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There is finally just one game left in the NFL season. With the results of today's conference championship games, we now know the teams that will be playing in two weeks to decide the 48th team to win the Lombardi Trophy.
In the early game, Peyton Manning was excellent in leading the Denver Broncos to a 26-16 win over the New England Patriots at Mile High. Manning threw 32 completions on 43 attempts for 400 yards and two touchdowns as the Broncos offense racked up over 500 total yards against the Patriots' battered defense. It was a clean game, with no turnovers by either team, but Manning's play was the difference.
Later in the day, the Seahawks and 49ers battled for the third time this season. It was another clean game through three quarters, but then the wheels fell off and it became a sloppy turnover-fest late. Both Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson threw long, ridiculous touchdowns in the second half, but made big mistakes (intentional grounding penalties and a fumbled handoff by Wilson, versus a fumble and an interception by Kaepernick).
Ultimately, the game came down to one last 49ers drive down six points. Kaepernick drove down to the 20-yard line, but he lofted a pass into the corner of the end zone for Michael Crabtree. Richard Sherman was able to deflect the ball, however, and it was intercepted by Malcolm Smith to seal the game at a final score of 23-17 and send Seattle to the Super Bowl.
So here's the matchup:
Super Bowl XLVIII
Seattle Seahawks (13-3) vs. Denver Broncos (13-3)
Televised by FOX
