Patriots, Cardinals, Panthers, Broncos Advance

Saturday's Games

Patriots 27, Chiefs 20

The Patriots' late-season slump didn't mean much when the playoffs came to New England. Kansas City's 11-game winning streak mattered even less.

With Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman coming back from injuries to help Tom Brady return to his Super Bowl MVP form, the Patriots earned a spot in the AFC title game for the fifth year in a row, beating the Chiefs 27-20 on Saturday.

"It's pretty special to get back to another AFC championship game," said Brady, who will play for the conference title for the 10th time in his career. "It's pretty cool. It's hard to do, man. You've got to grind throughout the entire year. There's only four teams playing next week and we're one of them. That game means a lot."

The Patriots (13-4) are trying to become the first team to win back-to-back NFL titles since they did it in 2003-04. But first they will meet the winner of Sunday's game between the Steelers and Broncos for a spot in Super Bowl 50.

The Patriots would play in Denver on Jan. 24 if the Broncos win, or at home if the Steelers win.

"You can't take it for granted because everybody knows how hard it is to get there," said Edelman, who was sidelined with a broken foot when the Patriots lost four of their last six regular-season games. "We didn't do too well down the stretch, and we were playing against a team that won 11 games in a row.

"We didn't worry about what's happened in the past or what's going to happen in the future."

Brady threw for two touchdowns to Gronkowski and sneaked in for another; the rushing touchdown came just one play after he dived for the pylon after a 10-yard scramble that was his longest postseason run in nine years. Brady took a helmet in the back as his body, but not the ball, cleared the goal line.

"Anytime the Clydesdale gets running, the crowd goes crazy," Edelman said.

After spending the last two weeks recovering from knee and back injuries, Gronkowski caught seven passes for 83 yards, including touchdowns from 8 and 16 yards out. Gronkowski also recovered an onside kick after Kansas City cut the deficit to 27-20 with just over one minute left.

Danny Amendola had two catches for 18 yards as he worked his way back from a knee injury.

Cardinals 26, Packers 20 (OT)

After being forced into overtime by another Hail Mary from Aaron Rodgers, the Arizona Cardinals wasted no time calling for the "Hail Larry" to get to the NFC Championship Game.

On the first play of overtime, Carson Palmer spun away from a defender and threw across his body to an uncovered Larry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald darted through tacklers for 75 yards as the screaming Cardinals fans finally drowned out the visiting Cheeseheads. He was tackled at the 5. On the next play, Palmer shoveled the ball to Fitzgerald who ran it in to give the Cardinals a 26-20 victory over the Packers Saturday night.

The stadium rocked with chants of "Larry! Larry!"

"As simple a word as 'special' is, it describes him probably the best," Carson Palmer said.

At 32, Fitzgerald, who still holds single-season playoff records set during Arizona's Super Bowl run seven years ago, gave the Cardinals the signature plays that prevented what would have been a devastating loss for a team that has its sights on another trip to the NFL's biggest stage.

Fitzgerald caught eight passes for 176 yards.

"As an elder statesman on this team I just try to elevate my game and make plays for my teammates," he said.

The Cardinals (14-3) play Carolina for the NFC title.

Sunday's Games

Panthers 31, Seahawks 24

 Four games into his playoff career, Cam Newton recognizes the key element to success. He calls it "Big Mo." There couldn't have been a better example than Carolina's 31-24 victory over Seattle on Sunday.

After emphatically backing up their superb regular season with one of the most dominating halves in football history, the Panthers hung on in the face of a furious Seahawks rally to survive.

"The playoffs bring out, more than any other time, the impact of 'Big Mo,'" Newton said after Carolina (16-1) moved into the NFC title game, which it will host next Sunday against Arizona (14-3). "Momentum. We can't wait for no one to make plays for us."

The Panthers, winners of 12 straight at home, made all the right plays in building a 31-0 lead, then were dominated by the two-time defending NFC champs in the second half. If Carolina wins its first Super Bowl, it can credit the lesson learned from the Seahawks (11-7).

"We have to find a way to complete a full game of football," the All-Pro quarterback said. "We have been known to take our foot off the throttle, and we have to find that killer instinct."

Newton noted how players, coaches and even fans were feeling the pressure in the final 30 minutes as Seattle staged a relentless comeback.

"That's what this game is going to teach us," said All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly, who returned a first-quarter interception for a touchdown. "No matter how good you play in the first half, the second half is just as important. It's crazy. You go into these games, and you expect it to be like this, so it wasn't a surprise for us. But you've got to be locked in the whole game."

Jonathan Stewart, returning from a foot injury, scored two touchdowns after jump-starting the Panthers with a 59-yard sprint on the team's first play.

Broncos 23, Steelers 16

Peyton Manning gets to face his biggest nemesis for one more shot at glory. Get ready for Brady-Manning XVII.

The NFL's only five-time MVP earned one more and possibly final game against his rival by leading the Denver Broncos to a come-from-behind 23-16 win over Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers on a blustery Sunday.

That set up an AFC championship game next weekend in Denver against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

What a fitting feature to an 18th season for Manning that's been equal parts trying and triumphant, filled with injuries and insults, rehab and redemption.

And yet another rescue.

Manning and Brady have squared off 16 times before, a full season's worth of matchups between the two quarterbacks whose careers are so intertwined that a conversation about one almost has to include the other -- like Bird vs. Magic or Ali vs. Frazier.

"It'll be the Broncos vs. the Patriots," Manning said of the AFC's top two seeds, both 13-4. "We'll enjoy this one tonight. I think you knew that answer was coming. To kind of quote Bill Belichick, we'll be on to New England. But I'll be talking about them on Wednesday."

Football fans certainly won't wait that long.

Brady has won 11 of the 16 meetings against Manning, but they're 2-2 in the playoffs, including Denver's 26-16 win in the conference championship game two years ago.

Sunday, January 24 Schedule (All Times Central)

New England at Denver, 2:05 PM    CBS

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP

Arizona at Carolina, 5:40 p.m.

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP

Sunday, January 31 (Time Central)

Rice vs. Irvin, 7 p.m.

Aloha Stadium, Honolulu    

PRO BOWL

Sunday, February 7 Schedule (Time Central)

5:30 p.m., CBS, Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara    

SUPER BOWL 50