James Williams
The Paw Print
MIAMI – The New Orleans Saints overcame an early 10-point deficit, pulled off a risky onside kick in undoubtedly one of the gutsiest calls in Super Bowl history, and won their first NFL title by beating the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 on Sunday night at Sun Life Stadium, the home of Super Bowl XLIV.
Proving once again that sometimes it is more than just a game, the Saints, a five point underdog, simply showed more heart and outplayed the Colts en route to the franchise’s first Lombardi Trophy, 43 years after their first game.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees completed 32 of 39 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns to tie the Super Bowl record for completions held by New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady on his way to winning the game’s MVP honors.
His counterpart, league MVP Peyton Manning was 31 of 45 for 333 yards with one touchdown. Manning threw one costly interception to Saints cornerback Tracy Porter that was returned 74 yards for the touchdown that hammered home the nail in the Colts’ coffin.
The Colts held a 3-0 lead midway through the first quarter after a 38-yard field goal by kicker Matt Stover, and the Colts added to it with a 96-yard touchdown drive capped off by a 19-yard touchdown pass to receiver Pierre Garcon to open up a 10-0 lead with 36 seconds remaining in the first quarter. The drive tied the record for the longest scoring drive in Super Bowl history.
The Saints came out visibly fired up on offense and held a steady, sustained drive that resulted in a 46-yard field goal by kicker Garrett Hartley. With the way the Saints were moving the ball, it might have been more if not for a sack by Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney on third down at the Colts’ 29-yard-line.
The Saints forced a three-and-out on the next Colts possession and once again moved the ball with ease deep into the redzone with 12-play, 68-yard drive. The Colts defense dug in and held the Saints scoreless however, stopping the Saints on two consecutive run plays at the 1-yard-line to force a turnover on downs.
The Colts got the ball back, were forced into another three-and-out, and the Saints inched closer on the ensuing possession with a 44-yard field goal by Hartley as time expired on the first half.
Porter’s interception was the knockout punch, but head coach Sean Payton’s bold call for a surprise onside kick to open the second half might have been the play that changed the course of the game.
Instead of defending against Manning, the Saints drove 58 yards for a touchdown. Running back Pierre Thomas caught a 16 yard pass from Brees and ran it into the endzone for the first lead of the game for the Saints.
The Colts responded with what they do best, methodically moving the ball down the field with the passing game, utilizing tight end Dallas Clark for two big catches, and scored a touchdown on a 4-yard run by tailback Joseph Addai to go back on top 17-13 with 6:15 remaining in the third quarter.
The Saints answered back with a drive that resulted in a 47-yard field goal by Hartley that cut the lead to one point.
After the kickoff, the Colts broke out another staple of their offense and entered the no-huddle, driving the ball at will until Saints middle linebacker and defensive captain Jonathan Vilma made a statement with two tremendous plays, a tackle of receiver Austin Collie for a loss of three yards on a short pass to the flat, and then broke up a pass intended for Collie down the seam in the endzone on the next play, forcing the Colts to settle for a field goal. But Stover, a solid replacement for the injured Adam Vinatieri, missed the 51-yard field goal attempt wide left.
Brees and the Saints once again came out and moved the ball with ease, hitting tight end Jeremy Shockey on a two-yard slant pattern for a touchdown with 5:42 remaining in the game. Payton decided to go for two, and the conversion was deemed successful after a challenge by Payton. Receiver Lance Moore caught a acrobatically caught a pass from Brees on a three-step drop and broke the plane before it came loose. The correction stretched the lead to 24-17 over the Colts.
Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, adamant all week long about putting pressure on Manning, dialed up a blitz that rattled Manning on the ensuing drive. Colts receiver Reggie Wayne ran a short slant pattern, a staple of the Colts offense and a play that had been run in various formations multiple times with success earlier in the game, but Porter made the read, picked off the pass, and raced to the endzone to seal the victory for the Saints with 3:12 remaining the game.
“Made a great play,” a red-faced Manning said after the game. “Made a great play. Corner made a heck of a play.”
Later, when the interception was raised again, Manning was similarly terse.
“Certainly disappointing,” he allowed. “Very disappointing. Disappointing.”
“We weren’t the Aints,” Porter said after the game. “We were a team of destiny, a team that can make big plays.”
The Colts drove one last time, but Manning’s last pass was unable to find the grasp of Wayne in the endzone, and the team that had trailed by 10 early capped off the comeback that matched the largest in Super Bowl history.
Brees summed up how much the victory meant after the game.
“Just to think of the road we’ve all traveled, the adversity we’ve all faced,” Brees said. “It’s unbelievable. I mean, are you kidding me? Four years ago, whoever thought this would be happening? Eighty-five percent of the city was under water. Most people left not knowing if New Orleans would ever come back, or if the organization would ever come back.
“We just all looked at one another and said, ‘We’re going to rebuild together. We are going to lean on each other.’ That’s what we’ve done the last four years and this is the culmination in all that belief.”
What’s Been Said…