Answer the question from the given passage. Your answer should be directly extracted from the passage, and it should be a single entity, name, or number, not a sentence.
Q: Passage: The Broncos defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional round, 23–16, by scoring 11 points in the final three minutes of the game. They then beat the defending Super Bowl XLIX champion New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, 20–18, by intercepting a pass on New England's 2-point conversion attempt with 17 seconds left on the clock. Despite Manning's problems with interceptions during the season, he didn't throw any in their two playoff games. Question: Who did the Broncos beat tp become the AFC champions?
A:
New England Patriots