Super Bowl XLIV: When The Saints Came Marching In

Forty-three years ago, the New Orleans Saints were brought into existence as a newly founded expansion team. Twenty years later, they managed to post their first winning season in team history. And it would take another twenty-three years for the Saints to reach their first Super Bowl, only five years after New Orleans was struck by the devastating Hurricane Katrina.

However, the city, despite its many hardships, despite the many years of failed playoff appearances, has managed to keep faith and believe in their city. To believe in their Saints.

Guess what New Orleans? No more paper bags. 

Forty-three years later, New Orleans would find themselves in Superbowl XLIV against the Indianapolis Colts. They would find themselves on the biggest stage, under the biggest lights. And they would find themselves hoisting the Lombardi Trophy at the end of a historic night. A turning point for a franchise...a city.

Guess what New Orleans? No more paper bags.

Super Bowl XLIV was to be played in Miami. A place where the Indianapolis Colts had been to before. A place where the Indianapolis Colts had won before. They were familiar with Miami. After all, Manning had won his first Super Bowl here in 2006. And he was anticipating a second one, one against his father's former team, one against a city humbled by disaster. Manning knew his opponent. And it wasn't merely the New Orleans Saints. It was a far greater opponent. He was up against a city. The city of New Orleans.

So, it was when the sun disappeared under the horizon that Super Bowl XLIV was to kickoff at Sun Life Stadium. In front of a record audience. On the biggest stage. Under the biggest lights.

At 6:25 eastern time, the Indianapolis Colts would kick the ball off to the New Orleans Saints to begin Super Bowl XLIV. The Saints would go three-and-out and have to punt the ball away to Manning-and-company. The Colts would end up going on an 11-play, 53-yard drive that elapsed 5:53 off the clock. The drive would ultimately end in a Matt Stover 38-yard field goal, making the game 3-0 in favor of Indianapolis with 7:34 remaining in the first quarter of Super Bowl XLIV.

The second New Orleans drive would again end with a punt.

The next possession for Manning-and-company would start off at their own 4-yard line. This time, unlike in the first drive, Joseph Addai would be a key factor in how they advanced the ball, amassing 27 rushing yards on two attempts for the Colts' offense. Manning and Brown would do the rest as the drive ended with a 19-yard strike from Manning to Garcon with :42 remaining in the first quarter. The score was now 10-0.

The third possession for the New Orleans Saints would finally have them advancing the ball, but on third-and-three at the Indianapolis 22-yard line, Drew Brees would find himself being hauled down by Dwight Freeney for a 7-yard loss. However, Hartley would nail the 46-yard field goal, giving New Orleans their first points of the game after an 11-play drive that exhausted 6:02 from the clock, 9:40 remaining in the first half. The score? 10-3.

The next drive for Indianapolis ended with a three-and-out, their first of the game.

New Orleans would start their next possession at their own 28-yard line. They would end up marching down the field only to be stopped on fourth-and-one at the Colt one-yard line. With three straight runs for the Colts after the turnover, Indianapolis would punt the ball away to the Saints with :46 remaining in the half.

They would capitalize on the excellent field position and march down the field to kick a field goal as time in the first half expired.

The score after the first half? 10-6.

At the start of the third quarter, New Orleans would be set to kick the ball off to the Indianapolis Colts. However, on the biggest stage, under the biggest lights, Sean Payton would do the unthinkable: he called for an onside kick...and it worked. New Orleans recovered the ball after it bounced off of a Colts' player and into the arms of a Saints' player.

And they took advantage. New Orleans marched down the field to set up a screen pass from Brees to Pierre Thomas for a 16-yard touchdown pass to take the lead at 13-10 with 11:50 remaining in the third quarter.

Indianapolis would get the ball back and answer the score with one of their own as Manning led his no-huddle offense to the Saints' four-yard line. The next play, Joseph Addai capped off the drive with a four-yard touchdown scamper, taking the lead with nearly six minutes remaining in the third quarter. The score was now 17-13 in favor of Indianapolis. And that would be it for Indy.

New Orleans would then go on an eight-play drive that elapsed 4:14 off of the clock. They would end the drive with a 47-yard field goal from Garrett Hartley to lessen the deficit, 17-16, with two minutes in the third.

On the next drive, Indianapolis would manage to get into field goal range early in the final quarter, but Matt Stover would ultimately miss the field goal wide-left, keeping their lead at 17-16.

Not for long...

Why? The answer is none other than...Drew Brees.

Starting at their own 41-yard line, Brees would take his offense down the field with a series of short passes that would take them to the Indianapolis two-yard line. On the next play, Brees would find Jeremy Shockey in the endzone for a two-yard strike, his second touchdown pass of the game. Seven points was not enough, however, Sean Payton electing to go for the two-point conversion that would put them up by seven. The two-point pass attempt would, at first, be ruled incomplete. However, after Sean Payton threw the challenge flag, the call was overturned and the score was now in favor of New Orleans, 24-17, with 5:46 remaining in Super Bowl XLIV.

With more than enough time to come back and tie the game, Manning would run his no-huddle offense to the New Orleans' 31-yard line. However, on the very next play from scrimmage, Manning would find Tracy Porter of the Saints for a touchdown going 76 yards the other way, giving the Saints a convincing lead, 31-17, with 3:24 remaining.

Three minutes and twenty-four seconds later, the New Orleans Saints were crowned.

Guess what New Orleans? You're Super Bowl Champions.