Tynes kicks Giants to Super Bowl

By Martin Gough

Tynes made up for his earlier misses with the winning points

Scottish-born kicker Lawrence Tynes took the New York Giants into the Super Bowl with a 23-20 upset of Green Bay.

They will meet New England, who will feature in their fourth Super Bowl in seven seasons after beating San Diego 21-12 in the AFC Championship Game.

Tynes missed two field goals in the fourth quarter in frozen Green Bay before hitting a 47-yarder in overtime.

New York won a record tenth successive road game after running touchdowns from Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs.

Tynes, who was born in Greenock but moved to the US aged 10, scored 11 points in all, with two early field goals and two conversions as well as the late score.

"I just wanted to get out of the cold," he said afterwards, having raced off the field as the ball sailed though the uprights.

"I was gone. I think I was inside before it went through. I screwed it up twice. Thank God we got another opportunity."

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Plaxico Burress caught 11 passes for 154 yards from Giants quarterback Eli Manning to help secure a trip to Arizona for Super Bowl XLII on 3 February.

In temperatures with a wind chill of minus 31C, Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre was denied a third Super Bowl appearance, 10 years after he last played in the big game.

Favre threw touchdowns to Donald Driver, on a 90-yard catch-and-run, and Donald Lee but the Packers offence struggled to impose themselves on the ground, where they were held to a miserable 28 yards.

Meanwhile, the New England Patriots relied on their defence against the Chargers in Foxboro to become the first team ever to win 18 straight games in one season.

Former Charger Junior Seau led the New England defence

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw three interceptions but San Diego could not capitalise, with star rusher LaDainian Tomlinson out of action.

The visitors only managed four field goals from Nate Kaeding.

Former Charger Wes Welker, Laurence Maroney - who ran for 106 second-half yards - and Jabar Gaffney all scored touchdowns for the home side.

With Tomlinson sidelined with a knee injury, New England twice intercepted Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers.

And Junior Seau - the Chargers defensive captain the last time they played in a Super Bowl in 1994 - came up with a key sack for the Patriots.

The 1972 Miami Dolphins are the only team to have gone undefeated throughout a season but the regular season has since been expanded by two games.

This year's Super Bowl takes place in Phoenix, Arizona, on Sunday, 3 February.