A winter storm has blanketed a huge part of the country with snow and rain; however this storm pales in comparison to the storm brewing in Miami this weekend between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints. This week has been the longest week in a long time. Between having to wait on word about Dwight Freeney's status for Sunday, to hearing NFL analyst praise or trash the Colts, this last couple of days have really begun to feel like an eternity. Looking back at Super Bowl 41 I do not remember feeling the level of anxiety that I feel over this one. The Bears were the easiest matchup we could have hoped for, a defensive team with a weak offense. This year will be the complete opposite as the New Orleans Saints have the best offense and a mediocre defense. However, we will still have to be careful about the Saints defense especially Darren Sharper. Other than that however, the Colts will have to get at Drew Brees and force him to make mistakes. After watching the Saints play a couple of times, it became obvious that once the pressure gets to Brees he is very likely to fumble the ball. That was the one huge flaw I noticed about Brees. If Freeney is able to play, it will make it a lot more difficult for Brees to work. As for the Colt's CBs they will need to be on top of it and not allow those huge 20-30 yard passes that Brees is a master at throwing. For the Colts offense, I do not believe that it will be a huge problem for the Colts to move the ball. Payton will need to score TDs and lots of them. We cannot afford to fall behind like we did against the Patriots or the Jets, because once we fall behind by 17 against the Saints, it will be next to impossible to make a comeback. We need to get on the board and continue scoring. I hope that this matchup lives up to expectation as one of the greatest QB matchups in Super Bowl history and I hope that the Colts win this one in a shootout.
Key things to look for will be how Wayne does in this game. He's been getting covered very well in the last few games, it will be interesting if he is able to break out this game and get the yardage he had been getting in the first half of the season. Also how well will Garcon and Collie play in this stage? I do believe that the AFC championship game demonstrated both of their talents very well and playing against the top defenses in the game. I do not see the Saints being able to cover all the WRs and Clark and Addai. Finally the Freeney question and whether he plays, and if he does, how well will he play.
My prediction Colts 37 Saints 21
Super Bowl MVP- Payton Manning
Pressure on Brees will be very important, and obviously Freeney's health will impact that. I would be very impressed with our defense if we do in fact hold them to 21 points. If that happens, our defense will finally get the nationwwide recognition it deserves.
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