Who will win Super Bowl XLIV?
Saints
New Orleans has put on two impressive playoff victories and feels the support of their city behind them more than they ever have in their 43 years as a franchise.
The "Who Dat" faithful will have plenty to cheer about as they head to Miami this weekend to watch Drew Brees duel Peyton Manning in a battle of two teams that, at one point in the season, were both 13-0.
The Saints will prevail because of their versatility on offense. Brees is just as consistent and reliable as Manning. He has two running backs who can generate 30 combined carries on the ground.
The Colts offense had the worst running game in the league this year. That means they'll have to find other ways to eat up clock time in order to keep the Black-and-Gold's O off the field.
Defensively, the Colts are also a little banged up, with leading pass rusher Dwight Freeney nursing a sprained ankle. If Indy doesn't get enough pressure on Brees, game over. Winner winner, catfish dinner.
- Nick Pinkerton
Colts
I took it upon myself to identify this year's Super Bowl dark horse: Indianapolis kicker Matt Stover.
In the past nine years, three or fewer points have decided the Super Bowl on four separate occasions, not including the Steelers' four-point victory in last year's matchup.
This year, with two high- powered, pass-heavy offenses, it could very well mean that whoever has the ball last will being crowned Super Bowl champion.
Enter Matt Stover.
In his 20th NFL season, Stover is the veteran the Colts will need in order to cement their second championship in the last four years. He is a career 84 percent field goal kicker and has championship experience as a member of the 2000 Baltimore Ravens.
His counterpart, New Orleans Saints kicker Garrett Hartley, is in his second NFL season, hitting only 66 percent of his second half field goal attempts in 2010.
Look for Stover to be riding front and center at Indianapolis' championship parade next week.
- Kurt Wagner
Saints
I'll be honest, I hate Peyton Manning -- or either of the Manning brothers for that matter. As a direct result, I hate the Colts (don't get me wrong, I'm sure several of them are great people), so I'm completely satisfied going into this weekend's game with an anybody-but-the-Colts mentality.
But the fact of the matter is that I'm sincerely pulling for the Saints. All season long, I was cheering for a perfect season for the Saints, while hoping that anybody would find a way to beat the Cults. Well, thank god for the Jets.
I think New Orleans is going into this game underrated, especially considering it's the team's first-ever Super Bowl. I don't think anybody expected them to make it this far in the playoffs. Yet they proved most analysts wrong.
Everybody is talking about the Brees-Manning matchup. I think Brees is just as strong of a quarterback as Manning and far less of a pansy
Plus, the city of New Orleans deserves something to cheer about.
- Brittany Benjamin
Colts
There is one position in sports that matters more than anything else, and you can't do any better than number 18 for the Colts.
The "keep the ball out of Manning's hands" strategy was already executed to perfection this year by Miami. The Colts still won.
Indy is 16-0 this season when they try to win football games, and when Curtis Painter isn't prominently involved.
Everyone not from Indiana should root for the Saints, including myself, but it won't do anything for them once they take the field.
The Saints are already on their second kicker this season. The best that they can hope for is a close game, and they have an unproven guy who it could come down to.
Dallas showed a blueprint on how to beat the Saints; the Colts are the smartest franchise in the league and will definitely pick up on that.
Manning and co. will inevitably get up on the Saints' D, and I just don't see Brees going blow for blow with one of the greatest of all time.
- Jackson Morgus
Saints
In the first matchup of number one seeds since 1993, the New Orleans Saints, who are making their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, will defeat the Indianapolis Colts, Super Bowl winners in 2007, on Sunday.
The Colts will be confident going into the game knowing that they are led by Super Bowl XLI MVP and 2009 NFL MVP Peyton Manning.
However, the Saints secondary, led by veteran safety Darren Sharper, was able to keep Arizona and Minnesota's outstanding wide recieving corps in check during the playoffs.
As long as they contain veteran reciever Reggie Wayne, the Saints' D should take out the Colts' one-dimensional offense that relies on inexperienced wideouts Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon.
The Saints will be able to establish a balance on offense with an oustanding running back trio of Reggie Bush, Mike Bell, and Pierre Thomas, allowing Drew Brees and Marques Colston to put up big numbers in Miami to go one-for-one in the Super Bowl.
- Tom Schreier