Reaction after the Denver Broncos beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 23-16 on Sunday, 17 January, to advance to the AFC Conference Championship. They will face the New England Patriots on Sunday, 24 January, for a chance to advance to the Super Bowl.

SOUNDBITE (English): Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos quarterback:

"It's very satisfying to win, to beat the Steelers in a playoff game it's - hey, those guys over there are battle tested, they've been in a lot of big games. You got Ben (Roethlisberger), you know, gutsy effort by him tonight. They're playing with some injuries and you knew you were going to get a great effort by them. A lot of respect for Coach Tomlin and the way they get their teams prepared and that was really the kind of game we though it was going to be tonight so it's always satisfying to get a win."

SOUNDBITE (English): Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos quarterback (on facing the Patriots next):

(Question: Can't shake them, might as well beat them, as it should be?)

"Yeah, obviously we're excited to be in the game. We knew we were going to have to beat a good football team tonight in order to get there and then ... We'll try to enjoy this one tonight and then, you know, get a jump start on preparing for that game on Monday and we'll talk about who we're playing on Wednesday."

SOUNDBITE (English): Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach:

"I'd start off by complimenting and congratulating the Denver Broncos on a winning performance. You know we fought hard, just not enough today. Came up a few plays short. Such is life. I just appreciate the efforts of our football team. There can only be one, obviously, and this year it's not us."