2014 AFC Championship game, Patriots vs. Broncos: Peyton Manning gets back to Super Bowl

There will be no league discipline. NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino said Thursday that Welker’s collision with Talib “was a legal hit,” according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.

Belichick alleged on Monday that the play, which knocked Talib out of the game with an injury, was intentional, and called it “one of the worst plays” he’s ever seen.

Brady had a very atypical performance, missing a variety of deep throws that could have changed the game early on. The worst was an overthrow of Julian Edelman in the first quarter that would have been a sure touchdown.

On Monday, Brady spoke about whether he felt he could use a big-play receiver this offseason, per the piece:

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• Broncos advance to Super Bowl behind Peyton Manning | Full coverage

“It was a deliberate play by the receiver to take out Aqib,” a perturbed Belichick said during a Monday morning press conference the day after the Broncos knocked the Patriots out of the playoffs. “No attempt to get open.”

“It was one of those plays where it’s kind of a rough play and I was trying to get him to go over the top,” Welker said after the game. “It wasn’t a deal where I was trying to hit him or anything like that. I hope he’s OK.”

When it was all set and done, the team everybody expected to come out of the AFC since August did exactly that.

Peyton Manning was simply terrific, casting aside past playoff failures and completely outdueling his biggest rival, Tom Brady. While Brady was busy missing a host of deep and relatively easy throws, Manning was on fire, hitting on 32 of 43 passes for 400 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.

That mismatch was enhanced further by the complete disappearance of the New England pass rush as the game moved onward. Manning to Demaryius Thomas was one of the league’s most potent weapons this season, but an un-pressured Manning throwing to Thomas running a post-corner-post is completely unfair.

From there, it was all over but the crying. Manning continued to work the ball to Demaryius Thomas with ease, as his #1 receiver racked up a game-high 134 yards in the air. The Patriots kept fighting and managed a pair of late TDs (including a frankly hilarious Brady scramble that will ensure the Broncos’ Mitch Unrein two weeks of hell in the film room), but the Broncos kept answering to keep New England at arms’ length before sealing the deal with a pretty play action flip to Jacob Tamme that ensured Denver would take the clock to zero on their terms.

Moreno played a secondary role on Sunday -- running 14 times for 59 yards -- but will likely be relied on heavily to keep Seattle’s top-ranked secondary honest in the title game. While the Seahawks run defense is stout in its own right, it’s not quite as formidable as its pass defense, and Moreno will be the key to taking advantage.

The former first-round pick had a breakout 2013, topping the 1,000-yard mark and rushing for double-digit touchdowns for the first time in his five-year career.

Professional actors don’t drive Buicks. Putting Brad Pitt into the same giant sedan your grandparents drive isn’t believable. Toss a lesser actor into a Buick commercial and it’s just another dude in Dockers driving around a mostly anonymous car. But when Madison Avenue squeezes Peyton Manning into a Buick, it’s believable and desirable. (Though you have to think he’d be listening to game breakdowns and not Outlaw Country, because narrative). Whatever he may have accomplished on the field is balanced by a calm drawl and ordinariness. You too, everyday person, could be driving one of those cars.

Denver did what it’s been doing all season. The biggest difference was probably in the secondary, where a banged up group played far better than anyone predicted in the week leading up to this game. Manning’s effort didn’t particularly stand out statistically among the single-game numbers he posted on his way to a record breaking season.

Photo credit: Jamie Squire, Getty Images

There are cheerleaders too.

Brady Manning. Manning Brady. Tom Brady. Peyton Manning. Those two names were the only words we heard for an entire week, so we sicced the brilliant @SBNationGIF on the AFC Championship Game to make a The Good, the Bad and the Ugly mashup.

In this scenario, Peyton Manning was the one with a loaded gun -- 32-for-43, 400 yards passing -- and Tom Brady was the one who digs -- 24-for-38, 277 yards passing. And the Broncos are headed to the Super Bowl, while Brady doesn’t get to add another ring to his extensive collection.

