Russell Wilson hit Jermaine Kearse for a 35-yard touchdown 3:19 into overtime to lift the Seattle Seahawks to an improbable 28-22 victory over Green Bay and into a second straight Super Bowl.
The Seahawks became the first defending champion to make the Super Bowl in 10 years, and will play the New England Patriots, who downed the Indianapolis Colts 45-7 in the AFC championship game.
Outplayed much of Sunday and plagued by five turnovers, the Seahawks (14-4) trailed 16-7 with 2:09 remaining in the NFC championship game. That’s when Wilson ran 1 yard for a TD.
Seattle recovered a bobbled onside kick at the 50, and Marshawn Lynch sped and powered his way to a 24-yard TD run. Wilson’s desperate 2-point conversion pass was hauled in by Luke Willson to make it 22-19.
But Aaron Rodgers led the Packers (13-5) to Mason Crosby’s fifth field goal, from 48 yards with 14 seconds to go.
Then Wilson and Kearse struck.
Tom Brady threw for three touchdowns and LeGarrette Blount ran in three more lead New England over Indianapolis at Foxborough, Massachusetts.
The Patriots won their eighth AFC championship – their sixth under Brady and coach Bill Belichick. They will play the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 1.
New England (14-4) opened a 14-point lead in the first half and then broke it open in a driving rain with three third-quarter touchdowns and another to start the fourth. That made it the second-most lopsided game in AFC championship history.
Brady completed 23 of 35 passes for 226 yards. Blount ran 30 times for 148 yards.
Andrew Luck completed 12 of 33 passes for 126 yards with two interceptions for the Colts (13-6).