Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers to battle for Super Bowl

The Green Bay Packers will face the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl after both held off hard-finishing opponents to win their respective NFL conference championship games.

Green Bay led 14-0 and hung on for a 21-14 win over the Chicago Bears in the NFC decider, while Pittsburgh had a 21-7 advantage but was forced into a late goal-line stand before clinching a 24-19 win over the New York Jets in the AFC title game.

In Dallas on 6 February, the Packers will be making their first Super Bowl since back-to-back appearances in 1997 and 1998. The Steelers, who have won a record six Super Bowls, are back for their third in six years, having won both the previous finals in 2006 and 2009.

Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers ran for a touchdown and made a saving tackle, B.J. Raji returned an interception for a score and Sam Shields had two interceptions in the Packers win. Chicago almost staged an unlikely comeback thanks to third-string quarterback Caleb Hanie after starter Jay Cutler was injured and No 2 Todd Collins was pulled after an ineffective showing.

Rodgers scored the opening touchdown after just four minutes, then got off a pass under pressure to Brandon Jackson in the second quarter in the lead-up to a touchdown by rookie James Starks with 11 minutes of the half remaining.

In the third quarter, Rodgers was intercepted by Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher, who had just the quarterback to beat for a long-distance touchdown. But Rodgers got in Urlacher's way and grabbed just enough of his legs to pull him down at the Bears' 45. Still, Chicago cut the Packer's lead to 14-7 early in the fourth quarter after third-stringer Hanie came into the game, setting up Chester Taylor's run from the one-yard line.

Hanie had a chance to tie the game but threw a pass straight to Packers' defensive lineman Raji, who lumbered 18 yards into the end zone for a touchdown to give the Packers a 21-7 lead.

But Hanie wasn't finished and threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Earl Bennett to cut the lead to 21-14. But the Packers hung on for victory in this 182nd meeting of the NFL's most-played rivalry.

In the later game, Pittsburgh had to withstand an even more determined comeback, leaving the Jets still looking for their first Super Bowl appearance since 1969. Pittsburgh set the early tone with a 66-yard march that took up the first nine minutes, Rashard Mendenhall stretching over the goal line from the one in the final act of a 15-play drive. Then Mendenhall's 35-yard sprint in the second quarter led to Shaun Suisham's 20-yard field goal and a 10-0 lead.

It became 17-0 when Ben Roethlisberger scooted into the end zone from the two. Just 47 seconds later, Ike Taylor sacked Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, forcing a fumble that allowed William Gay to run 22 yards for a 24-0 lead.A New York field goal made it 24-3 at half-time, and that deficit proved too big for the Jets to make up, even though they made it interesting. A 45-yard touchdown pass from Mark Sanchez to Santonio Holmes made it 24-10 in the third quarter and breathed life into the game, but Jerricho Cotchery's touchdown to make the score 24-19 wasn't enough for New York.