Last Updated: Mon, 25 Jan 2010 10:12
Indianapolis Colts will play New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV after the sides won their respective Championship games.
The Colts booked their ticket to the NFL showpiece event with a 30-17 AFC Championship victory over the New York Jets at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Quarterback Peyton Manning was the star for the home side, throwing for 377 yards and three touchdowns as the famed New York defence could not hold the Colts offensive power.
Matt Stover got the hosts on the board first with a 25-yard field goal but the New York side secured the first touchdown of the game as Mark Sanchez connected with wide receiver Braylon Edwards on an 80-yard touchdown pass - the longest of the Jets play-off history - to give the visitors a 7-3 lead.
Stover's 19-yard kick cut the deficit to one but Sanchez found tight end Dustin Keller with a short pass to make it 14-6.
Jay Feely added a field goal from 48 yards and the Jets took a surprise 17-6 lead.
That was the cue for Manning to come to the party and the talented QB found Austin Collie with successive passes - the second of which was a 16-yard toss to the wide receiver to make the half-time score 17-13 in favour of the team from the Big Apple.
Manning then put his side in the lead in the third quarter with a four-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon with Stover adding the point before the 33-year-old did it again in the fourth quarter - this time hitting tight end Dallas Clark with a play-action pass over the middle to make it 27-7.
Stover then landed a 21-yard field goal as the match drew to a close and the favourites began celebrating a trip to Miami on February 7.
Over in the NFC, the Saints beat the Minnesota Vikings 31-28 in overtime to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time in their history.
A Garrett Hartley overtime field goal won the game after veteran quarterback Brett Favre had been intercepted with just seven seconds of normal time remaining as he tried to set up a winning filed goal for his side.
The Vikings were first on the board thanks to a 19-yard run from Adrian Peterson before Pierre Thomas caught a 38-yard pass from quarterback Drew Brees to level affairs.
Favre then connected with Sidney Rice on third and goal for another score to end the first quarter before Brees hit Devery Henderson in the right corner of the endzone to make it 14-14 at half-time.
Thomas crashed over from nine yards early in the third quarter to give the Saints a seven-point lead but Peterson made amends for an earlier fumble by scoring his second TD from close range as the sides traded blows at 21-21.
Reggie Bush made it 28-21 to the Saints with a one-yard reception from Brees, which needed a video replay to confirm but Peterson then crashed over for his third score to even up the contest once again.
Favre's mistake then let the Saints off the hook and they took full advantage with Hartley landing the winning three-pointer from 40 yards.