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NFL: Patriots headed for Super Bowl

The New England Patriots overcame a less-than-perfect performance by Tom Brady and beat the hobbled San Diego Chargers 21-12 on Sunday, sending them back to the National Football League title game for the fourth time in seven seasons.

Brady made several stunningly poor throws that fluttered in the wind, Randy Moss was ineffective but Laurence Maroney ran for 122 yards to lead the Patriots to a record 18th straight victory.

Coach Bill Belichick's team eclipsed the 17-0 mark of the champion 1972 Miami Dolphins, and will soon try for his fourth Super Bowl title.

Tomlinson

With injured Chargers star LaDainian Tomlinson reduced to mostly watching in a parka, the Patriots moved on to a Feb. 3 matchup in Glendale, Arizona, against the New York Giants. New England beat the Giants 38-35 in the regular-season finale.

The Patriots' victory matched their own record of 18 straight wins achieved over the 2003 and 2004 seasons, but they became the only team in NFL history to start out with 18 straight.

The sellout crowd at Gillette Stadium chanted "Super Bowl! Super Bowl!" in the closing minutes, anticipating the Pats' first appearance in American football's pro championship game since 2005.

Tomlinson carried on the first two San Diego plays, and did not touch the ball again because of a bad knee. Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers played despite an injured knee and tight end Antonio Gates did his best with a dislocated toe.

The Chargers (13-6) gave a better performance than early this season, when they were routed 38-14 at New England. They trailed just 14-12 midway in the third quarter this time, but Brady's 6-yard TD pass to Wes Welker was enough for New England.

Giants 23, Packers 20, OT

In Green Bay, Wisconsin, Eli Manning guided the Giants to their 10th-straight road win, a frostbitten overtime victory over Brett Favre and Green Bay for the NFC championship.

Now comes mission impossible: playing the unbeaten Patriots in two weeks for the NFL title.

Tynes

Manning wasn't the only Giant who came through. Lawrence Tynes kicked the winning 47-yard field goal with 12:25 to go after two earlier misses. He missed a 36-yarder at the end of regulation following a bad snap, and was also wide left on a 43-yarder with 6:49 remaining.

But he got a reprieve in overtime after Corey Webster intercepted a struggling Favre. He nailed his kick, then sprinted directly to the locker room while the rest of his frozen teammates celebrated on the field.

The Giants grabbed their first NFC championship in seven years, capping a monthlong surge that reversed a trend of mediocrity built around Manning's inconsistency. He has been a revelation in the playoffs, however, and his calm leadership keyed New York's turnaround.

Manning shook off below-zero temperatures and a wind chill that would make a Siberian husky shiver. He repeatedly put the Giants (13-6) in position to win in the third-coldest championship game ever -- and certainly the most frigid of his young career.

Favre, seeking a return to the Super Bowl after a decade's absence, struggled in the minus-3 degree temperature and wind-chills that reached minus-24. He wound up 19-for-35 for 236 yards and two interceptions.

Donald Driver had five receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown for the Packers (14-4).
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