The New England Patriots and the Saint Louis Rams have advanced to the National Football League's championship game - Super Bowl 36 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

On Sunday, the visiting Patriots beat the favored Pittsburgh Steelers, 24-17, in the American Football Conference championship game, despite having a lower ranked defense and losing starting quarterback Tom Brady in the first half.

AP
Drew Bledsoe

But former starter Drew Bledsoe, who had not played since the Patriots second game of the season in September, stepped in to lead his team on a 40-yard touchdown drive.

Bledsoe completed 10-of-21 pass attempts for 102 yards. On defense, Willie McGinest and Ted Johnson helped to shut down Pittsburgh's tough running game. Troy Brown returned a punt 55-yards for another New England touchdown. The Patriots special teams also scored on a 60-yard return of a blocked field goal.

Next Sunday, the Patriots head to their third Super Bowl in New Orleans. The Patriots also went in 1986 and 1997, but lost both times.

AP
Kurt Warner

In Saint Louis, the Rams held off a tough Eagles team from Philadelphia, 29-24. NFL most valuable player Kurt Warner led the Rams with 212 yards on 22-of-33 passing, and one touchdown. Marshall Faulk ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns.

Saint Louis was favored to win. But the Eagles led the Rams, 17-13 at halftime. Saint Louis held the explosive Philadelphia offense to one score in the second half while the Rams took control with a dominant third quarter performance. The Saint Louis offense controlled the ball for more than 12 and one-half minutes by running 22 plays compared to just five for the Eagles.

Saint Louis had the best regular season record in the NFL with 16 wins and just two losses. The Rams played the Patriots in Week 10 of the regular season on November 18. Saint Louis won, 24-17. The Rams were in the Super Bowl two years ago, when they defeated the Tennessee Titans, 23-16.

Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.

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