Green Bay Packers beat Chicago Bears to make Super Bowl

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Green Bay Packers beat Chicago Bears to make Super Bowl

ROAD TO THE SUPER BOWL:
NFL Play-offs: 8-23 January - listen live on 5 live sports extra; watch highlights every Monday on BBC2; clips on the BBC Sport website (UK only)
Super Bowl XLV: 6 February at Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas - Watch live on BBC 1 and the BBC Sport website (UK only); listen live on 5 live sports extra
Green Bay Packers' BJ Raji celebrates his touchdown
Raji is nicknamed 'The Freezer' in reference to William 'The Fridge' Perry

Green Bay hung on to beat Chicago and secure their first trip to a Super Bowl in 13 years with a 21-14 victory.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers made a strong start, throwing for 244 yards in total and running for a touchdown.

Third-choice Bears QB Caleb Hanie replaced injured Jay Cutler, throwing for two TDs but was intercepted on the brink of a game-tieing score.

Green Bay will face the winner of Sunday's match between Pittsburgh and the New York Jets on 6 February.

The 45th instalment of the NFL's blue riband event will take place in Arlington, Texas.

Rookie cornerback Sam Shields made his second interception of the game with 43 seconds remaining and Chicago threatening from 29 yards out.

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Rodgers, 27, described reaching his first Super Bowl as "a dream come true".

He added: "You've got to give credit to our defence. I didn't play my best game.

"They had a good plan for us. They stopped us but we just had enough points."

Green Bay were subdued after taking a 14-0 lead but did enough to win their 182nd match-up against Chicago in a rivalry that goes back to 1921.

No National Football Conference sixth seed has ever made the Super Bowl before but the Pack now get a chance to play for their 13th NFL title.

Rodgers was the star as Green Bay upset NFC top seeds Atlanta last week and he came out firing in wintry Chicago, completing four passes for 74 yards then running for the score in the opening drive.

Rookie running back James Starks, who was born in February 1986 - four weeks after the Bears last won an NFL title - ran in for the second touchdown, four minutes into the second quarter.

The Bears defence kept them in the game, twice intercepting Rodgers, who had thrown 119 post-season passes prior to this without being picked off.

With Cutler at the helm, their offence could not capitalise against a canny Green Bay D coached by Dom Capers.

Shields was a surprise star, taking Cutler down for a sack on a corner blitz to kill one drive then making the interception to end the half.

With Cutler nursing a knee injury and replacement Todd Collins ineffective, Chicago went to Hanie in desperation.

The second-year player from Dallas led a 67-yard drive, setting up a Chester Taylor plunge to reinvigorate the Soldier Field crowd.

Then he completed four successive passed in an 81-second drive that went the length of the field with Earl Bennett's catch-and-run touchdown to make it 21-14 with four minutes 43 seconds remaining.

But in between he fired an interception to Green Bay's BJ Raji - a monster 24 stone (153kg) nose tackle who calls himself "The Freezer" in a reference to Bears legend William "Refrigerator" Perry - who lumbered 18 yards to score with his first career pick and give Green Bay sufficient space.

But in between he fired an interception to Green Bay's BJ Raji - a monster 24 stone (153kg) nose tackle who calls himself "The Freezer" in a reference to Bears legend William "Refrigerator" Perry - who lumbered 18 yards to score with his first career pick and give Green Bay sufficient space.