Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts derailed Denver's bid for Super Bowl redemption on Sunday, ousting the Broncos from the NFL playoffs 24-13, while the Green Bay Packers scored a 26-21 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
The Broncos were humbled 43-8 by the Seattle Seahawks in last season's Super Bowl.
While the Seahawks have reached the National Football Conference title game to remain in the running to return to the NFL's championship showcase, it's the Colts who will take on the New England Patriots next Sunday for the American Football Conference crown and spot in the February 1 Super Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona.
Luck, who took over from Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning in Indianapolis when the Colts parted ways with the veteran, threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns and piloted a decisive drive that took 8:14 off the clock in the fourth quarter to book the Colts' first trip to the conference championship since 2009.
Indianapolis's defence limited Denver to 288 yards - 115 fewer than their season average.
Manning, a superstar quarterback and future Hall of Famer whose post-season resume is nevertheless uneven, fell to 11-13 in the playoffs.
He threw a touchdown pass on Denver's opening possession, but looked tense and tentative much of the night as he completed barely half of his attempts (26 of 46) and threw for just 211 yards.
In Wisconsin, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers shook off a calf injury to deliver two late scoring drives that lifted the Packers to a 26-21 playoff win over Dallas.
The Cowboys endured their first road defeat of the season after eight victories, their chances stung by a video review in the final five minutes that stripped Dez Bryant of a catch near the end zone.
Rodgers completed 11 of 14 passes for 173 yards on touchdown drives in the third and fourth quarters as the Packers scored 13 unanswered points to rally from a double-digit deficit.
The Packers will battle for the conference title for the first time since beating Chicago after the 2010 season en route to their fourth Super Bowl crown.
Green Bay, who had fallen behind after an early strike for a 7-0 lead, whittled the deficit to 21-20 on Rodgers' 46-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams.
Rodgers, nursing a left calf injury, put the Packers ahead with a 13-yard laser to reserve tight end Richard Rodgers for a touchdown that gave Green Bay a 26-21 advantage.
On the Cowboys' ensuing possession, Bryant leapt for Tony Romo's deep pass on a fourth down and was initially ruled to have made the 31-yard catch.
But video officials ruled Bryant lost control of the ball when he hit the turf near the Packers' goal line.
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