American Football:Scottish-born Lawrence Tynes kicked the New York Giants into next month's Super Bowl after a thrilling clash with the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

Tynes made up for two misses in the closing stages of regulation time by kicking a decisive, 47-yard field goal with 12 minutes and 25 seconds to play in overtime. It secured a 23-20 win at Lambeau Field.

Tynes insisted he had no fear taking on the kick, despite following two successes earlier in the match with a pair of misses.

While Giants coach Tom Coughlin weighed up his options, Tynes took matters into his own hands.

"I wasn't waiting for him to say, 'Go kick'," said Tynes, whose family on his mother's side hail from Port Glasgow. "He would have had to pull me off the field."

The 29-year-old said: "I screwed it up twice. Thank God we got another opportunity."

The victory in the NFC championship game sent the Giants into a clash with the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII on February 3rd at Glendale, Arizona.

Coughlin's side will be seeking to avenge a 38-35 defeat to the Patriots in the final game of the regular season.

Earlier, the Patriots beat the San Diego Chargers 21-12 in the AFC title game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, overcoming three interceptions by quarterback Tom Brady to continue their undefeated season.

The temperature at Gillette Stadium was 23 degrees Fahrenheit (-5 Celsius) at the start of the game. It was -1 at kick-off in Green Bay - the third-coldest NFL game ever - and reached 24 degrees below with the wind-chill.

The Patriots are 18-0, the best record in NFL history, and advanced to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in seven years. They won titles in 2002, 2004 and 2005.

"There's been so much energy expended each week with the expectations and the pressure our coach puts on us," Brady, who threw two touchdown passes, said at a news conference. "I'm glad we have the week off here to regroup a little bit and try to elevate our game for one last performance."

The Giants are in the NFL's championship game for the first time since they lost to Baltimore 34-7 after the 2000 season. New York, which won Super Bowl titles in 1987 and 1991, have won 10 consecutive road games, including three straight in the play-offs, to improve to 13-6.

"Our guys never say die," Coughlin said. "We find ways to win."

Patriots runningback Laurence Maroney rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown, while Brady threw scoring passes to Jabar Gaffney and Wes Welker, and the Patriots' defence limited the Chargers to four field goals.

The Patriots were nursing a 14-12 fourth-quarter lead when Brady fired a six-yard touchdown pass to Welker with 12:21 remaining.

After forcing San Diego to punt on the next possession, the Patriots ran the final 9:13 off the clock.

Randy Moss was held to one catch for 18 yards for the Patriots after catching an NFL-record 23 touchdown passes during the regular season. Running back Kevin Faulk led New England with eight receptions for 82 yards.

The Chargers, limited on offence by injuries to three of their top players, drove inside the New England 20-yard line three times without reaching the end zone. LaDainian Tomlinson, the NFL's leading rusher this season, carried the ball twice and caught one pass before leaving the game with a knee injury.

Quarterback Philip Rivers, who threw a pair of interceptions, was hobbled by a knee injury, while tight-end Antonio Gates was slowed by a toe injury and had two catches.

Brady finished with 209 yards passing, completing 22 of 33 attempts.

At Lambeau Field, the Packers won the coin toss in overtime after Tynes missed a 43-yard kick with 6:53 left in the fourth quarter and a 36-yard attempt as time expired in regulation. Packers quarterback Brett Favre threw his second interception of the game on the second play of overtime, giving the Giants the ball at the Green Bay 34-yard line. Four plays later, Tynes hit the winning field goal.

"We had a lot of opportunities," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "We just couldn't take advantage, and the Giants got the turnover and finished it off."

The only other NFC championship game to be decided in overtime was in 1999, when Atlanta beat Minnesota 30-27.

Giants quarterback Eli Manning completed 21 of 40 passes for 254 yards.

Favre, a three-time NFL Most Valuable Player who was trying to return to the Super Bowl for the first time in 10 years, threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns.