The Panthers had a plus-20 turnover ratio during the regular season, six better than the second best Chiefs.
"We could never play on our terms, so it was an uphill battle all day", Brady said.
Rivera took over the Panthers in 2011, when they had the first pick in a loaded draft after going an NFL-worst 2-14 in 2010.
Superman is headed for the Super Bowl.
The Lions went 29-51 in Schwartz's five seasons with the team, and made the playoffs once, losing in the first round. The Broncos led the NFL with 52 sacks and allowed a league-low 283.1 yards per game, then made life hard as can be for Brady on Sunday, knocking him to the ground over and over.
While it was sinking into the Broncos that they were going to their second Super Bowl in three years, the Panthers were trouncing the Cardinals on the way to their second in franchise history.
After a weekend off to heal up and accommodate the Pro Bowl, Carolina and Denver will square off in a Super Bowl matchup featuring two elite quarterbacks at very different points in their careers, two excellent defenses, and two physical running games. He even vowed that he would not be missing the Super Bowl. Ward suffered a sprained ankle, but guaranteed that he would be on the field in two weeks.
Pat McCrory, who was on the sidelines at Bank of America Stadium Sunday to watch the Panthers win their first home NFC Championship Game.
But in the end, the AFC championship game was less about the future Hall of Famers under center, and more about one dominating defense - as the Denver Broncos pulled out a close victory over the New England Patriots.
"Nikki and I will celebrate together", he said of South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. "Because we surprise everybody", McCrory said.
"We've just got to try to get some pressure on (Manning)", Kuechly said. They forced Carson Palmer into four interceptions and forced two fumbles in an impressive defensive performance. Ginn had a 32-yard punt return to set up a weaving 22-yard TD run, and chased down All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson to prevent a second-quarter touchdown on an interception return. "I'm really looking forward to it. It's going to be a fun two weeks".
Fullback Mike Tolbert left in the second half with what officials called a knee injury.
"If it comes down to a pain tolerance and playing through it, I'll be there".
The Panthers may be celebrating a huge win over the Arizona Cardinals for the NFC Championship, but they are by no means satisfied. The Panthers piled up seven takeaways against the Cardinals - six on defense, one on special teams - including an interception returned for a score by linebacker Luke Kuechly.
Bookmaker slashes odds on Van Gaal leaving United
United are now five points behind Tottenham in the hunt for Champions League qualification with 15 matches to go. Southampton manager Ronald Koeman was delighted by his team's performance.
