church was leveled and partially swept away at near high-end EF4 intensity, leaving only the bell tower standing. The tornado left Pilger, resulting in one fatality, two dozen injuries, and $14 million in damages.


Around the same time that the main Pilger tornado was about to enter town, the supercell produced its fourth tornado, the third violent tornado of the day. This tornado touched down two miles south of Pilger at 4:13 p.m. CDT, causing light damage to many trees. It strengthened, snapping trees, collapsing the walls of several barns, and bringing down power lines. The tornado then weakened back to EF0 intensity, causing minimal damage to trees and an outbuilding. Both the main tornado and the second tornado continued to expand in size as they moved through the rural farmlands of Cuming County. The main tornado struck a farmstead along Highway 12 at mid-range EF2 intensity, ripping away a large part of the roof and leveling an outbuilding across the road. It then reattained EF3 intensity, causing substantial tree damage and removing the roof from a home on U Road. Meanwhile, the second tornado strengthened, destroying a barn at low-end EF2 strength and causing minor roof damage. It then weakened to EF1, snapping trees and demolishing another outbuilding. The main tornado destroyed a barn at low-end EF2 intensity on 412 Road. As the second tornado intensified to EF3, it toppled and bent an electrical transmission line and destroyed a nearby outbuilding. At this point, both tornadoes were paralleling each other. Another home on 412 Road sustained significant roof damage with winds of 122 mph (196 km/h).The second tornado crossed directly in front of the main tornado near X Road, where it caused its most violent damage. A farmhouse was completely leveled with winds reaching 170 mph (270 km/h), and several barns on the farmstead were swept away. Trees in the area were debarked. As the second Pilger tornado moved north, the main tornado approached from the east, re-intensifying to low-end EF4 strength. It struck another farmstead at the intersection of X Road and 412 Road, sweeping away a farmhouse, lofting a car into the basement of the home, and destroying a barn. The second Pilger tornado maintained EF2 intensity as it demolished another barn. A 74-year-old man from Clarkson was killed when his car was flipped off the road by the tornado. The tornado then slightly strengthened to high-end EF2 intensity, causing severe damage to the exterior walls of a home before abruptly dissipating. The second Pilger tornado was on the ground for 17 minutes, traveled 11.5 miles (18.5 km), and had a peak width of 500 yd (460 m). It caused $1.12 million in damages, killed one person, and had maximum wind speeds of 170 mph (270 km/h).


The main Pilger tornado crossed X Road and struck another farmstead, destroying barns and snapping more trees at EF1 strength. As it passed near St. Paul's Lutheran Cemetery, the tornado entered Wayne County, causing additional tree damage. The tornado abruptly intensified to high-end EF4 strength along 581st Avenue. A well-built farmhouse was swept clean off its foundation with estimated wind speeds of 191 mph (307 km/h). Numerous trees around the farmstead were snapped before the tornado moved northeast. The tornado made a sharp turn to the east, shrinking in size as the parent supercell began to recycle. The main Pilger tornado accelerated in speed and rapidly intensified to mid-range EF4 strength as it struck another farmstead on 848th Road. The farmhouse was swept away with winds of 182 mph (293 km/h). As the tornado began its rope-out phase, it gained speed and interacted with the developing Wakefield tornado, undergoing a Fujiwhara effect. The main Pilger tornado became intense again, mangling a metal truss tower and demolished an outbuilding on 849th Road before being absorbed into the larger and stronger Wakefield tornado, which led to its dissipation. The main Pilger tornado was on the ground for 39 minutes, traveled 18.41 miles, and reached a peak width of 500 yd (460 m). It caused $14 million in damages, resulted in one fatality, and injured 20 people. It was the strongest tornado in its family, with maximum wind speeds up to 191 mph (307 km/h).


As the Pilger tornado was entering its roping-out phase, the supercell produced the fifth and final violent tornado, which touched down approximately 8 miles north of Wisner at 4:40 p.m. CDT. This tornado initially strengthened to EF1 intensity, leveling an outbuilding as it moved eastward. The tornado then made a sharp turn to the northeast, crossing Highway 16. As it continued its path, it intensified further, razing a barn and advancing northeast. During this time, the Pilger tornado was absorbed and dissipated into the Wakefield tornado, which had begun to take on a wedge shape. As the tornado continued along 849th Road, it snapped wooden power poles and made a sharp turn to the northwest. It impacted another farmstead, where a farmhouse was ripped away, and several trees were snapped. The tornado maintained EF2 intensity as it moved northward. Along 851st Road, it caused significant damage to barns, and another home on 852nd Road suffered extensive damage, with its roof blown off. Two additional homes located on 585th Ave and 853rd Road experienced severe damage, either losing half of their roofs or having their roofs completely ripped off. Further north, the tornado struck another farmstead, leveling an outbuilding, causing significant roof loss to a metal building, and denting a grain silo. A two-story structure sustained minor damage, and a wooden power pole was snapped, indicating low-end EF2 strength.


The tornado rapidly intensified to low-end EF4 strength as it impacted three farmsteads at the intersection of 585th Ave and 854th Road. At the first farmstead on 585th Ave, the farmhouse was leveled, and a second, poorly built home on the same property was also destroyed. The second farmstead, located north of 854th Road, sustained devastating damage. A well-built home was swept away, multiple trees were snapped, and another home on the same property lost half of its roof. The barn on this property was completely demolished, and a power pole on 854th Road was snapped. The final farmstead at this intersection, located west of 585th Road, had a poorly anchored home completely swept away. This home had questionable construction, and several trees on the property were snapped and debarked. The tornado briefly weakened to EF3 intensity before becoming violent once more. It swept away another home along 585th Ave, leveled an outbuilding, and damaged a grain bin, with additional tree snapping in the vicinity.
As the tornado continued its northern trajectory, it caused further tree damage and pockets of EF2-level damage. Several farmhouses east of Wakefield suffered significant roof damage before the tornado entered Dixon County. The tornado maintained EF1 intensity as it traveled along 586th Ave, snapping multiple trees and heavily damaging barns. The tornado dissipated at 5:08 p.m. CDT after being on the ground 28 minutes covering 16.22 miles (26.10 km). It was the largest tornado produced by the supercell, with a peak width of 530 yd (480 m). The tornado caused $3.05 million in damages, with no fatalities or injuries reported. Its maximum wind speeds were estimated at 170 mph (270 km/h). Another brief and weak tornado touchdown near Hubbard and traveled for 0.26 miles (0.42 km).


