And then there were four.

The AFC and NFC Finals are all set for next Sunday.

The Denver Broncos just beat the San Diego Chargers 24-17 holding off a late charge by the Chargers. The Broncos led 17-0 at the end of the third quarter, but San Diego made things interesting with a successful onside kick late in the fourth quarter. It appeared the Chargers might go for a second onside kick, but they opted to kick the ball back to the Broncos with a little more than five minutes left the game. The Chargers never got the ball back.

The Broncos will host the New England Patriots in the AFC Conference Final. The Pats beat the Indianapolis Colts 43-22 despite no touchdown passes from Tom Brady. The star of the game LeGarrette Blount was the star of the game rushing for four touchdowns. Colts QB Andrew Luck’s luck ran out as he threw four interceptions.

The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers advanced to the NFC Conference Finals with victories over the New Orleans Saints and the Carolina Panthers respectively. The 49ers will travel to Seattle and try to win back to back NFC titles.

I leave you with this aside. During the third quarter of the Chargers-Broncos game, Broncos kicker Matt Prater made a 45-yard field goal. Before making this field goal, the CBS broadcast crew casually mentioned that Prater had kicked a 64-yard field goal last December against the Tennessee Titans.

What?

You mean to tell me that Tom Dempsey’s record fell? How come the NFL didn’t make a bigger deal out of it? I know several kickers tied Dempsey’s record, but it stood for more than 43 years. Matt Prater should be a household name