INDIANAPOLIS — Peyton Manning insists his latest masterpiece wasn't all about history, legacies or demons.

In a way, he's right.

It was more.

Manning led the Indianapolis Colts to a stirring comeback and a late-game touchdown drive Sunday to defeat New England 38-34 and finally make it to the Super Bowl. Winning the AFC championship was a defining moment for the long-suffering quarterback.

"Win, lose or draw, he is the greatest quarterback ever," Colts tight end Dallas Clark said.

There's a long way to go before that, though Manning could certainly shift more opinions in his favor on Feb. 4, when the Colts (15-4) play the Chicago Bears in what will be a very special Super Bowl.

Tony Dungy, himself on the Super Bowl schnide until Sunday, joined Lovie Smith to become the first black head coaches to meet in the NFL's biggest game.

"It means a lot," Dungy said. "I'm very proud to be representing African-Americans. I'm very proud of Lovie."

Manning finally broke through despite throwing an interception that put his team behind 21-3 early in the second quarter. He led the biggest comeback in conference title-game history, yet still, he refused to concede that a huge weight had been lifted with this win, the biggest in his nine-year NFL career.

"I don't get into monkeys and vindication," he said. "I don't play that card. I know how hard I worked this season, I know how hard I worked this week."

He threw for 349 yards and one touchdown and took the Colts to their first Super Bowl since Bob Irsay's midnight flight out of Baltimore brought the team to Indy in 1984.

The Patriots (14-5) lost in the championship game for the first time in six tries and saw their hopes of winning four Super Bowls in six years — a la the Steelers of the late 70s — derailed by Manning and Co.

Joseph Addai capped Manning's late drive with the winning score, a 3-yard run with 1 minute left to help the Colts complete the rally and give them their first lead in the game.

After the final score, Manning was on the sideline, his head down, unable to watch. Tom Brady threw an interception to Marlin Jackson and the RCA Dome crowd went wild. One kneel down later and Manning ripped off his helmet to celebrate.

"I said a little prayer on that last drive," Manning said. "I don't know if you're supposed to pray for stuff like that, but I said a little prayer."

This was a game filled with crazy bounces and unexpected heroes. New England guard Logan Mankins opened the scoring by pouncing on a loose ball in the end zone. Not to be outdone, Colts center Jeff Saturday also recovered a fumble for a touchdown. Manning's lone touchdown pass was to defensive tackle Dan Klecko, though the Colts quarterback also threw a pass that was intercepted by Asante Samuel and returned for a touchdown.

Samuel's interception gave New England an 18-point lead early in the second quarter.

"You hate getting down to these guys because hardly anyone comes back when the Patriots get the lead," Manning said. "But what are you going to do? It's last game of season if you don't win. There's no use in panicking. You just go about your job."

He led the Colts on an 80-yard drive late in the first half for a field goal to make it 21-6. In the third quarter, he was at his cruel best, dissecting an exhausted Patriots defense for a pair of long drives and scores.

The first came on a 1-yard quarterback sneak. The second was capped by a 1-yard pass to Klecko, who came in as a supposed decoy at the goal line. A circus catch by Marvin Harrison for the 2-point conversion tied the game at 21.

After Indy's tying score, the Patriots answered with an 80-yard kickoff return by Ellis Hobbs, which set up a 6-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Jabar Gaffney.

Manning came right back but his handoff to Dominic Rhodes misfired. The ball scooted forward and Saturday got this touchdown to tie the score at 28.

After that drive, Manning could be seen on the sideline, nursing a sore thumb. But he wasn't coming out.

"I was a little worried at first, but I went over, made a few warmup throws and it was fine," he said. "I guess adrenaline pulled me through there a little, too."

The teams traded field goals, then Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski put New England ahead 34-31 on a 43-yarder with 3:49 left.

That set the stage for Manning's drive: 11 yards to Reggie Wayne, 32 yards to Bryan Fletcher, another scary completion to Wayne, who nearly lost the ball but snatched it back.

A roughing-the-passer call gave Indy the ball at the 11, then Manning handed off three straight times to Addai for the last 11 yards.

"It was momentum swing after momentum swing," Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi said. "Theirs was the one that finished it."