List of NFL champions ( 1920 - 1969 ) < onlyinclude > This is a list of National Football League ( NFL ) champions before the AFL – NFL merger . From – , the league champion was determined by a team ' s win – loss percentage , with tied games omitted . In , because of a tie in the final standings , a playoff game was played to determine the championship . < / onlyinclude > In , the NFL played its first official championship game . On July 31 , 1933 , the NFL was divided into two divisions , which were renamed as conferences after , and the winners of each division / conference played each other to determine the league champion . This format would remain through the 1966 season . Any ties in the regular season standings resulted in a playoff game , while the winner of the other conference stood idle . This last occurred in . In , the then - 16 - team NFL split each conference into two divisions of four teams each . From – 69 , the division winners met in a conference championship game . The two conference champions then played for the NFL championship . Starting with the season , the NFL champion played the American Football League champion in what would become the Super Bowl . Since the completion of the merger in , the Super Bowl has served as the NFL championship game . Unlike the Super Bowl , which is contested at a venue selected years in advance , NFL championship games from to 1969 took place at the home field of one of the competing teams . Home field was not determined by record but alternated between the conferences : the East hosted the even - numbered seasons and the West the odds . Starting with the 1934 game , the winning team received the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy , which had replaced the Brunswick - Balke Collender Cup , the league ' s original championship trophy that had gone missing 13 years earlier . The trophy was named after Ed Thorp , a noted referee , rules expert , and sporting goods dealer . Thorp died in 1934 , and a large , traveling trophy was made that year , passed along from champion to champion each season with each championship team ' s name inscribed on it ( just like its predecessor ) . Teams would also receive a replica trophy . The trophy was last awarded to the Minnesota Vikings in 1969 . It is now missing . NFL Championships 1920 – 1932 ( pre - playoffs era ) . The number in parentheses indicates the number of championships the franchise has won . NFL Championships 1933 – 1965 . The number in parentheses indicates the number of championships the franchise has won and the number of times a particular location has hosted the game . < onlyinclude > < / includeonly > < / onlyinclude > NFL Championships 1966 – 1969 ( Super Bowl era - pre merger ) . In 1966 , NFL and AFL agreed to merge and play an ultimate championship game between the two leagues entitled NFL - AFL World Championship game . The merger however didn ' t formally take place until , because of this the NFL championship game unofficially became an additional qualifying round in the playoffs as there was still one more game to play in the season for the winner . Officially these four NFL championship games were still main championship in the league but with creation of NFL - AFL World Championship game that eventually would be known as Super Bowl . Inclusion of these four AFL - NFL Championship games is problematical in overall listing of Most World Championships / league championships , therefore they are generally not included in the overall records " . " After the merger , the NFL Championship game was replaced with the NFC Championship game . " " Because of the merger these NFL Championships are generally not included in overall World Championship / league Championship list , there is no number given in parentheses counting them ) " . < onlyinclude > Super Bowls : I , II , III , and IV .