Superbowl XLIV Champions

February 8, 2010 • written by Kevin Dupry  
Filed under Football, Sports

The party has just begun in New Orleans after the Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts in their first franchise appearance to the Superbowl. The final score of Superbowl XLIV was 31-17 with Coach Sean Peyton taking the trophy back to the Crescent City. So how did the teams match up?

Offense:

When looking at pure statistics , the Colts should have won the game. Indianapolis had more first downs, converted for first downs more on third, and had over one hundred more total yards over the Saints, yet still walked away with a two touchdown deficit.

The Colts were able to rush effectively against the Saints defense. Joseph Addai ran for the most yards he had this year, running a total of 77 yards and scoring a touchdown.

Regular season MVP, Peyton Manning, threw the ball for 333 total yards and one touchdown. He was able to make 31 out of 45 passing attempts and was not sacked a single time. Although he never fumbled, he did throw a crucial interception that would seal the game in New Orleans favor late in the fourth quarter.

Manning was able to throw to three receivers, Pierre Garcon, Austin Collie, and Dallas Clark,  put names here, for sixty plus yards.

The New Orleans offense had a much tougher time against the stiff Indianapolis defense. The Colts were able to stop the rush early, limiting Pierre Thomas to just 30 yards the whole game. Reggie Bush followed 5 yards behind Thomas with 25 yards.

The Saints learned early that the path to the Lombardi trophy would have to go through the air, giving the ball to MVP, Drew Brees, Brees completed 32 of 39 passing attempts for a total of 288 yards. Another star of the night was Marques Colston, who touched the ball seven times for a total of 83 yards. Devery Henderson and Pierre Thomas also had great nights through the air, gaining 63 and 55 yards respectively.

Garret Hartley and the Saints field goal unit had a better night than the Colts’ kicker, Matt Stover. Hartley was able to kick three field goals clear through the uprights. The second year kicker had never kicked a ball pass the 40 yard mark this entire season, however, managed to score two field-goals passed this range during the game.Stover was unable to complete the second of his two field goal attempts and ended the game scoring only 5 points compared to Hartley’s 11.

Penalties were also a big factor in  Superbowl XLIV; since the team with the least amount of mistakes generally wins the game. The Saints only had three penalties for a total of 19 yards, which is minuscule compared to the five penalties against the Colts which resulted in a loss of 45 yards.

Defense:

There were not too many key moments on defense, as the game was mostly an offensive battle. The Saints, expecting the Colts to pass, dropped back to cover against deeper throws by Manning. This resulted in an opening for the run, which the Colts exploited again and again with Addai. Both teams knew that the Colts could not win on the rush alone and were forced to go through the air.

The Saints were effective at putting a pass rush on Manning. Although the defensive line was never able to sack the veteran himself, the rush was able to make Peyton nervous in the pocket. This was evident later in the game, and resulted in the Tracy Porter interception in the fourth quarter.

The Colts were effective as well with rushing Brees. All-star Dwight Freeny,  expected not to play in Sunday’s game, came out swinging, despite his injured ankle to get a crucial sack on Brees in the second quarter. Freeny was able to bull rush the Saint’s offensive line and swing the Saints quarterback to the ground to stop a touchdown drive. The Saints would eventually settle for a field goal to finally get on the board. The Freeny threat would be later neutralized through double teaming the veteran, and Drew Brees was able to pass almost untouched.

The Saints were able to hold the Colts offense, which would eventually be the key to the game. The “pick six” by Porter at the end of the game would give the Saints their first Superbowl in franchise history.