SAINTS SQUEEZE AWAY FROM THE VIKINGS ENDING THEIR 43-YEAR SUPER BOWL DRAUGHT

Written by: William Q on 31st January 2010

SAINTS SQUEEZE AWAY FROM THE VIKINGS ENDING THEIR 43-YEAR SUPER BOWL DRAUGHT | read this item

By William Queen for Football Reporters Online

For what was the first NFC Championship game to ever be held in New Orleans, the pre-game atmosphere was mind-blowing. It wasn’t but five years ago when this city was in ruins, but with help from the surrounding community, the city of New Orleans rallied behind the Saints and proved to be a huge factor in their recent success.

Facing off against one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game in Brett Favre, as well as one of the best backs in the league in Adrian Peterson, and a top-notch defense led by Jared Allen, it’s needless to say that the Saints had their hands full coming into this game. If they let their guard down for just one drive, the depth and talent of the Vikings would eat them alive.

Eventually, the game started and it wasn’t long before the athletes on both teams made their mark on the game. Adrian Peterson ran one in from 19 yards out, as Pierre Thomas didn’t wait much longer by dodging a few tackles and prancing his way into the end zone.

As the game advanced towards halftime, the biggest impact on the game made its grand debut. A simple handoff between Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson resulted in disaster, as it was fumbled and recovered by New Orleans inside their own 20, taking potential points off the board for the Vikings.

Turnovers were far from over, as this was just the beginning. Turning the ball over three consecutive drives through the 3rd and 4th quarter, the Vikings were practically handing the Saints a Super Bowl bid.

But what was probably the play that changed the game and ultimately both teams future was an interception thrown by Brett Favre with just seconds left to go in the game. Minnesota had the ball near mid-field with less than a minute left and had a chance to clinch the game with a field goal. However, the great gunslinger threw what may have been his last interception, sealing the score at 28-all and forcing the two teams into overtime.

Winning the toss, New Orleans made the obvious decision to receive and the NFL’s #1 scoring offense didn’t disappoint. The Saints drove the ball all the way down to Minnesota’s 22, setting up a 40-yard Garrett Hartley field goal. As it’s been anything but a cake walk for kickers so far this postseason, Hartley put the ball on a line right down the middle; New Orleans went haywire.

Ever since Drew Brees came to town, the Saints have had anything but a bad offense. Ranking in the top three in total offense four consecutive years, the last time the Saints weren’t an offensive threat, Kansas City was leading the league with 387 YPG. Yes, Kansas City; that was all the way back in 2005.

However a high-scoring offense only brought excitement to the Superdome, never a Super Bowl appearance. Though they did make a deep play-off run in 2006, their emotional venture came to a halt in the NFC Championship game, as they were dismantled by the Bears 39-14.

Hopes had never been very high for the “Aint’s”; they’re often considered to be one of the NFL’s worst franchises. However, this didn’t stop fans from criticizing their underachieving teams. As I just explained, the offense was far from the problem. The defense, on the other hand, needed some work.

New Orleans head coach Sean Peyton wasted no time this off-season; he went right out to the free agent market and signed free safety Darren Sharper. Sharper is an weathered veteran that had led the Minnesota Vikings to many good year’s defensively. Not only did Sharper bring the type of attitude that the Saints wanted on defense, but he also is extremely good at making a play with the ball in his hands. Those few times that he does get the ball, he has a great chance of bringing it back to the house.

The Saints drafted top corner prospect Malcolm Jenkins with their 1st round draft pick, adding much needed depth to the secondary, which was perhaps their weakest unit on defense. They also brought in corner Randal Gay from the Patriots to help out as well.

Stacking up on a bunch of players at one position has little room to go wrong. Luckily for New Orleans, an established offense with a proven leader at quarterback and a solid defense was the perfect combination.

Starting off the season with a very improbable 13-0 record, things couldn’t have been better in the Big Easy. The Saints withheld the most dynamic offense in the league and, unlike previous teams where they could only move the ball through the air, this time New Orleans had an established running attack. A very rare case in the NFL these days, the Saints have a running back trio containing Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, and Mike Bell; the running game proved to be a huge factor throughout the year.

Though they lost their last three games, Brees and the Saints overcame the daunting shadow of the media, saying that resting and pulling their starters would “mess up team chemistry”, by putting a beat down on Arizona and surviving a close one against Minnesota.

By this time, Super Bowl XLIV, 43, is more than official. The Saints will face off against a team who also started the season 13-0 in the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts had the potential to what most thought could be the NFL’s next undefeated team. However, reaching the Super Bowl was clearly more important to them, as they rested their starters in the final few games of the season, finishing with one loss rather than none.

Peyton Manning is clearly the biggest threat to the Saints in this game. Winning an NFL record 4 MVPs throughout his career, one of them being this season, Manning is often regarded to has the smartest quarterback to ever play the game. Crazy blitzes and complicated zone coverages rarely phase Manning as he drops back in the pocket. Thus the secondary will have to come up huge if they wanna have any chance at holding Manning under 30.

Darren Sharper’s going to have to play the game of his life and force at least one interception if he wants to slow down the Colts high-paced offense. Because if they can force Manning to stumble, just a little, then they can easily take control of the game; stopping the running game is a walk in the park. Ranking last in the NFL when it comes to moving the ball on the ground, Indianapolis relies solely on Peyton Manning to lead their offense through the game.

This is perhaps the first game all year in which Drew Brees isn’t considered the best quarterback on the field. However, Brees has something to back him up if things go south. It’s called a running back. The Saints have three running backs that have combined for an impressive 1,837 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 4.72 yards per carry this season.

Maintaining an even run/pass ratio will heavily impact the outcome of this game offensively for New Orleans. If they can take up a good chunk of time while they’re on offense, then they can prevent Manning and the rest of the Colts offense from working magic. Combine this with Darren Sharper’s big plays and you’ve got yourself a Super Bowl victory.

In my opinion, I think that the Saints will squeak it out 38-34 due to a Peyton Manning interception with just seconds remaining.

Who knows what this years Super Bowl holds in store for New Orleans. Whatever it is, I’m sure that Sean Peyton will have his Saints more than ready for the most important game of the NFL season.