Final Score: New Orleans 31, Indianapolis 17
Who Dat? Those are the Super Bowl champions - the New Orleans Saints - for the first time in the history of a franchise and city that has witnessed tough times. Drew Brees connected with Jeremy Shockey for the go-ahead two-yard touchdown pass with 5:42 left in the fourth quarter, lifting the Saints to a 31-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. Tracy Porter then sealed the fate of the Colts, picking off four-time MVP Peyton Manning and returning the ball 74 yards for a touchdown with 3:12 left, thwarting Indianapolis' chance for a second title in four years. A team that went through several years of seeing fans hold paper bags over their heads due to losing seasons, the Saints finally rewarded the Crescent City with a championship. It was more than a healing process, it was the feel-good story building over a period of several years since the devastation left behind by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The Saints rallied from a 10-0 deficit behind a sparkling performance from Brees, who tied a Super Bowl record with 32 completions, going 32-of-39 for 288 yards and a pair of scores. The Saints outscored the Colts, 15-0, in the last quarter. Manning finished 31-of-45 for 333 yards with a TD and the costly interception. Dallas Clark had seven receptions for 86 yards, while Joseph Addai accounted for a big portion of the Colts' offense. He had 13 rushes for 77 yards and a TD and caught seven passes for 58 yards, but Indianapolis couldn't gain a second title in four years after topping Chicago following the 2006 season, in this same stadium. Instead, Brees, the MVP of the game, became a hero to the city of New Orleans and its fans who suffered through an incredible amount of pain, losing 10-plus games from 1996-1999. He tied Tom Brady's mark for completions in a Super Bowl game.