If you like offense, Super Bowl XLIV is your type of game. Two of the most prolific offenses this season will play for the right to be called Super Bowl Champion on Sunday in South Florida at Sun Life Stadium, the New Orleans Saints, champions of the NFC, take on the Indianapolis Colts, champions of the AFC. The New Orleans Saints, who led the league with 510 points during the regular season and scored 76 more in the playoffs, will take on the Indianapolis Colts, who netted 416 points in the regular season, good for seventh overall, and have added 50 more in the postseason.
For the Saints, this is their first trip to the Super Bowl. Prior to this postseason, New Orleans had won just two playoff games in its history (St. Louis Rams in 2000 and Philadelphia Eagles in 2006). The Saints got to the Super Bowl with a 45-14 win over the Arizona Cardinals, the reigning NFC Champions in the Divisional Playoff round. The Saints then needed overtime to best the Minnesota Vikings, 31-28, in the NFC Championship Game, where the Saints forced five Vikings turnovers, including a big interception by cornerback Tracy Porter in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter that prevented Minnesota from attempting a game-winning field goal try.
With New Orleans punching its ticket to the Super Bowl, the Detroit Lions are the lone team from the NFC never to have played in a Super Bowl. The Saints are looking to become the first team since the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win the Super Bowl on its first try.
This is the fourth Super Bowl trip for the Colts, their second in four seasons. While representing Baltimore, the Colts went to the Super Bowl twice in three seasons, losing to the New York Jets in Super Bowl III (1968 season), 16-7, and topped the Dallas Cowboys on a last second field in Super Bowl V by a score of 16-13 (1970). Three years ago, Indianapolis downed the Chicago Bears, 29-17. The Colts have played all four of their Super Bowls in the Miami Area.
Indianapolis downed Baltimore, 20-3, in the Divisional Playoff Game, using 14 late second quarter points to take over the game and rallied from a 17-6 deficit to drop the New York Jets, 30-17, in the AFC Championship Game. The Colts outscored the Jets, 17-0, in the second half to win the AFC crown. Indianapolis is looking to join the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, New York Giants, Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders and Washington Redskins as franchises that have won three Super Bowls.
The two teams jumped out to long winning streaks, New Orleans starting at 13-0 and Indianapolis beginning at 14-0. While the 18-0 versus 18-0 Super Bowl did not happen, this is the first time since 1993, when the Dallas Cowboys played the Buffalo Bills, which both top seeds from each conference are playing in the Super Bowl. The two teams also scored road wins over the Miami Dolphins this season at Sun Life Stadium. The Saints won 46-34 in Week seven and the Colts prevailed 27-23 in Week two.
Both teams are led by quarterbacks who were candidates for the MVP this season: Drew Brees of the Saints and Peyton Manning of the Colts. Brees has been sharp this postseason, tossing six touchdown passes with zero interceptions. The Saints’ offense has not turned over the ball in either of their two playoff games, while the Saints’ defense has forced seven turnovers.
New Orleans lone turnover was a fumble on special teams. Manning won his fourth MVP in 2009 and has thrown four touchdowns to just one interception in two postseason contests. For Manning, he is going against the team he grew up rooting for father Archie Manning was the Saints quarterback from 1971-82.
New Orleans and Indianapolis have plenty of top notch players on offense. The Saints boast Mike Bell, Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas at running back, Jeremy Shockey at tight end and Marques Colston, Devery Henderson and Robert Meacham at wide receiver. The Colts have Joseph Addai and Donald Brown at running back, Dallas Clark at tight end and Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon and Reggie Wayne at wide receiver.
On special teams, the Saints used the return game to their advantage in both games. Bush had a punt return for a touchdown in the Arizona win and in the Minnesota victory kick returner Courtney Roby had a big return to set up New Orleans third touchdown and Thomas returned the opening kickoff of overtime to the Saints’ 39-yard line giving Brees and Company a short field to set up the winning field goal by kicker Garrett Hartley.
The Colts, who have gotten five field goals from kicker Matt Stover, do not have the return game of the Saints, even though running back Chad Simpson did return a kick for a touchdown this season.
On defense, the Saints will look to do to Manning what they did to Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre in the NFC Championship game: hit him at every opportunity. New Orleans did not record a sack, but they knocked Favre around and put him on the ground over a dozen times.
The Saints’ defense has done two things well this season, forced turnovers and played solid in their own 20-yard line, forcing opponents to settle for field goals and not touchdowns. The ball hawking defense is led by safety Darren Sharper, who played in a Super Bowl as a member of the Packers in Super Bowl XXXII. Will the Saints defense, who was able to get seven turnovers and batter both Favre and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, be able to do this to their third straight future Hall of Fame quarterback opponent in Manning?
The major injury talk so far has been about the top defensive player of Indianapolis, defensive end Dwight Freeney, who tore a ligament in his right ankle late in the win over New York. Freeney, who led the Colts with 13.5 sacks in 2009, has tallied 84 sacks in eight seasons. Freeney and fellow defensive end Robert Mathis teamed up for 23 sacks this season as Mathis chalked up 9.5 sacks. If Freeney cannot go, defensive end Rahim Brock will get the majority of the playing time. The Colts have overcome the losses of safety Bob Sanders (2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year) and cornerback Marlin Jackson, but can they overcome the potential loss of Freeney?
If Freeney was not injured, no doubt the Colts would be the pick. Even without Freeney, they are the pick. This game should have a lot of points scored, but unlike the Vikings, the Colts will not turn it over five times and leave points on the table. If the Saints cannot turn over the Colts, they will not win and Indianapolis will not be as generous as Minnesota was. Manning will make the plays he has to get the job done, the Colts win their second Super Bowl in four years and he will shoot up even higher in the quarterback stratosphere.
My predictions: Indianapolis 34 New Orleans 27
MVP – Pierre Garcon
Enjoy the Super Bowl and The Who, who will perform the halftime show.
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