75% of Pilger was heavily damaged or destroyed by the tornado. Governor of Nebraska, Dave Heineman, declared a state of emergency for Pilger and the areas around the village and the National Guard came in to assist with emergency respondents, a shelter was opened up in Wisner-Pilger High School in Wisner. Governor Dave Heineman would later tour the village two days after the tornado. The village of Pilger were award $5.6 million in federal grant from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).American musician, Bret Michaels and his band drove to the village of Pilger on June 23, to assist with the clean up effort and help rebuild. United Way opened up funding for Pilger for relief efforts.
LCMS Disaster Response donated $110,000 to St. John and other churches affected by the tornado, a year after it was destroyed, the St John Lutheran Church was rebuilt. Matthew 25: Ministries went to the village of Pilger and the surrounding areas to help with tornado relief donating products like tarps, blankets, etc. All Hands and Hearts spent few weeks and they coordinated 2,943 volunteers to help remove debris. In total, 18,000 volunteers came to Pilger and Stanton County to help with relief and the volunteers stayed for a few days. The Salvation Army's Emergency Disaster Services mobilized their teams in Pilger to provide food, water, and spiritual support to victims of the twin tornadoes and first responders. Volunteers from Tyson Foods arrived in Pilger to serve more than 17,000 meals to survivors of the tornado and relief workers.
Pilger was getting a lot of help but other areas that got hit by the violent tornadoes like Cuming and Wayne counties didn't receive as much help with Wakefield only getting eight volunteers while Pilger received thousands of volunteers to help with the relief for the village, and the agricultural areas near Wakefield needs more volunteer to clean up the field from all the debris the tornado left.
Multiple damaged structures were bulldozed and construction projects were placed to rebuild; the bank that was destroyed in Pilger announced that it will rebuilt. After the tornado, the population of Pilger dropped from 352 people to 240.


Storm chasers Hank Schyma - better known as Pecos Hank - Dr. Anton Seimon, Dr. Tracey Seimon, and Skip Talbot collaborated with a group of researchers to study the forward-moving speed of the Pilger tornado as it was roping out and interacting with the Wakefield tornado through a Fujiwara effect. Their findings suggested that the Pilger tornado achieved a record-setting forward motion of 94.6 mph (152.2 km/h). However, this forward ground speed has not been officially recognized by the National Weather Service.
A year later, civil engineering professors at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln conducted an analysis of the damage caused by the Pilger tornado. Their research focused on how structural defects can make infrastructure more susceptible to the intense wind speeds of high-end tornadoes. In their findings; several infrastructures, including the Wisner-Pilger Middle School, Midwest Bank, and Minnick Funeral Home, has unreinforced. The town's grain bin suffered anchor and rivet failures that led to them being swept off their foundation, with one striking the southeast corner of the middle school.
In 2022, researchers Lanny Dean, David Moran, and Randy Hicks published a study based on a scientific field campaign. This study involved capturing video observations of the main Pilger tornado before it struck the village. The footage revealed detailed insights into the tornado’s core wind field and uncovered previously undocumented phenomena, including the presence of multiple sub-vortices. As many as nine sub-vortices were observed, indicating a multi-vortex tornado. These sub-vortices were seen appearing and disappearing within seconds or milliseconds.


On January 23, 2025, Anthony W. Lyza with the National Severe Storms Laboratory along with Harold E. Brooks and Makenzie J. Kroca with the University of Oklahoma’s School of Meteorology published a paper to the American Meteorological Society, where they stated the main Pilger twin tornado was an "EF5 candidate." The paper opined that the EF5 starting wind speed should be 190 mph (310 km/h) instead of 201 mph (323 km/h).


The 2015–16 College Football Playoff was a single-elimination postseason tournament that determined the national champion of the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the second edition of the College Football Playoff (CFP) and involved the top four teams in the country as ranked by the College Football Playoff poll playing in two semifinals, with the winners of each advancing to the national championship game. Each participating team was the champion of its respective conference: No. 1 Clemson from the Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 2 Alabama from the Southeastern Conference, No. 3 Michigan State from the Big Ten Conference, and No. 4 Oklahoma from the Big 12 Conference.
The playoff bracket's semifinal games were held at the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl Classic on New Year's Eve, part of the season's slate of bowl games. In the Orange Bowl semifinal, Clemson defeated Oklahoma by twenty points. The second semifinal, at the Cotton Bowl, saw Alabama shutout Michigan State, 38–0. As a result of their victories, Clemson and Alabama faced each other in the national championship game, held on January 11 in Glendale, Arizona. In that game, Alabama won by five points, giving them their first CFP national championship and their sixteenth claimed national championship in school history.
The playoff set streaming viewership records for the CFP, with both semifinals besting those of the previous year and the championship doing the same. Despite an overall viewership drop of 23 percent from the 2015 championship, this year's championship set a record for unique viewers for an ESPN college football broadcast and ranked third among broadcasts of all sports in that category. The championship game received a Nielsen rating of 15.8.


