Is This The Year Of the Manning Bowl?

A quarter of the way through the 2009 NFL season, we've seen some neat stories -- Josh McDaniels and the Denver turnaround, Rex Ryan and Mike Singletary transforming the lowly Jets and 49ers, and many more.

One storyline -- or future storyline -- garnering less attention is the possibility of Super Bowl XLIV being the "Manning Bowl."

Peyton's Colts are 4-0 and Eli's Giants are 4-0, and both teams have dominated at least three of their four games. Suddenly, it may be worth betting at your sportsbook on an all-Manning Super Bowl.

Naturally, there are factors supporting and deflating a Manning Bowl argument, so let's review them.

WHY IT COULD HAPPEN...

1. Those Manning boys can pass, no matter who their receivers are

Each Manning brother had his ability to carry an offense tested to start the season -- Eli because Plaxico Burress shot himself out of town and Manning because of Marvin Harrison's departure and Anthony Gonzalez's knee injury.

Each brother has risen to the occasion and then some. Peyton and Eli rank first and fourth in the NFL in passer rating and first and second in touchdown passes (Peyton is tied with Drew Brees, Eli is tied with Jay Cutler).  The Mannings make everyone around them better; thought to have weaker support systems than they've had in the past, they've instead turned Pierre Garcon, Mario Manningham and especially Steve Smith into high-impact NFL receivers.

2. Tough to pass on the Colts or Giants

For all the flak they take, the Colts aren't half bad defensively. They allow just 15.5 points per game and rank eighth against the pass. When Dwight Freeney returns healthy, he and Robert Mathis will continue terrorizing opposing quarterbacks.

The Giants lead the NFL in pass defense, allowing a stupidly good 115 yards per game through the air. We can take that stat with a grain of salt since they've faced the Chiefs and Bucs, but these guys are legitimately terrifying.

3. Giants run like the wind

See a trend forming? The Giants seem poised to hold up their end of the bargain, as Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw are as good a thunder/lightning tandem as you'll find in the league right now.

WHY IT MAY NOT HAPPEN...

1. Can Indy stop the run?

The Colts' Achilles Heel is always the same -- run defense. Ronnie Brown embarrassed them a couple of weeks ago and, while Bob Sanders' eventual return will help, the Colts remain soft up the middle. That doesn't bode well if they draw, say, the Ravens in the AFC Championship game.

2. Can Indy run?

Joseph Addai and Donald Brown have been adequate at best so far, but online sports betting fans shouldn't fret too much about this "problem." In my mind, it's more a product of Indy passing the ball so effectively that it didn't need to establish the run. If it ain't broke...

3. Will a soft schedule make the Giants mentally soft?

Oakland, Tampa, Kansas City -- what if the Giants aren't as good as we think they are? A schedule like theirs could make many teams look good at this point of the season. We won't know just how dominant they really are until they battle New Orleans, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Atlanta and Denver, among others, later this year.

THE VERDICT

The Giants have enough going for them that they'll battle through a tough late-season schedule;I'm confident that they'll be there. As for the Colts -- it's encouraging that they're 4-0 despite losing Gonzalez, Dwight Freeney and Bob Sanders. I think their defense will improve once it reaches full strength.

If I was a betting man, I'd consider wagering on an all-Manning Super Bowl XLIV.