Saints trounce Colts, claim first Super Bowl
If you would have told me the New Orleans Saints would score 31 points to the Indianapolis Colts’ 7 after the first quarter, I’d say you’re crazy and you had the teams mixed up. If you said that the Saints would open the second half with an onside kick, something that hadn’t been done prior to the fourth quarter in any Super Bowl game, I’d tell you to go to a doctor.
Indeed, as improbable as it seems, this did happen as the Saints went on and beat the Colts Sunday by a convincing 31- 17 score. Drew Brees, crowned Super Bowl MVP, was as close to perfect as a quarterback could be, completing 32 of his 39 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns — one to TE Jeremey Shockey and another to RB Pierre Thomas.
Brees was barely pressured at all by the Colts’ defense; the only sack came from injured DE Dwight Freeney, which was his only tackle of the night.
Freeney, who hurried some throws by Brees in the first half, was nonexistent in the second half and may have been hampered by his right ankle when he came out after the first series to get it re-taped.
Peyton Manning was very impressive as well in the first quarter, capping a 96-yard drive with a 19-yard touchdown pass to WR Pierre Garcon to put the Colts up 10-0, showing strong signs of a blowout after the Saints failed to move the ball in their first several possessions.
The Saints then came back to drive down the field, only to settle for a 46- yard by K Garret Hartley, one of his three that came from farther than 40 yards, setting a Super Bowl record. Going into halftime, the Colts held onto a slim 10-6 lead with the prospect of getting the ball back in the second half, or so they thought. Catching the Colts’ frontline men bailing on the kickoff, P Thomas Morstead successfully executed an onside kick that was recovered by special teams player Chris Reis. After connecting for a 16-yard screen pass from Brees to Thomas, the Saints took the lead for the first time in the game.
Manning and company went back to work, compiling a 10-play 74-yard drive with Joseph Addai capping it off with a 4-yard run to put the Colts up 17- 13.
With another Hartley field goal followed by a missed 51-yard field goal attempt by Colts’ K Matt Stover, the Saints had perfect field position. Driving down the field, Brees got his team down to the 2-yard line and on second-and-goal, found TE Jermey Shockey on a short pass, bringing the score to 24-17, after the Saints challenged whether the receiver caught the ball during the two point conversion attempt.
With five and a half minutes to go, the Colts got the ball back and it was time for Manning to step up. With what seemed to be a dominating nohuddle offense, the Colts looked as if they were going to tie up the game and send it to overtime.
But Manning’s late interception was returned for a touchdown, which put the Saints up 31-17 with little time remaining, sealing the victory.
Claiming its first Super Bowl in history, New Orleans has gone from the miserable “Aint’s,” to the glorious Saints.
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