The Denver Broncos have reached their first Super Bowl since 1998 courtesy of a 26-16 victory over the New England Patriots.

The hosts took the lead late in the first quarter when Matt Prater slotted a field goal between the posts from 27 yards.

That lead was extended midway through the second as Peyton Manning produced a play-action fake before finding Jacob Tamme at the front of the endzone for a one-yard score.

The Patriots finally registered on the board with three minutes left of the first half, Stephen Gostkowski kicking a 47-yard field goal after Tom Brady had been sacked by the Broncos defense.

The lead was restored to 10 before the half-time interval, however, as Prater successfully converted his second field goal of the match, this time from 35 yards.

Things got even better for the Broncos in the third quarter as Manning threw his second touchdown pass of the evening, firing the ball to Demaryius Thomas in the endzone for a three-yard score.

Prater edged the hosts into a 20-point lead with another kick early in the fourth, but the Patriots finally got their first touchdown of the match shortly afterwards to raise hopes of a comeback.

Brady led his side on a long drive downfield before ending it with a seven-yard pass to pick out Julian Edelman at the front of the endzone.

Prater kept the scoreboard ticking over for the Broncos, however, kicking his fourth field goal of the match to extend his side's lead to 16 points midway through the final quarter.

The Patriots made things interesting late on when Brady faked a pass and broke a tackle on his way to the endzone for a five-yard score of his own.

However, Shane Vereen's rushing effort for a two-point conversion was denied by the Broncos, keeping them two scores ahead of their opponents.