After weeks of hearing about how he can’t beat Brady or the Patriots, Manning made it happen. He threw for 400 yards and two touchdowns, while Brady wasn’t able to muster 300 yards.

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Fox spent nine seasons in Carolina, helping revamp the fledgling franchise. He never could recapture success after the Super Bowl appearance, however, failing to finish above .500 in four of his last five years.

The Broncos hired Fox in 2011, and he’s rewarded them with three consecutive playoff appearances.

So on Sunday, it shouldn’t have been a surprise when the winner was the team with the better quarterback. It started in the first quarter. Julian Edelman came open down the field, a big gain looking like a formality. Brady lost his footing slightly and the pass sailed over Edelman’s head incomplete.

The second half was better for Brady, but it was too little, too late. While he threw a touchdown and ran for another, every time New England got close enough to make the game interesting, Manning and the Broncos answered right back. Brady had to deal with pressure throughout the game and never fully got into rhythm. He finished 24-for-38 for 277 yards and a touchdown. His late rushing touchdown wasn’t enough to keep New England in the game.

This Broncos quarterback is completely unfazed by your celebratory arrangements, Denver.

Mesmerizing -- his head bobs like a beating heart.

It will be the Broncos’ first trip to the title game since winning back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997 and ‘98.

Here are the details on how to watch the game.

The Denver defense played one of its best games of the season, holding the Patriots out of the end zone for the first three quarters.

Here’s everything you need to know about Super Bowl XLVIII.

Moreno landed awkwardly after his 14th carry of the game. He exited the game and was later announced as questionable to return, but never came back.

2013 was a breakout season for the fifth-year running back out of Georgia. He had over 1,000 yards rushing this season and became a big part of the Broncos’ offense.

The Broncos got off to a fast start and never looked back as they rolled in Denver. Not only was Manning nearly flawless in the game, but the Broncos managed to frustrate Brady throughout, causing several hurried overthrows. Denver consistently took away the run and forced Brady to beat them. He never did, and the Broncos won, 26-10.

Denver’s ability to match one of the NFC teams defensively will be the key point in the Super Bowl this year, but now it’s about waiting to see who they’ll face. The Seahawks and 49ers play in the NFC Championship Game at 6 p.m. ET.

This is the Internet, so we have to have an image of the defeated quarterback in a football game. Today, with the Pats losing to the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game, that quarterback is Tom Brady:

The man the Internet has come to know as Touchdown Tom had a pretty mediocre day -- while Peyton Manning racked up 400 yards passing, Brady had a bunch of overthrows. He ended up 24-for-38 with 277 yards, but a lot of that came as New England tried to rally back from a 20-point deficit. So, yeah, this kinda encapsulates his afternoon.

We don’t know if you’ve tried it, but it’s devastatingly difficult to use a drum with hooves. In fact, it’s tough to do a lot of things without opposable thumbs. That’s why we’re giving a pass to this Bronco for his off-beat drumming that eventually needed to be stopped at all costs.

Okay, so we know this is a mascot -- but we’re assuming there’s a horse inside this horse costume. Please read our fanfic for more information.

Denver has managed to get a decent amount of pressure on Brady. The lack of time in the pocket has forced him to mostly attempt short, quick passes, and it’s been tough to get into a rhythm.

In championship games, teams leading by 10 points or more at halftime are 37-2 all time, according to ESPN Stats and Info. The only two comebacks came in the 2006 and 2013 AFC Championship Games. Earlier this season the Patriots came from behind to beat the Broncos, so there’s plenty of time left for New England.

Man, what a choker that Peyton Manning guy is. Can’t even handle a snap on the opening drive ... what’s that? He still got the play off and threw for a first down? Well then. Manning is still good, carry on.

Ryan Van Bibber [10:15 PM]:

that’s gonna do it for us tonight folks. See ya back here for the Super Bowl