MIAMI—The New Orleans Saints stymied Peyton Manning , then intercepted him to seal the Super Bowl, rallying to beat the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 Sunday night.
There's a fine line between recklessness and brilliance. Saints coach Sean Payton walked it in Super Bowl XLIV.
Thirty minutes after his brazen decision to go for a goal-line fourth down at the end of the first half cost his team three points, Payton opened the second half with an onside kick. Indianapolis Colts special teams player Hank Baskett mishandled the ball twice and Chris Reis of the Saints came up with the ball in a wild scrum. It took officials a full minute to award New Orleans possession.
Six plays later, Drew Brees threw a short screeen to Pierre Thomas , who scampered into the end zone from 16 yards out. The touchdown gave the Saints a 13-10 lead, the team's first of the game.
It was one of the most gutsy calls in Super Bowl history. Indianapolis wasn't at all prepared for the kick and the Saints took advantage. Just plays after his brash play calling hurt the Saints, Payton's bold decision changed the tenor of the game.
Super Bowls are usually defined by conservative pay. It rarely pays for coaches to be risky in the game. Little good can come from it. Nobody criticizes the safe play, only the bold one that doesn't work. But when it works, it's the stuff from which Super Bowl legends are made.
Brees tied a Super Bowl record with 32 completions, the last a 2-yard slant to Jeremy Shockey for the winning points with 5:42 remaining. The Pro Bowl quarterback was chosen Super Bowl MVP.
Tracy Porter intercepted a pass from Manning—of all people—and sprinted 74 yards for a touchdown and a 31-17 lead with 3:12 left. Playing in the Super Bowl for the first time, the Saints went on a 31-7 run after falling behind 10-0 early.
Manning gave chase, but fell awkwardly as the cornerback raced by. The four-time NFL MVP forlornly walked to the sideline as the Big Easy celebrations began. Who would have thought the biggest mistake of the game would have come from Manning?
An NFL embarrassment for much of their 43 years, the Saints' football renaissance, led by Brees and coach Sean Payton, climaxed with Shockey's touchdown and Lance Moore's 2-point conversion catch. The conversion pass originally was ruled incomplete, but Payton challenged the call and won.
Porter's pick, just as dramatic as his interception of Brett Favre's pass to force overtime in the NFC title game, was the game's only turnover. It's one Manning will forever regret.
The Saints (16-3) won three postseason games this winter after winning only two in the previous 42 years. They beat Arizona, Minnesota and Indianapolis (16-3)—all division winners—for their first title, scoring 107 points and allowing only 59.
The championship came 4 1/2 years after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans, making the Saints nomads for the 2005 season. There even was some doubt they would return, but the NFL refused to abandon the Big Easy. The Superdome was rebuilt and the Saints won the NFC South in '06, their first season with Brees and Payton.
That was the season Manning won his only Super Bowl. He had the Colts in front for much of this one, but New Orleans' league-leading offense, which scored 510 points this season, outscored Indy 31-7 after falling behind 10-0.
