American Football: Packers seize Super Bowl place

The Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears 21-14 last night to win the NFC title and reach the Super Bowl. They led 14-0 after dominating the first half and a belated Bears fightback failed to pay dividends as the visitors secured their first Super Bowl place since 1997.

The Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers ended a flawless first drive by looping round from the one-yard line for a rushing touchdown and James Starks' four-yard run doubled the lead early in the second.

Chicago's cause was not helped by an injury to quarterback Jay Cutler, who was eventually replaced by Caleb Hanie. He sparked a Bears recovery but interceptions from BJ "The Freezer" Raji and Sam Shields booked Green Bay a trip to Arlington next month.