The 2015–16 CFP selection committee was chaired by Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long. Its other members were Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez, former United States Air Force Academy superintendent Michael C. Gould, Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt, former NCAA executive vice president Tom Jernstedt, former head coach Bobby Johnson, former Nebraska head coach Tom Osborne, Clemson athletic director Dan Radakovich, former United States secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, former Big East Conference commissioner Mike Tranghese, former USA Today reporter Steve Wieberg, and former college head coach Tyrone Willingham.
The season's first College Football Playoff rankings were released on November 3, 2015. Clemson, from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), was ranked No. 1. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) was represented by No. 2 LSU and No. 4 Alabama, while No. 3 Ohio State represented the Big Ten Conference. Notre Dame, an FBS independent, and Baylor, from the Big 12 Conference, rounded out the top six. Alabama rose to No. 2 the following week as a result of their win against LSU, who dropped to No. 9. The November 10 rankings also saw Notre Dame jump to No. 4 after beating Pittsburgh and Iowa rose to No. 6 following an eight-point win at Indiana. The top five teams kept their rankings through to week 11, though a loss by No. 6 Baylor to No. 12 Oklahoma saw them replaced in the top six by Oklahoma State. Several upsets shook up the following week's rankings: No. 9 Michigan State defeated No. 3 Ohio State and No. 10 Baylor defeated No. 6 Oklahoma State. As a result, Michigan State jumped to No. 5 and Baylor rose to No. 7. Further, Oklahoma leapfrogged to No. 3 following a win over No. 18 TCU and Iowa rose one spot to No. 4 after a win against Purdue that saw the Hawkeyes clinch the Big Ten West Division. The final week of the regular season saw only one change made to the top six, as No. 9 Stanford's win over No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 8 Ohio State's win over No. 10 Michigan were sufficient for the Buckeyes to replace the Fighting Irish in the No. 6 spot in the December 1 rankings.
The following weekend saw many conferences play their championship games. No. 1 Clemson won the ACC Championship over No. 10 North Carolina to remain undefeated, leading Sports Illustrated to declare them the "clear No. 1" entering the CFP. In Atlanta, No. 2 Alabama defeated No. 18 Florida for the SEC Championship, putting them at 12–1 and likely contenders for the playoff as well. The Big Ten Championship saw No. 5 Michigan State defeat No. 4 Iowa on a touchdown with 27 seconds remaining. In the Pac-12 Championship, No. 7 Stanford defeated No. 20 USC.
Ultimately, Clemson and Alabama were selected in the top two spots, while Michigan State rose to No. 3 and Big 12 champion Oklahoma was ranked No. 4 in the final CFP rankings. Clemson and Oklahoma were assigned to the Orange Bowl, while Alabama and Michigan State were scheduled to play in the Cotton Bowl Classic. Iowa and Stanford, ranked No. 5 and No. 6, respectively, were slated to face each other in the Rose Bowl.


Key: Team increased ranking from previous week Team decreased ranking from previous week Team selected to College Football Playoff


A rematch of the Russell Athletic Bowl from the year before, the Orange Bowl semifinal was a matchup between No. 1 Clemson and No. 4 Oklahoma. It was their fifth all-time meeting. Each team scored once in the first quarter: Oklahoma capped their opening drive with a Samaje Perine touchdown rush, while Clemson's Greg Huegel kicked a field goal on the Tigers' second possession. Clemson took the lead with ten points from its next two possessions but a touchdown pass from Baker Mayfield to Mark Andrews late in the second quarter gave the Sooners a one-point halftime lead. In the second half, Oklahoma, who lost both Perine and Joe Mixon to injury, failed to score, and the Tigers added touchdowns by Wayne Gallman and Hunter Renfrow to recapture and keep the lead. Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, was named MVP alongside linebacker Ben Boulware as the Tigers won by twenty to advance to the National Championship.


The Cotton Bowl Classic semifinal matchup paired No. 2 Alabama and No. 3 Michigan State in their first meeting since a Crimson Tide victory in the 2011 Capital One Bowl. The game started scoreless through the first quarter, and Alabama struck first with a touchdown by running back Derrick Henry near the midpoint of the second quarter. A field goal made the score 10–0 at halftime, but touchdowns from Calvin Ridley, Cyrus Jones, and Henry in the second half cemented a "blowout" win for the Crimson Tide, according to The Dothan Eagle. The win was the ninth in nine attempts for Alabama head coach Nick Saban against his former assistants and saw Derrick Henry, the Heisman Trophy winner, break the SEC single-season rushing touchdowns record of twenty-three early in the game. Alabama's 38–0 win was the first shutout in any Cotton Bowl Classic game since 1963.


In their first meeting since the beginning of the 2008 season, No. 1 Clemson and No. 2 Alabama met in the National Championship game to conclude the 2015 season. The Crimson Tide entered the contest as favorites by a seven-point margin. Alabama scored first on a 50-yard touchdown rush by Derrick Henry, and Clemson responded on their next drive with a pass from Deshaun Watson to Hunter Renfrow to tie the game. Clemson scored another touchdown before the end of the first quarter to lead 14–7 but another Henry score tied the game at 14 points apiece going into halftime. A field goal and a touchdown apiece to begin the second half made the score 24–24 early in the fourth quarter. Following the Adam Griffith field goal that tied the game, Alabama attempted and recovered an onside kick, allowing them to retain possession of the ball. The Associated Press called it "perhaps the boldest call of [Nick] Saban's career" and The Anniston Star said that "the call was gutsy" and "the execution was flawless". Alabama scored a touchdown two plays later on a pass to O. J. Howard and did not relinquish the lead for the rest of the game, despite a national championship-record 40 combined points in the fourth quarter.


