The New Orleans Saints fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter and they trailed 10-6 at the half.  But Coach Payton made a lot of changes in the gameplan in the second half and it paid off big time.  It all started with a onside kick on the first play of the second half and the Saints had the momentum the rest of the way.  Drew Brees was outstanding yesterday completing 32 of 39 passes for 288 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs (114.5 QB Rating).  Pierre Thomas was pretty effective in this game as he carried the ball 9 times for 30 yards (3.3 ypc) and he also caught 6 passes for 55 yards (9.2 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Reggie Bush pitched in with 5 carries for 25 yards (5.0 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 38 yards (9.5  avg).  Marques Colston (7 rec, 83 yards), Devery Henderson (7 rec, 63 yards) and Jeremy Shockey (3 rec, 13 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Saints yesterday.  The Saints finished up with 332 total yards on offense (51 rushing, 281 passing) in this game.

The Saints gave up a lot of yards on defense but they made big plays when they had to keeping the Colts off the scoreboard.  Safety Roman Harper led the way for the Saints on D with 8 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  Linebacker Jonathan Vilma also had a solid game with 7 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 pass defensed.  CB Tracy Porter made the biggest impact for the Saints on D as he picked off a Peyton Manning pass late in the 4th quarter that he returned 74 yards for a TD to put the Saints up 14 points.  The Colts finished up with 432 total yards on defense (99 rushing, 333 passing) but it didn’t matter in the end as the SAINTS ARE SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS!

The Saints play the most important game in team history tomorrow night in Miami, Florida.  The Saints got here by playing solid football but the offense carries this team.  The Saints will likely run a balanced offense tomorrow with a lot of short passes and by running the ball to control the clock.  The running game will come down to how well the Saints’ O-Line does against the front seven of the Colts who are not known for run defense.  That is good news for both Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush.  Thomas will get a lot of yards between the tackles against the Colts’ D tomorrow for sure.  That will open things up on the outside for Reggie Bush who is averaging 7.7 yards per carry during the post season.  His speed will cause a huge problem on the edges of the Colts’ D as OLBs Clint Session and Philip Wheeler will have problems keeping up with him.  Drew Brees will likely have enough time to throw the ball tomorrow with Dwight Freeney either sitting out the game or being gimpy.  That will lead the Saints’ O-Line to double DE Robert Mathis on the other side of the line negating the Colts’ pass rush.  This is big trouble for the Colts’ D.  The Saints will probably throw short passes to Reggie Bush, Jeremy Shockey and David Thomas to set up deeper throws to Devery Henderson and Marques Colston.  Look for the Saints’ offense to have a field day in the Super Bowl.

When the Colts have the football it’s all about stopping Peyton Manning.  That is easier said than done as both the Ravens and Jets tried to double Reggie Wayne and the result was Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie both having huge games.  This is the kind of game where someone steps up on the big stage and makes a name for himself.  My pick is DE Will Smith who is a very underrated player.  I think he will get in Peyton Manning’s face a few times causing him to rush his throw resulting in a big positive play for the Saints’ D tomorrow.  Look for the Saints’ safeties (Darren Sharper and Roman Harper) to be all over Dallas Clark tomorrow. 

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 34, COLTS 30

23-year old cornerback Tracy Porter has been playing well all year long but he will have his hands full this Sunday against the WRs of the Colts.  He has played in both playoff games for the Saints and he has made 13 tackles, forced 1 fumble, defensed 2 passes and he has 1 interception.  The Saints will need their corners to make some big plays if they are going to pull the upset this weekend.  Porter played in 12 games during the regular season for the Saints and he made 57 tackles, defensed 12 passes, forced 2 fumbles and he intercepted 4 passes (1 returned for a TD).