Unfancied Patriots book Super Bowl place

Last year the New England Patriots finished bottom of the AFC's East Division. Today they are heading to the Super Bowl.

The Patriots overcame the loss of quarterback Tom Brady as well as the best defence in the NFL to shock the highly-fancied Pittsburgh Steelers 24-17 in the AFC championship game last night.

And there was nearly another massive upset in the NFC championship game as the St Louis Rams slipped 17-13 behind at half-time against the Philadephia Eagles before rallying to win 29-24.

Pittsburgh were 10-point favourites heading into the game against the Patriots - odds that looked justified when Brady hobbled out of the game at the end of the second quarter, forcing Drew Bledsoe to come off the bench for the first time since 1993.

But Bledsoe settled immediately, directing a touchdown drive that put the Patriots in front, and - despite a late Steelers' rally - was good enough the rest of the day to give New England the AFC crown.

"I've done this for a long time and at times at a pretty high level," said a jubilant Bledsoe afterwards. "I felt confident coming out. I've been working hard and preparing for this exact scenario."

New England opened the scoring in the first quarter when Troy Brown returned a Josh Miller punt 55 yards for a touchdown, giving the Patriots a 7-0 lead. It was the only score of the first quarter.

The Steelers replied early in the second, Kris Brown converting a 30-yard field goal to make it 7-3.

But, after Brady was knocked out of the game with a knee injury, Bledsoe dashed on to grab the headlines. Four plays in and he put the Patriots in the end zone to take them 11 points clear at the break.

It soon became 21-3 as Troy Brown scooped up a blocked 34-yard field goal attempt from Pittsburgh and made a lateral pass to Antwan Harris, who ran in the touchdown.

The Steelers refused to quit however, and with the rowdy crowd at Heinz Field desperately cheering them on, Stewart engineered a 79-yard drive to make it 21-10. A few minutes later another score, this time from Amos Zereoue, reduced the deficit to 21-17.

The Patriots didn't buckle and struck back with a 44-yard field to make it 24-17. It proved to be enough, with Lawyer Millroy's interception in the dying minutes sealing Pittsburgh's fate.

The result gives the Patriots their third trip to the Super Bowl. They won't want to remember their previous two visits - in 1986 they lost 46-10 to the Chicago Bears, and in 1997 they were pounded 35-21 by the Green Bay Packers.

Rams rule the NFC

Marshall Faulk rushed for a career play-off high 159 yards and scored two touchdowns to lead the St Louis Rams to a 29-24 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles In the NFC championship game, .

"I couldn't ask for anything better than to go back to New Orleans and play in front of my friends and family," said Faulk, the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year three seasons running and a native of New Orleans, the venue for this year's Super Bowl.

The Patriots will face a tough task in slowing Faulk next week, after he became the focal point for the Rams in the second half of this game.

"We felt to win this game, we had to get that ball to Marshall," coach Mike Martz said. "I think what everybody thinks - he is just a great player. He took over the ballgame in certain situations."

A Rams victory didn't look likely early on as the Eagles' defence kept the Rams off-balance and Philadelphia took a 17-13 lead at half-time. But in the second half, Kurt Warne and Faulk found their range to take the Rams through to their second Super Bowl in three years.