Alabama's win gave them their fourth national championship in the previous seven seasons, the second team in history to do so after Notre Dame from 1943 to 1949. The championship was the fifth for head coach Nick Saban and the sixteenth all-time for the Crimson Tide. Clemson's loss in the national championship broke their 17-game winning streak, the second-longest in ACC history, and an even longer streak of 51 wins when leading at the end of the third quarter.
The national championship game drew a viewership average of 25.7 million, a drop of 23 percent, with a Nielsen rating of 15.8. Still, the championship game set an ESPN college football record for unique viewers at over 2.4 million, and ranked third among all ESPN broadcasts behind two FIFA World Cup games. The Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl ranked first and second among CFP semifinal streaming viewership, besting both of the previous year's semifinals, and the championship game topped that of 2015 in the same category.


The 2018–19 College Football Playoff was a single-elimination postseason tournament that determined the national champion of the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the fifth edition of the College Football Playoff (CFP) and involved the top four teams in the country as ranked by the College Football Playoff poll playing in two semifinals, with the winners of each advancing to the national championship game. Each participating team was the champion of its respective conference: No. 1 Alabama from the Southeastern Conference, No. 2 Clemson from the Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 3 Notre Dame, an FBS independent, and No. 4 Oklahoma from the Big 12 Conference.
The playoff bracket's semifinal games were held at the Cotton Bowl Classic and the Orange Bowl on December 29, 2018, part of the season's slate of bowl games. The Cotton Bowl semifinal saw Clemson defeat Notre Dame, 30–3, and the Orange Bowl semifinal saw Alabama defeat Oklahoma by eleven points. By virtue of their victories, Alabama and Clemson advanced to the national championship game, held on January 7 in Santa Clara, California. The title game was a rematch of the national championship games in 2016 and 2017 and the 2018 Sugar Bowl semifinal. In the championship game, Clemson defeated Alabama, 44–16, to win their second CFP national championship and their third national championship in school history.
Both semifinals were among the six most-watched cable broadcasts of the calendar year, with the Orange Bowl's 10.4 Nielsen rating narrowly topping the Cotton Bowl's 10.3 rating. Despite the 26.97 million national championship viewers, the game received the lowest rating of any national championship game since 2012.


The 2018–19 CFP selection committee was chaired by Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens. Its other members were former Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer, former The Arizona Republic reporter Paola Boivin, former Southern Miss head coach Jeff Bower, Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione, former Central Michigan athletic director Herb Deromedi, former head coach Ken Hatfield, Robert Morris University president Christopher B. Howard, former head coach Bobby Johnson, former NFL player Ronnie Lott, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith, Georgia Tech athletic director Todd Stansbury, and Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin.
The season's first CFP rankings were released on October 30, 2018, with three conferences represented in the top six. No. 1 Alabama, No. 3 LSU, and No. 6 Georgia represented the Southeastern Conference (SEC), No. 2 Clemson represented the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), and No. 5 Michigan represented the Big Ten Conference. Also debuting in the top six was No. 4 Notre Dame, an FBS independent. The following week of games saw No. 1 Alabama shut out No. 3 LSU, dropping the Tigers to No. 7 and allowing Oklahoma to rise to No. 6. The top eight ranked teams did not change over the next two rankings releases on November 13 and 20, the latter of which saw UCF ranked No. 9, making them the first Group of Five team to earn a CFP top ten ranking. The final week of the regular season featured several games with implications for the penultimate rankings release; No. 8 Washington State fell to No. 16 Washington in the Apple Cup, No. 10 Ohio State defeated rival No. 4 Michigan, and No. 22 Texas A&M beat No. 7 LSU in a seven-overtime game that broke the FBS record for points scored in a game with 146. Accordingly, the November 27 rankings dropped Michigan to No. 7, with Georgia and Oklahoma each moving up one spot and Ohio State jumping from tenth to sixth. LSU and Washington State also dropped to Nos. 10 and 13, respectively.
Each conference played their championship the following week. No. 11 Washington was first to win their conference with a defeat of No. 17 Utah in the Pac-12 Championship on November 30. The next day, No. 1 Alabama defeated No. 4 Georgia in a rematch of the 2018 CFP national championship to win the SEC Championship. No. 2 Clemson beat Pittsburgh to win the ACC Championship and No. 6 Ohio State defeated No. 21 Northwestern to win the Big Ten Championship, both by at least three possessions. In the Big 12 Championship, No. 5 Oklahoma defeated No. 14 Texas, while No. 8 UCF beat Memphis to win the American Athletic Conference (AAC) Championship.
The final CFP rankings were released on December 2, 2018. Alabama, Clemson, and Notre Dame remained in the top three spots, and Oklahoma rose to No. 4 following Georgia's loss to earn the final playoff spot. Alabama and Oklahoma were assigned to the Orange Bowl semifinal, and Clemson and Notre Dame were assigned to the Cotton Bowl Classic semifinal. No. 5 Georgia was matched with No. 15 Texas in the Sugar Bowl, while No. 6 Ohio State was assigned to play No. 9 Washington in the 2019 Rose Bowl. In the final two New Year's Six games, No. 7 Michigan and No. 10 Florida were assigned to the Peach Bowl and AAC champion No. 8 UCF was sent to the Fiesta Bowl to play No. 11 LSU.


The Cotton Bowl semifinal matched No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Notre Dame in the teams' fourth meeting; it was their first matchup since 2015, and Clemson entered leading the series 2–1. The teams traded punts to begin the game, and the Clemson defense forced a fumble on the first play of Notre Dame's second drive which resulted in a field goal for the Tigers. Notre Dame answered with a 10-play drive which concluded with a 28-yard Justin Yoon field goal to tie the game. That play was the final scoring play of the game for the Fighting Irish, as the Tigers finished the game with 27 unanswered points following two touchdown passes from Trevor Lawrence to Justyn Ross, one pass to Tee Higgins, and a Travis Etienne rush. Following their first quarter field goal, Notre Dame recorded seven punts, an interception, and turnover on downs, and a drive that ended at halftime. The game concluded with a 30–3 Clemson victory, sending them to the national championship for the third time in four seasons.


