Upset the Favored Colts

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees completed 32 of 39 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns to outshine the Colts’ Peyton Manning in a match-up of MVP quarterbacks. Brees later said, We just believed in ourselves”. “We knew we had an entire city and maybe an entire country behind us.”

Mardi Gras-style started early in Dolphin Stadium when Louisiana native Tracy Porter picked a Manning pass with just over three minutes left and raced 74 yards for a score to give the Saints a 31-17 lead.

“I’m proud of this team, these coaches and everybody back in New Orleans,” Saints coach Sean Payton told the crowd after the game.

The Colts’ last gasp ended with 44 seconds left when Manning’s pass slipped through the hands of Reggie Wayne in the end zone, giving the Saints their first NFL title in their 43-year history.

Manning, who was hoping to lead the Colts to their second Super Bowl championship in the last four seasons, finished with 31 completions in 45 attempts for 333 yards, one touchdown and one costly interception.

The Saints entered the fourth quarter trailing 17-16 but Brees hit Tight End Jeremy Shockey on a two-yard scoring pass to give the Saints a 22-16 lead with under six minutes to go.

Brees, named the game’s Most Valuable Player, found receiver Lance Moore on a two-point conversion attempt that was ruled incomplete. But New Orleans successfully challenged the call to take a 24-17 lead.

Porter, who had a key pickoff against Minnesota in the NFC championship game, sealed the victory with the interception of Manning’s pass, pointing towards the end zone during the last 20 yards. “It means so much,” Porter said. “Words can’t describe how much this means for New Orleans.”