Played as part of the third round of the 2010-11 NFL Playoffs, the 2011 AFC Championship Game determined the champion of the American Football Conference and the AFC team that earned the opportunity to continue on to play in Super Bowl XLV. The winner of the AFC Championship Game will face the winner of the 2011 NFC Championship Game in the Super Bowl to determine the champion of the National Football League.http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2010/01/interactive_nfl_playoff_bracke_2.html

The game featured the Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the New York Jets 24-19. The 2011 AFC Championship Game took place on Sunday, January 23, 2011, starting at 6:30 p.m. EST. CBS had the television coverage of the game which took place at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Steelers earned their place in the game by defeating the Baltimore Ravens 31-21 in the 2011 NFL Divisional Weekend. The Jets qualified for the game with a 28-21 win over the New England Patriots in the Divisional Round.http://www.nfl.com/schedules?seasonType=POST#Week

In the 2009-10 NFL Playoffs, the Indianapolis Colts played against the New York Jets in the AFC Championship Game. The Colts hosted the contest, coming into the game at 14-2 on the year compared to the 9-7 of the Jets in the 2009 season. Quarterback Peyton Manning and the Colts came from behind to defeat rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez and the Jets by a score of 30-17.http://espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=300124011 Indianapolis continued on to play in Super Bowl XLIV in Miami, Florida, where they were defeated 31-17 by the New Orleans Saints.http://espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=300207011