Alabama and Oklahoma were paired in the Orange Bowl semifinal, marking the programs' sixth all-time meeting. Oklahoma entered the game leading the series 3–1–1 with a 1–1–1 split in three prior postseason matchups. Receiving the ball first, Alabama opened the game with touchdowns on each of their first four drives while Oklahoma recorded two punts and a turnover on downs to make the score 28–0 in favor of the Crimson Tide by the fourth play of the second quarter. The Sooners broke the scoring streak with a touchdown on their next drive, a 32-yard pass from Kyler Murray to CeeDee Lamb. After an Alabama punt, the teams traded field goals extending into the third quarter. Alabama's first drive of the third quarter, which resulted in a punt, was the last drive until the very final possession of the game which did not result in a touchdown. The Sooners scored three times—receptions by Charleston Rambo and Lamb along with a Murray rush—while the Crimson Tide scored twice—catches by DeVonta Smith and Jerry Jeudy—to make the final score 45–34 in favor of Alabama.


Clemson and Alabama's meeting in the 2019 national championship marked the fourth consecutive playoff in which the teams had met, following the 2016 and 2017 national championships and the 2018 Sugar Bowl semifinal. Clemson jumped out to an early lead with an A. J. Terrell interception returned for a touchdown on Alabama's third play. The teams traded touchdowns, though an Alabama missed extra point kept a 1-point lead for the Tigers. Alabama took their first lead following a Joseph Bulovas field goal early in the second quarter but failed to score for the remainder of the game. Clemson scored seventeen points over their final three drives of the first half and scored two more in the second half while forcing three turnovers on downs by the Crimson Tide. The Tigers started their final drive at their own 1-yard line and drove to the Alabama 12-yard line before time expired, sealing a 44–16 Clemson victory.


Clemson's national championship victory marked their second title in the last three seasons, and the third title in school history. Their win made them the first team since the establishment of the AP poll in 1936 to finish a season undefeated with fifteen wins; head coach Dabo Swinney won his third Paul "Bear" Bryant Award two days later. Alabama's 28-point loss in the championship game marked their largest margin of defeat since the 1998 Music City Bowl, where they lost by 31 points. It was double their largest-ever margin of defeat under head coach Nick Saban to that point.
Each semifinal game placed in the top six most-watched cable broadcasts of the 2018 calendar year, with Alabama–Oklahoma receiving 19.0 million viewers and Clemson–Notre Dame receiving 16.8 million. Both games' audiences peaked in the first half and declined as Alabama and Clemson each grew and maintained their respective leads. The Orange Bowl earned a Nielsen rating of 10.4, just beating out the Cotton Bowl's 10.3 rating. The national championship averaged 26.97 million viewers, more than either of Alabama and Clemson's prior CFP national championship meetings, putting it as the No. 7 most-watched cable broadcast of all time. In spite of this, the championship game's Nielsen rating of 14.6 was the lowest of any national championship game since 2012.
As is custom for national champions, Clemson was invited to the White House by U.S. president Donald Trump on January 14, 2019. Due to an ongoing federal government shutdown which caused some White House workers to be furloughed, Trump served the team a meal of fast food from McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, and Domino's Pizza, all of which he reported to have paid for himself, in the State Dining Room. He received some criticism for this, though some players commented positively.


The 2019 National Football Conference (NFC) Championship Game was an American football game played between the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers on January 19, 2020, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Both the Packers and 49ers finished the season with 13–3 records, each winning their respective divisions. The 49ers got the first seed in the playoffs owing to their 37–8 victory over the Packers in Week 12, with the Packers taking the second seed. The Packers got the second seed over the 13–3 New Orleans Saints due to their better conference record.
Both teams received first round byes during the Wild Card round. The Packers faced the Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional Round, winning 28-23. The 49ers beat the Minnesota Vikings in the Divisional Round by a score of 27–10. With their higher seeding, the 49ers hosted the Packers in the NFC Championship game. The 49ers took a 27–0 lead into halftime behind the running of Raheem Mostert. Although the Packers scored in the second half, it was not enough to overcome their deficit. Mostert rushed for 220 yards and four touchdowns in the game, while quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo set an NFC Championship Game record for fewest pass attempts with just eight. The 49ers advanced to Super Bowl LIV, where they lost 31–20 to the Kansas City Chiefs.


Near the end of the 2018 NFL season, the Green Bay Packers fired longtime head coach Mike McCarthy after two consecutive poor seasons. During the offseason, the team hired Matt LaFleur to be the team's new head coach. They started the 2019 season winning their first three games; they entered their bye week in Week 11 with a record of 8–2. Coming out of their bye week, the Packers suffered their worst loss of the season to the San Francisco 49ers, losing 37–8. They finished the season on a five-game win streak to finish the season with a record of 13–3.
The 49ers won their first eight games of the season. Over the next six games, they won three and lost three; all three losses were by one score or less. Each loss also occurred on the last play of the game. The 49ers ended the season with back-to-back wins to also secure a record of 13–3. A third team, the New Orleans Saints, also finished the season with a record of 13–3. Playoff seeding thus was determined by tiebreakers. The 49ers were given the first seed, as they beat both the Packers and Saints in the regular season. The Packers were awarded the second seed, as they had a better conference record than the Saints, who were given the third seed.
Both the Packers and 49ers were awarded first-round byes in the Wild Card round. The Packers hosted the Seattle Seahawks and the 49ers hosted the Minnesota Vikings in the Divisional Round; both teams won, with the Packers beating the Seahawks 28-23 and the 49ers beating the Vikings 27–10. With their higher seeding, the 49ers hosted the Packers at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, for the NFC Championship Game on January 19, 2020. The 49ers were 7-point favorites.


