Super Bowl champions Seattle stunned Green Bay 28-22 in overtime to book a return to the NFL championship showcase, where they'll face the New England Patriots.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson shook off four interceptions and hit Jermaine Kearse with a game-winning 35-yard touchdown pass on the opening possession of the extra period as Seattle rallied for the victory in the National Football Conference title game.
There was no such drama in Foxborough, Massachusetts, where superstar quarterback Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes and LeGarrette Blount rushed 30 times for 148 yards and three TDs as New England routed the Indianapolis Colts 45-7 to win the American Football Conference crown.
The Patriots took charge early, taking a 14-point lead in the first quarter. They broke the Colts with three touchdowns in the third quarter and added another early in the fourth.
Brady reached the sixth Super Bowl of his career -- surpassing the record five reached by John Elway as a starting quarterback.
Now New England will try to prevent the Seahawks from becoming the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since the Pats themselves repeated 10 years ago.
"Unbelievable game today," Brady said. "My team-mates, I couldn't be more proud of them. We put a lot of work in, worked our tails off to get to this point. It's nice to close the deal.
"We've got one more to go," he added.
Super Bowl 49 will be played on February 1 in suburban Phoenix, Arizona.
For much of Sunday afternoon, it certainly didn't look like the Seahawks would get there.
Source: AFP