Super Bowl XLIV Recap

Written by Marc Jenkins | 08 February 2010

Super Bowl XLIV began as a tale of two quarters during the first half which suddenly changed momentum during an onside kick to begin the second half and then was sealed with a late fourth quarter pick six. The Final result would be a favorable for the New Orleans Saints as they defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31-17.

For the 13th consecutive year the NFC won the opening coin toss as the Saints successfully called heads and elected to receive the ball first. Following that the Saints would go three and out on their first possession and Indianapolis would capitalize early. On the Colts first drive they would put three points on the board via a 38-yard Matt Stover field goal. On the next Saints drive the Colts would force a second punt and then more points on their ensuing drive courtesy of a 19-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Manning to Pierre Garcon which pushed the score to 10-0 Indianapolis. At the end of the first quarter the Colts maintained a 10-point lead as well as a 154-yard to 36-yard advantage over the Saints.

During the second quarter New Orleans begin to get their offense and defense rolling along much better as they held the Colts to just a total of 15 yards and zero points while racking up 143 yards and six points themselves. Drew Brees drove the Saints offense down field on a few drives and they were capped off by two field goals by their second year kicker Garrett Hartley (46-yard and 44-yard field goals). By the end of the first half the Colts held a slim 10-6 advantage over the Saints but it wouldn’t be for long.

The first play of the second half set the tone for the entire game as New Orleans kicker Thomas Morstead attempted the first onside kick not in the fourth quarter in Super Bowl history. The perfectly placed kick bounced out of the grasp of Colts special teamer Hank Baskett and was then recovered by the Saints’ Chris Reis which led to the game shifting. The Saints took possession of both the ball and the game as they drove down field and scored their first touchdown of the game on a 16-yard reception from Brees to Pierre Thomas. The score gave them a 13-10 lead and new found confidence that they could be victorious in the end.

Indy struck back quick as Joseph Addai capped off a 10-play, 76-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run which gave the Colts the lead again 17-13. Those would be the last points that Indianapolis would score as the Saints offense and defense kicked into full throttle following the score. Garrett Hartley would set a Super Bowl record on the next drive as he successfully attempted a 47-yard field goal which closed the deficit to 17-16 as he became the first kicker in Super Bowl history to make three field goals which were 40 yards or more.

The Colts missed out on a golden opportunity once they failed to convert on a third and eleven situation and forced to attempt a 51-yard field goal, however Stover would miss wide left and their lead remained at just one point, 17-16. The Saints immediately capitalized as Brees hooked up with Jeremy Shockey for a two-yard touchdown pass which was followed by a Lance Moore reception on the two point conversion attempt which was ruled successful by the referees and gave New Orleans a 24-17 lead.

On the Colts next drive Manning had more than enough to orchestrate yet another fourth quarter comeback and things appeared well at first as they drove well into New Orleans territory. On third and five from the Saints 31-yard line Manning and Reggie Wayne had a miscommunication and Saints cornerback Tracy Porter jumped the route and picked off the pass which could have led to another first down and returned it 74 yards for the game sealing touchdown. The Saints would take the lead 31-17 and were on their way to experiencing the franchise’s first Super Bowl title in its 43-year existence.

Drew Brees was named the game’s MVP as he tied a Super Bowl record with 32 completions (Tom Brady, Super Bowl XXXVIII) and had 288 passing yards and two touchdowns passes to go along with the completions. Manning had a good game (31-45, 333 passing yard and touchdown) and was on his way to sealing his legacy until the interception that could have been avoided.

In the end it was a great Super Bowl highlighted by unexpected surprises and gutsy play calling and decision making by the Saints Head Coach Sean Payton. The game brings this NFL season to conclusion with the members of the New Orleans Saints and their fans chanting, Who Dat, Who Dat, Who Dat say they gonna beat them Saints.

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