The 49ers started the game with the ball and went three-and-out. After the ensuing punt, the Packers drove to mid-field before their drive stalled and they were forced to punt. The 49ers scored first on a six-play, 89-yard drive that included a 30-yard reception by Deebo Samuel and a 36-yard rushing touchdown by Raheem Mostert. The Packers next drive ended in another punt, which was returned by the 49ers to mid-field. The 49ers moved the ball 15 yards, close enough for a field goal attempt, which was converted by Robbie Gould to increase the lead to 10–0. On the ensuing drive, Aaron Rodgers fumbled the ball on third down, which was recovered by the Packers but forced another punt. Packers' punter J. K. Scott kicked a short punt out-of-bounds, setting up a short 37-yard touchdown drive for the 49ers. Mostert again finished the drive with a rushing touchdown, this time from nine yards out to put the 49ers up 17–0. On the Packers next drive, they began to move the ball, starting with a 23-yard catch by Jake Kumerow. Aaron Jones rushed the ball four straight times, gaining 27 yards to put the Packers on the 25-yard line. However, Rodgers fumbled the snap, which was recovered by the 49ers. The 49ers put together another scoring drive, this time ending in another field goal to put them up 20–0. On the ensuing kickoff, Tyler Ervin, the Packers kick returner, muffed the return and was only able to move the ball to the eight-yard line. The Packers picked up a first down, but Rodgers threw a deep pass intended for Geronimo Allison that was intercepted, setting up another short field for the 49ers. Mostert ran the ball three straight times, scoring his third touchdown on an 18-yard rush. The Packers got the ball back with 45 seconds left in the half, but were again forced to punt. The half ended on the punt with the 49ers up 27–0.


The Packers started the second half with an 11-play, 75-yard scoring drive for their first points of the game. Rodgers completed nine passes on the drive, capped by a nine-yard receptions by Jones for a touchdown, cutting the 49ers lead to 27–7. The 49ers responded with a seven play drive consisting of all rushes, capped by a 22-yard touchdown rush for Mostert, his fourth of the game. The Packers put together another long scoring drive, going 75 yards in 10 plays. The longest play of the drive was a 42-yard reception by Jimmy Graham that brought the ball to the one-yard line. Jones scored on the next play on a one-yard rush. The Packers attempted a two-point conversion, which failed, leaving the score at 34–13. The Packers attempted an onside kick on the next kickoff; the 49ers recovered the ball. The Packers defense stopped the 49ers, holding them to a three-and-out and a punt. The Packers put together their longest drive of the game, going 92 yards in 7 plays to score their third straight touchdown. Rodgers completed a 65-yard pass to Davante Adams on the drive, which ended on an 8-yard touchdown catch by Jace Sternberger to make the score 34–20. The 49ers next drive lasted approximately five minutes and ended in a field goal to increase their lead to 37–20. On the next drive, the Packers converted a fourth down with 13 yards to go, but Rodgers threw his second interception of the game. The 49ers knelt the ball on the next three plays, ending the game for the victory.


From the 49ers perspective, post-game analysis focused on the large margin of victory, the rushing attack led by Mostert and the limited number of passes by Garoppolo. The poor defense by the Packers in the first half, especially in protecting against the rushing attack, was highlighted, as well as the Packers three turnovers. The 49ers game plan and play calls were widely praised. The 49ers employed a straightforward plan of attack, focusing on rushing at the Packers edge rushers, utilizing multiple tight ends to help block. The 49ers defensive performance, which included three takeaways and three sacks, was also recognized. Rodgers threw for over 300 yards and had two touchdown passes, primarily in the second half when then 49ers had a large lead. The 49ers also intercepted Rodgers twice and recovered a botched snap fumble that helped swing momentum early in the game.


The 49ers advanced to Super Bowl LIV, where they played the Kansas City Chiefs. The 49ers took a 20–10 lead into the fourth quarter, but the Chiefs rallied for three straight touchdowns in the fourth quarter to seal a 31–20 victory. The Packers returned to the NFC Championship Game the following season, again losing, this time 31–26 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 49ers went 6–10 the next season, missing the playoffs.


The game was the eighth playoff match-up between the 49ers and Packers, extending the two teams' rivalry. The game was well known for the 49ers' overwhelmingly dominant rushing attack. It evoked a previous playoff game between the 49ers and Packers, where the 49ers again blew out the Packers with a strong rushing attack. Colin Kaepernick rush for a then-playoff record for a quarterback of 181 yards. That game also occurred in a season when the 49ers would go on to lose the Super Bowl. Mostert's 220 yards were the second-most in an NFL playoff game at the time, behind Eric Dickerson's 248 yards in 1986. He also became the first player in the NFL history to rush for more than 200 yards and score four touchdowns in a playoff game. His successful season and this playoff game helped solidify Mostert's tenure with the 49ers, after he had spent time on six different teams to start his career. The loss was the third NFC Championship Game loss for Rodgers, after the 2014 NFC Championship Game against the Seattle Seahawks and the 2016 NFC Championship Game against the Atlanta Falcons.


The 2020 National Football Conference (NFC) Championship Game was an American football game played between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Green Bay Packers on January 24, 2021, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. After signing quarterback Tom Brady and trading for tight end Rob Gronkowski, the Buccaneers went 11–5 and made the playoffs as a Wild Card team. The Packers finished the season with a record of 13–3 for the second straight season, good enough for the first seed and a first-round bye in the playoffs. The Buccaneers beat the Washington Football Team 31–23 in the Wild Card round and then beat the New Orleans Saints 30–20 in the Divisional round. After their first round bye, the Packers beat the Los Angeles Rams 32–18 in the Divisional round.
As the first seed, the Packers had home field advantage and hosted the Buccaneers in the NFC Championship Game. The Buccaneers took a 21–10 lead into halftime after Brady connected with Scotty Miller for a 39-yard touchdown pass right before the end of the half. The Buccaneers extended their lead to 28–10 at the beginning of the third quarter, before Aaron Rodgers led two consecutive touchdown drives to bring the score to 28–23 (after their second touchdown, the Packers failed at a two-point conversion). In the fourth quarter, the Buccaneers made a field goal to increase their lead to eight points. After driving down close to the end zone with over two minutes left in the game, Packers coach Matt LaFleur decided to kick a field goal and hope for his defense to get the ball back. After a controversial penalty on Kevin King, the Buccaneers were able to run out the clock and secure their berth in Super Bowl LV, where they would go on to beat the Kansas City Chiefs 31–9. The game helped rekindle a historic rivalry between the two teams.


