in Pittsburgh, the most recent being 17–13 in the 1994 AFC Championship Game. Conference Championships Sunday, January 18, 2009 For the first time since 1979, both #1 seeds failed to get to the conference championship round. Both #1 seeds had been defeated by #6 seeds in the divisional round, the first time that this has happened. The only other occurrence was two years later. NFC: Arizona Cardinals 32, Philadelphia Eagles 25 Arizona built up an 18-point halftime lead, but had to fight off an Eagles comeback attempt to earn their first conference championship and Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. Arizona also became the second team ever to make it to the Super Bowl with a 9–7 record, joining the 1979 Los Angeles Rams. Arizona also became the first #4 seed to host a conference championship game. Until the 2021 season, this was the last time that any team seeded below #2 has hosted a conference championship game. Arizona took the opening kickoff and stormed down the field with a 9-play, 80-yard drive. Edgerrin James rushed four times for 33 yards on the drive, while Kurt Warner completed all four of his passes for 44 yards, the last one a 9-yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald. Philadelphia responded on their ensuing possession, starting it off with a 21-yard scramble by Donovan McNabb to the Arizona 39-yard line and finishing it with a 45-yard field goal by David Akers. Following a punt, McNabb threw an interception to Aaron Francisco, but DeSean Jackson forced Francisco to fumble the ball during the return and Eagles lineman Jon Runyan recovered it. After the fumble, Philadelphia drove into scoring range, but they ended the drive with no points when Akers missed a 47-yard field goal attempt, ending his postseason record streak of consecutive field goals at 19. On the next play, Warner threw a 62-yard touchdown pass to Fitzgerald off of a double pass play, giving the Cardinals a 14-3 lead. It was the second time Arizona found pay-dirt on a trick play during the playoffs (after a flea flicker in the wild card game). Two plays into the Eagles next drive, McNabb completed a 47-yard pass to Kevin Curtis on the Arizona 19-yard line. But Arizona halted the drive at the 15, forcing Philadelphia to settle for a 33-yard field goal from Akers. Then the Cardinals took the ensuing kickoff and stormed down the