By Chris Agar (Whetstone staff writer)
The New Orleans Saints won their first championship in franchise history by defeating the favorite Indianapolis Colts 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV on Feb. 7.
Quarterback Drew Brees was named the MVP of the game, completing 32 of 39 passes (tying Tom Brady’s Super Bowl record for most completions in a game) for 288 yards and two touchdowns. His 82.1 completion percentage was the second-best mark in Super Bowl history.
The Colts rushed out to an early 10-0 lead after Peyton Manning connected on a 19-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon. The Saints high scoring offense could only manage a mere six points for the entire first half and Indianapolis entered halftime with a 10-6 lead.
In the second half, it was a different story.
After recovering an onside kick to start the third quarter, the Saints marched down the field and Brees capped off a six play, 58-yard drive by throwing his first touchdown to Pierre Thomas, giving New Orleans its first lead of the day.
Indianapolis responded quickly with a Joseph Addai touchdown run to make it 17-13 Colts. Those would be the Colts’ final points of the game.
New Orleans outscored the Colts 15-0 in the fourth quarter.
First, Brees found tight end Jeremy Shockey (who missed the Giants’ Super Bowl run in 2007 due to a leg injury) in the end zone and the Saints went up 22-17.
Head coach Sean Payton opted to go for a two-point conversion to give the Saints a 7-point lead and was successful after challenging the original call of an incomplete pass.
On the very next drive, the Colts looked to be driving their way down the field to tie the game and perhaps force overtime when the Saints’ Tracy Porter jumped the route and picked off Manning, taking the interception 74 yards for a touchdown, sealing the victory for New Orleans.
The Saints’ 10-point comeback to win the Super Bowl matched the largest in Super Bowl history. The first time it
happened was in Super Bowl XXII when the Washington Redskins defeated the Denver Broncos 42-10.
They also became the fifth team in NFL history to win the Super Bowl in its first try. The last time that happened was in 2002 when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII.
Before Super Bowl XLIV, teams making their first Super Bowl appearance were 4-15.
The loss for Peyton Manning made his career playoff record 9-9. Despite winning Super Bowl XLI three years ago (and being named MVP of that game), questions about his place among the all-time greats still linger. Several of the game’s greatest quarterbacks, including Joe Montana, John Elway and Tom Brady, have all won multiple Super Bowls.
The game also became the most watched television program in history by scoring 106.5 million viewers. Super Bowl XLIV beat the previous record of 105.97 million viewers for the 1983 M*A*S*H finale.
