MIAMI — Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?
Not the Colts.
The Saints, erasing 43 years littered with far more futility and calamity than success, basked in the most glorious moment in franchise history last night with their 31-17 Super Bowl XLIV victory over the favored Colts at Sun Life Stadium.
Cue up the “When The Saints Go Marching In.” Mardi Gras just began two weeks early on Bourbon Street — and the party might not stop until next year. There isn’t enough Hurricane mix at Pat O’Brien’s to handle the crush.
Mark this day down as the greatest day in New Orleans’ sports history and there’s not even a distant second on the list.
“This shows the whole world we’re back,” Saints owner Tom Benson said, referring to both his football team and the city.
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For the Saints, the victory over the favored Colts was for both their oft-tortured franchise and the fans who have endured the paper bag ridicule and references to the “Aints.” But most importantly, it was for their city. Four and a half years ago, New Orleans was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina and remnants from the disaster linger in many areas around the city.
So it was beautifully fitting that the Saints, in victory, would show such astounding resiliency, falling behind, but never losing composure. After Indianapolis built a 10-0 lead, the Saints outscored the high-octane Colts 31-7 the rest of the way.
“Everybody back in New Orleans gets a piece of this trophy,” Saints head coach Sean Payton said while clutching the Lombardi Trophy as if it was a newborn child.
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Saints quarterback Drew Brees was named the game’s MVP after a virtuoso performance that eclipsed the Colts’ Peyton Manning.
“It was meant to be; it was destiny,” Brees said. “We believed in ourselves and knew we had an entire city and maybe a nation behind us. I tried to imagine what this moment would feel like and it’s even better than I expected.”
Brees, reverently dubbed “Breesus” by many in New Orleans, was supposed to be overshadowed by Manning, who was gunning for his second Super Bowl title in four years.
Not on this night.
Brees was reminiscent of former Giants quarterback Phil Simms, completing 32-of-39 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns.
He began a striking climax to the game when he marched the Saints down the field for the go-ahead touchdown with 5:42 remaining, taking a 24-17 lead on a 2-yard scoring pass to Jeremy Shockey.
Then, a two-point conversion pass from Brees to Lance Moore that was ruled incomplete was overturned after the Saints challenged that Moore had possession of the ball as he crossed the goal line.
That gave the Saints a seven-point lead and set the stage for a potential Colts’ comeback, an act that had been their calling card all year as they won an NFL-record seven games after overcoming fourth-quarter deficits.
The Colts took possession at their own 30 with 5:35 remaining — a lifetime for Manning. But the Saints put a perfect capper on their magical season, not only stopping Manning, but also putting the game away with a stunning exclamation point — a 74-yard interception return by cornerback Tracy Porter with 3:12 remaining in the game to give New Orleans a two-touchdown lead.
“He pretty much caught it and put us in panic mode,” said Reggie Wayne, Manning’s intended receiver on the play.
Saints’ cornerback Malcolm Jenkins said watching Porter’s No. 22 jersey speeding across the South Florida night left him with a triumphant feeling.
“That was it,” Jenkins said. “It felt like it was over.”
Porter, who jumped Wayne’s route, called the play a result of “great film study.”
So was the Saints’ assessment of the Colts’ kickoff coverage team. New Orleans saw something on film that showed the Colts retreating as soon as balls were kicked off. So, to open the second half, while trailing 10-6, Payton called for an onside kick — the first in Super Bowl history not to take place in the fourth quarter. The gamble worked.
“[Payton] told us we were going to do it as soon as we got into the locker room, so I sat in my locker for 20 minutes of halftime terrified . . . and excited,” Saints punter and kickoff specialist Thomas Morstead said.
It was a game-changing play — the kind Super Bowls are remembered for. Six plays after the onside kick, which was recovered by safety Chris Reis, the Saints took their first lead of the game, 13-10 on Pierre Thomas’ 16-yard touchdown catch.
“The onside kick was huge,” Colts safety Melvin Bullitt said. “They caught us off guard.”
Early in the game, the Saints seemed to be caught off guard by the Colts, who took a 10-0 lead on a Matt Stover field goal and a 19-yard Manning scoring pass to Pierre Garcon.
But the Saints, representing the resiliency of their city, never blinked — just like New Orleans didn’t blink after Katrina.
“A lot of those people had nothing to believe in but the Saints, and we delivered for them,” said defensive end Will Smith, who was a Saint when Katrina hit. “They’re crying tears of joy now.”