After the 2019 NFL season, quarterback Tom Brady announced he would not be returning to the New England Patriots, ending his 20-year tenure with the team. Just a few days later, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Brady to a two-year deal. The next month, Rob Gronkowski, who retired after the 2018 NFL season, announced he would be returning to the NFL. Gronkowski, who played with Brady for his entire career with the Patriots, was traded to the Buccaneers. The team finished the season with a record of 11–5, good enough to secure a Wild Card spot and the fifth seed in the playoffs. After their bye week, they won their last four games of the regular season to secure their playoff spot. In Brady's first season with the Buccaneers, he threw for more than 4,600 yards and 40 touchdown passes, with 7 of those touchdown passes going to Gronkowski. The Washington Commanders (known at the time as the Washington Football Team) hosted the Buccaneers in the Wild Card round. The Buccaneers beat Washington 31–23 to advance to the Divisional Round of the playoffs. The Buccaneers, again as the road team, beat their division rival the New Orleans Saints 30–20 in their Divisional Round game, earning them a berth into the NFC Championship Game.
The Green Bay Packers, coming off a loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the 2019 NFC Championship Game, started their second season under head coach Matt LaFleur by winning their first four games. However, in Week 5, the Packers suffered their first defeat, 38–10, to the Buccaneers. In that game, the Packers scored the first 10 points, then gave up 38 unanswered points, with Aaron Rodgers throwing two interceptions and the Packers defense giving up over 120 yards rushing to Ronald Jones II. The Packers would lose two more games over the next five weeks before winning their last six games of the year to secure the first seed in the playoffs with a record of 13–3. After their first-round bye in the playoffs, the Packers hosted the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round. The Packers beat the Rams 32–18 with Rodgers throwing for almost 300 yards and 2 touchdowns. As the first seed in the playoffs, the Packers earned home-field advantage and thus would host the Buccaneers at Lambeau Field for the NFC Championship on January 24, 2021, with the winner earning the right to play in Super Bowl LV. The game occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, which decreased the crowd size to just under 8,000; Lambeau Field's capacity is around 80,000. Although historic rivals, the Buccaneers and Packers had only met once before in the playoffs in a 1997 Divisional Round game. The Packers entered the NFC Championship game as 3.5 point favorites.


The Buccaneers began the game with the ball and drove down the field on a nine play, 60-yard drive that ended in a 15-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Mike Evans. The Packers and the Buccaneers exchanged punts before the Packers tied the game 7–7 on a 90-yard drive punctuated by a 50-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to Marquez Valdes-Scantling on third down. In response, Brady connected with Chris Godwin for a 52-yard catch and Leonard Fournette scored a touchdown from 20 yards out. The Packers responded with a field goal drive after they were stopped on third and goal at the six-yard line. With the score at 14–10, the Buccaneers punted the ball back to the Packers. However, on the fifth play of the drive, Rodgers was intercepted near mid-field with just over 30 seconds left in the first half. After converting on fourth down, the Buccaneers had first down at the 39-yard line with 1 second left until halftime. Brady threw a deep pass to Scotty Miller, who caught the ball for a touchdown, increasing the Buccaneer lead to 21–10.


On the Packers first drive of the second half, Aaron Jones fumbled the ball, which the Buccaneers recovered on the eight-yard line. On the ensuing play, Brady connected with Cameron Brate for a touchdown pass, increasing the Buccaneers lead to 28–10. Down 18 points, the Packers responded with a quick scoring drive, with Rodgers completing five passes for 68 yards, concluding with an 8-yard touchdown catch by Robert Tonyan. On the next drive, the Packers intercepted a deep pass by Brady. They drove down for another touchdown with a short pass from Rodgers to Davante Adams. The two-point conversion failed, leaving the score at 28–23. The Packers intercepted Brady for the second consecutive drive, again on a deep pass intended for Evans. The Packers punted after a three-and-out, and for a third consecutive drive the Packers intercepted Brady on a deep pass intended for Evans. The Packers had another three-and-out, punting back to the Buccaneers. The Buccaneers drove 44 yards to get into field goal range, which Ryan Succop converted to increase the lead to 31–23. With just under five minutes left in the game, the Packers drove down to the Buccaneer eight-yard line and had a first down and goal. Rodgers though threw three consecutive incompletions; instead of going for the tie on fourth down (which would have required a touchdown and two-point conversion), the Packers settled for a field goal to decrease the Buccaneers lead to five points. The Buccaneers got the ball with just over two minutes left in the game. The Buccaneers converted three first downs, including one via a penalty, to run out the rest of the clock and secure the 31–26 victory.


