Saints go marching on

The New Orleans Saints won the first Super Bowl in their 43-year history last night with a thrilling victory over the favoured Indianapolis Colts in Miami last night. A superb performance by quarter back Drew Brees left fans partying long into the night in the ‘Big Easy’.

This was the result that most Americans wanted less than five years after the city was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. At that time the Saints home stadium became a focal point for thousands made homeless and the bond between the team and the ‘who dat nation’ of Saints fans has continued.

The Colts kicked off, with an estimated 100 million watching live throughout the world, but The Saints were unable to take advantage of the early possession and Thomas Morstead was forced to punt.

The Colts opened the scoring after eight minutes with a 38 yard field goal from kicker Matt Stover, the oldest player ever to grace the Super Bowl, following a great drive by quarterback Peyton Manning. The Colts increased their lead with time running out in the first, when Manning threw a 19 yard bullet of a pass to Pierre Garcon in the end zone to complete a 96 yard drive, equalling the longest drive in Super Bowl history.

The Saints then pulled back three points, with a 46 yard field goal by Dylan Hartley after a Dwight Freeney sack, midway through the second, taking the score to 10-3 in favour of the Colts.

In a thrilling end to the first half, The Saints threw away a great opportunity to level the scores after gaining a first down on the one yard line, but following three attempts, Thomas was blocked before he could reach the end zone. They were able to regain possession however and settled for a second Hartley field goal from 44 yards.

Half Time: Indianapolis Colts 10 New Orleans Saints 6

Chaos reigned when play resumed, after The Saints went for an audacious onside kick and regained possession from the opening kick of the second half. Six minutes later, the New Orleans side took the lead with a Thomas touchdown, but the Colts fought back, with Addai going over, after the Indianapolic offense gained 76 yards in 10 drives. A Hartley field goal saw the third quarter end with Indianapolis leading by one point, at 17-16.

In the final period, The Colts lost possession after a 51 yard field goal miss by Stover. A Shockey touchdown from the resultant play along with a two point conversion gave the underdogs a seven point advantage. With three minutes remaining, and the crowd anticipating overtime, Tracy Porter intercepted a Manning pass and ran 74 yards into the end zone, to the delight of the Big Easy fans.

After the game, delighted head coach Sean Payton said: “We talked about it at half time and it’s a credit to everyone of these players. They carried out the plan. I’m proud of this team, the coaching staff and everyone back in New Orleans gets a piece of this trophy.”

Hero quarterback Drew Brees, who was voted MVP after completing 32 of 39 passing attempts, gaining 288 yards said:” We just believed in ourselves. We knew we had an entire city and maybe an entire country behind us. Mardi Gras may never end.”