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Saints meet Colts in first Super Bowl
Source: Agencies |
January 26, 2010, Tuesday
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THE New Orleans Saints are heading to their first Super Bowl after battering Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings 31-28 in overtime on Sunday on unheralded Garrett Hartley's 40-yard field goal.
The Saints (15-3) will meet Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts (16-2) in the Super Bowl in two weeks in Miami.
Manning threw three touchdown passes as the Colts booked their spot at the Super Bowl by rallying from an 11-point, first-half deficit to beat the New York Jets 30-17.
It's the first time the top seeds in each conference made the big game since the 1993 season.
The Saints, a team that had no home five years ago after Hurricane Katrina ravaged its city and the Superdome, overcame a slew of mistakes in the biggest game New Orleans has ever seen.
But the biggest error was made by Favre. The veteran quarterback threw away Minnesota's chance for its first Super Bowl trip in 33 years with an interception deep in Saints territory in the final seconds of regulation.
"This is for everybody in this city," said coach Sean Payton, the architect of the Saints' turnaround. "This stadium used to have holes in it and used to be wet. It's not wet anymore. This is for the city of New Orleans."
New Orleans won the coin toss, quarterback Drew Brees guided it to the Minnesota 22 and Hartley, suspended at the start of the season for using a banned stimulant, split the uprights 4:45 into OT.
"Just helping my team get to Miami," Hartley said. "Just doing my part."
The Vikings, who have not reached a Super Bowl since their defeat at the end of the 1976 season, have now lost their last five National Football Conference championship games.
The Colts are headed back to Miami for the second time in four years and their fourth Super Bowl in franchise history.
Sunday's American Football Conference championship win offered a measure of redemption.
A month ago when the Jets were last in town, Indianapolis coach Jim Caldwell pulled his starters in the third quarter and gave up a chance at a perfect season to focus on a Super Bowl run. This time, they got it right. Manning was on the field for the final play.
As fans counted down the final seconds of the game, streamers and confetti hung in the air, flash bulbs popped incessantly and when the official announcement was made, fans roared.
"The guys have always been a very confident bunch and they do a great job of hanging in there," Caldwell said.
Four-time most valuable player Manning finished 26 of 39 for 377 yards to become the first player in league history with seven 300-yard postseason games to eclipse Kurt Warner and Joe Montana.
The Jets' magical run ended with their first road loss in six games. New York (11-8) built a 17-6 lead and took advantage of trick plays. But rookie Mark Sanchez and the Jets were shut out in the second half.
The Saints (15-3) will meet Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts (16-2) in the Super Bowl in two weeks in Miami.
Manning threw three touchdown passes as the Colts booked their spot at the Super Bowl by rallying from an 11-point, first-half deficit to beat the New York Jets 30-17.
It's the first time the top seeds in each conference made the big game since the 1993 season.
The Saints, a team that had no home five years ago after Hurricane Katrina ravaged its city and the Superdome, overcame a slew of mistakes in the biggest game New Orleans has ever seen.
But the biggest error was made by Favre. The veteran quarterback threw away Minnesota's chance for its first Super Bowl trip in 33 years with an interception deep in Saints territory in the final seconds of regulation.
"This is for everybody in this city," said coach Sean Payton, the architect of the Saints' turnaround. "This stadium used to have holes in it and used to be wet. It's not wet anymore. This is for the city of New Orleans."
New Orleans won the coin toss, quarterback Drew Brees guided it to the Minnesota 22 and Hartley, suspended at the start of the season for using a banned stimulant, split the uprights 4:45 into OT.
"Just helping my team get to Miami," Hartley said. "Just doing my part."
The Vikings, who have not reached a Super Bowl since their defeat at the end of the 1976 season, have now lost their last five National Football Conference championship games.
The Colts are headed back to Miami for the second time in four years and their fourth Super Bowl in franchise history.
Sunday's American Football Conference championship win offered a measure of redemption.
A month ago when the Jets were last in town, Indianapolis coach Jim Caldwell pulled his starters in the third quarter and gave up a chance at a perfect season to focus on a Super Bowl run. This time, they got it right. Manning was on the field for the final play.
As fans counted down the final seconds of the game, streamers and confetti hung in the air, flash bulbs popped incessantly and when the official announcement was made, fans roared.
"The guys have always been a very confident bunch and they do a great job of hanging in there," Caldwell said.
Four-time most valuable player Manning finished 26 of 39 for 377 yards to become the first player in league history with seven 300-yard postseason games to eclipse Kurt Warner and Joe Montana.
The Jets' magical run ended with their first road loss in six games. New York (11-8) built a 17-6 lead and took advantage of trick plays. But rookie Mark Sanchez and the Jets were shut out in the second half.
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