Post-game analysis focused on the competitive nature of the game, individual performances and coaching. Both quarterbacks had solid performances, with Brady and Rodgers passing for three touchdowns a piece, and each team had 100 yard receivers, with Valdez-Scantling going for 115 yards and Godwin going for 110 yards. Both defenses forced turnovers, with the Packers intercepting Brady on three straight drives and the Buccaneers intercepting Rodgers once and forcing a Jones fumble on another drive. Neither team took full advantage taking the ball away though, with each team only scoring seven points off of turnovers. The Packers were especially criticized for not taking advantage of their interceptions, with two drives ending in three-and-outs after intercepting Brady. The defense and coaching was also criticized for allowing the long touchdown pass at the end of the first half. This criticism was of the coaching for not playing appropriate coverage, as well as the performance of Kevin King, who allowed Miller to get behind him on a play that was obviously intended for the end zone. King was also called for a controversial defensive pass interference penalty on third down during the Buccaneers' last drive that prevented the Packers from getting the ball back.
The Buccaneers defense was recognized for pressuring Rodgers during the game while sacking him five times. LaFleur's decision not to go for it on fourth down, down by eight points with only a few minutes left in the game, was criticized as too conservative. Although the field goal, which was successful, gave the Packers an opportunity to win, it only did so if the Packers defense could force a punt or turnover. Had the Packers gone for it on fourth down and not been successful, the team still would have been required to force a punt or turnover. The criticism focused on LaFleur's decision not to depend on the offense in a key moment and instead rely on a defense that, notwithstanding the three interceptions, had otherwise allowed over 350 total yards and 31 points up to that point. LaFleur defended his decision by stating his belief in the defense, the challenge of scoring on fourth down while also succeeding at the two-point conversion and his desire to give his team the opportunity to win the game and not settle for a tie and overtime.


With the victory, Brady became just the second quarterback to lead a team to a Super Bowl from both the NFC and American Football Conference (AFC). The Buccaneers advanced to Super Bowl LV, where they played against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Buccaneers beat the Chiefs 31–9, giving the Buccaneers their second NFL Championship. All of the Buccaneers' playoff victories were on the road, just the fifth team to achieve that feat. After their victory in the Super Bowl, the Buccaneers became the first team to play and win a Super Bowl in their home stadium.


The game was well known for its competitive nature, as well as the impact on both quarterbacks. For Brady, the victory gave him his 10th Super Bowl appearance of his career. For Rodgers, it was his and the Packers fourth straight loss in the NFC Championship Game since the 2010 NFL season, when they won Super Bowl XLV. It also marked back-to-back losses in the Conference Championship Game. The loss made Rodgers "the first quarterback in NFL history to lose four straight NFC Championship Games" and lowered his overall Conference Championship Games record to 1–4. The game continued the historic rivalry between the two teams.


From 2020 to 2022, an organized criminal group stole and then resold catalytic converters through the United States. The regional theft rings sent their stolen catalytic converters to DG Auto Parts in Freehold, New Jersey, who removed the precious metals from them and ground them into dust. The precious metals were then sold to Dowa Metals and Mining America for refining, after which they were sent to Japan; these sales are believed to have generated approximately $545 million in revenue for DG Auto Parts.
The investigation that led to the discovery of the interstate theft ring was prompted by a wave of catalytic converter thefts in the Oklahoma area in late 2020 and early 2021, with similar rises across the United States. On May 2, 2021, police became aware of Tyler Curtis, the owner of Curtis Cores in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, when he was involved in a traffic stop where (among other illicit things) 128 catalytic converters were found in the bed of his pickup truck; all had jagged edges, suggesting they had been stolen. By September, a team of investigators had linked Curtis Cores with DG Auto Parts, which was owned by Navin and Tinu Khanna.
The investigation expanded between then and the third quarter of 2022, by which time it was nicknamed Operation Heavy Metal, included over 70 local and federal agencies and linked independent investigations into regional theft rings in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, New York and Virginia. On November 2, police executed simultaneous search warrants across the US on over 32 sites, resulting in 21 arrests in 5 states. The dismantling of the interstate theft ring was described as the first national takedown of a catalytic converter theft ring by the Department of Justice.
Following the dismantling of the interstate theft ring, the theft of catalytic converters dropped dramatically. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, over 5,000 catalytic converter thefts were reported per month in 2022. In the first nine months of 2023, there were 2,675 catalytic converter thefts reported per month.

2020–2022 catalytic converter theft ring


A catalytic converter is a typically oblong-shaped vehicle emissions control device that makes up part of an automobile's exhaust system. The catalytic converter accelerates a chemical reaction using heat and precious metals contained within the device, such as platinum, rhodium, and palladium (PRP), to transform toxic engine exhaust gases into less-toxic pollutants and other non-polluting gases. Catalytic converters became mandatory in American automobiles following the Clean Air Act of 1975, but are easy to surreptitiously remove from vehicles.
According to a 2023 report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), metal recyclers will often "pay between $50 to $250 for a catalytic converter and up to $800 for one that was removed from a hybrid vehicle." The devices are typically much more valuable to the theft's victim: "it can cost between $1,000 and $3,500 or more to replace a catalytic converter that is stolen, depending on the type of vehicle." In 2022, catalytic converter thefts cost victims over $382 million.
From 2001 to 2021, the price of PRP rose dramatically: platinum rose from $530 per ounce to about $1100 ($941.00 to $1,276, adjusted for inflation). This led to an epidemic of thefts targeting the device for sale to scrap dealers. In a 2021 report, the NICB stated that "in 2018, there were 1,298 catalytic converter thefts reported. In 2019, 3,389 thefts were reported. In 2020, reported catalytic converter thefts jumped massively to 14,433, with December leading the way with 2,347 thefts, or roughly 16 percent of the yearly total – in just one month." According to records from Carfax, which examined service records that listed 'stolen' as the reason for the catalytic converter replacement, it is estimated that 153,000 catalytic converters were stolen in America in 2022.
Initially, the operation of the theft scheme appeared a continuation of this baseline trend. In the 2023 report, the NCIB stated that "based on insurance claims, thefts of catalytic converters increased significantly from 2020 through 2022". In addition, there were 16,660 insurance claims for catalytic converter thefts in 2020, a number that had increased to 64,701 by 2022. The report also stated that the highest rate for catalytic converter theft claims between 2020 and 2022 was California, with 24,102 thefts reported to insurers. In 2022 alone, an average of 1,600 catalytic converters were reported stolen each month in California.