New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has admitted that the Denver Broncos deserved their win in Sunday's AFC championship game between the two sides.

Peyton Manning produced another expert performance for the Broncos as he threw for 400 yards and two touchdowns to guide his side into their first Super Bowl since 1998 with a 26-16 victory.

Brady believes that his side can learn a lot from their season, which saw them overcome a number of serious injuries to key players, but is ultimately disappointed at having missed out on the Super Bowl for a second consecutive year.

"Denver played a really good game. They were pretty flawless. We couldn't force them into making any bad plays on either side of the ball," Brady told WEEI.

"It's unfortunate for our season to come to an end like this, but I would say Denver earned it. They played a lot better than we did yesterday. There's a lot to be gained from seasons like this. You see players that have really emerged and become dependable players for our team.

"But at the same time, you know, I think we established a certain level of play, and we're not satisfied unless we're the last team standing. We couldn't accomplish that this year."

Brady was also on the losing side in last year's AFC championship game, in which the Patriots were beaten by the Baltimore Ravens.