Super Bowl XLIV: There's No Way Indianapolis Wins Against New Orleans

Peyton Manning and the Colts will blow past an NFC team that is simply coasting off an energy provided by an emotional hometown that provides an atmosphere unmatched because of Katrina.

The Saints in a neutral site will not have that home field advantage in their arsenal.

That's true if speaking of the 2006 Saints, who went to the NFC title game and lost in a cold weather environment against the best defense in the NFL that year.

The Saints, like the Colts, are also undefeated in road games this year in which their starters played. The Saints have always been more successful away from New Orleans: 2000, 2006, 2009...

The Saints defense is horrendous and allows any team to go up and down the field on it with little or no opposition.

Again, there is nothing that can be said to disprove that. The Saints give up lots and lots of yards, but most of that can be attributed to design. The Saints run a bend-but- don’t-break defense that keeps most points off the board, and yardage is the price paid for turnovers.

In the Saints' only real loss this season, 24 was the final amount of points allowed. Do you think the Colts win this game with 24? I wouldn’t put money on it, but that’s just me.

The pass rush of the Colts will pressure Drew Brees into making mistakes by blitzing him.

I would highly recommend that they don’t try that—just like blitzing Manning, this would be a mistake. Brees loves man coverage, and the Saints receiving corps is much deeper than Indianapolis'.

Blitzing the Saints leads to Meachem and Henderson burning the corners on the go route, and where the safety valve was is now an untouched Saint that won’t get caught from behind.

Brees can tend to spot the blitz, and he led the league in accuracy this year. He also hasn’t thrown a single pick this postseason—and that includes a game against a much better front seven in Minnesota. Not to mention Freeney (the Colts' best pass rusher) is limping.

Manning is a former Super Bowl MVP who has the experience in the Big game needed to win. The Saints, on the other hand, have never been here before and will be shocked and awed by the big stage.

The Colts won the Super Bowl just three years ago, and Manning—whether he deserved it or not—won the MVP for that game.

The Saints have never been here before; however; en route to getting here, they beat several key players and teams that have. Last year’s defending conference champion, Arizona, was thrashed at the hands of the Saints. They also defeated Favre and the Vikings—easily one of the three best teams in the league.

Destroying the Patriots on a Monday night and also defeating the same Jets team earlier in the year helped the Saints get to the big game. The Saints, like the Colts in '06 have never been here before, but you best believe they definitely play like it. 

The Colts dropped 30 points on the No. 1 defense in the NFL: What will stop them from destroying the Saints defense?

Yes, the Colts did beat a team with the No. 1 defense in the NFL—which also had the No. 1 rushing attack in the NFL—but so did the Saints when they played the Jets earlier in the year.

The Saints also don’t have a rookie quarterback. They have a guy who is one the top two QB’s in the league during the past four years. This offense is the Saints best defense.

Unlike the Jets, when the Colts score, the Saints can score—consistently. So much, in fact, that the offense is 33 percent of the defense. Knowing points will be put on the scoreboard allows Greg Williams to call very aggressive defensive game plans that will produce turnovers.

Even if Manning doesn’t make a bad throw, who is to say a rookie receiver in the Super Bowl won’t make a bad play? Eventually the Saints will generate enough pressure to force at least one bad pass, and even Manning will be praying that Darren Sharper isn’t on the back end of that throw patrolling the field.

The Colts have the better team and therefore will win.

They might have the better team, although I don’t see it.

QB: Tie. Even though many will disagree, their numbers are exactly the same.

RB: Saints. Three deep and the sixth rushing attack in the league.

WR: Saints. Four deep trumps one elite receiver.

TE: Colts. No need to explain this one.

OL: Tie, although I’m leaning more toward the Saints with Jahri Evans and two other Pro Bowlers—not including that All-Pro LT on IR

DL: Colts. Freeney, when healthy, is better than Smith. Although in this game, the Saints might be better off because of his injury.

LB: Saints. Vilma is a Pro Bowler, and Fujita isn’t that far off.

CB: Greer and Porter are nice starters, and overall depth favors the Saints.

Safety: Darren Sharper was almost DPOY.

P: Saints.

K: Colts.

All the media are picking the Colts to win. And the media is always right!

It’s not like two weeks ago, when the Cowboys and Packers were going to play the Chargers in the Super Bowl (according to those same sources). It’s not like New Orleans was picked to finish last in the NFC South and the Steelers were going to repeat, according to those fickle writers and experts at the beginning of the season.

It’s not like a 3-0 New York team is instantly the greatest team in the history of the world, while a 3-0 Vikings team could just be pretenders.

The media are always wrong, which makes Sunday's game that much sweeter.

Does anyone else have any more crow left? After this season, they could become an endangered species and PETA is just waiting for another animal incident at NFL hands.

So what am I trying to say: The Colts are going to get destroyed by the Saints?

No, I would never say that. The Colts are a great team, and most of that comes from having an all-time great at QB.

The Saints, however are 4-0 this year against Hall of Fame QB's. The Saints, in my opinion, honestly have the better team—and just like in most of their games this year, they will find a way to win this heavyweight matchup that will surely be a great game that is decided in the final minutes.

I think Manning has carried his team this far, and it's truly a testament to the caliber of player that he is, but the Saints honestly do have a deeper, better team. Outside of Brees going down with an injury, I don't see the Saints not winning the Super Bowl. That's not me being biased; that's me looking at a full body of work as opposed to the most recent memory of these two teams playing.

The Saints were matched up with the second-best team in their conference. The Colts beat the fifth and sixth seeds in the AFC.

It's a lot easier to look the part when you play teams not on your level. The Saints are the only elite team the Colts have faced all year.

The only disappointment in this year's Super Bowl will be the halftime show.