SPORTS NEWS
February 8, 2010
Saints Sweep the Super Bowl
The New Orleans Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts to win their first NFL title
The underdog New Orleans Saints won their first Super Bowl in the team's history, beating the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 in Sunday night's game in Miami, Florida. The heavily favored Colts took a 10-0 lead early in the match-up. It looked like the game could be a blowout. But midway through the game, the Saints kicked a field goal and put their first points on the scoreboard.
 |  ERIC GAY—AP New Orleans Saints fans celebrate their team victory after the Super Bowl XLIV in Miami. |
"At halftime I told them, 'We're going to open up the second half with this. Let's go make a play,'" said Saints coach Sean Payton. And that is exactly what they did. Coach Payton decided to try and get the ball back from the Colts with a play by kicker Thomas Morstead. "I was terrified and excited at the same time, because I knew we could do it if I executed it," Morstead said. The kick resulted in a big pile of players trying to get the ball, but it ended up going to the Saint's Chris Reis. Six plays later, Drew Brees's 16-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Thomas gave the Saints a 13-10 lead.
Peyton Manning and the Colts answered with a 76-yard touchdown drive, so the Saints had to rally again. With a touchdown pass by Brees to Jeremy Shockey, the Saints score shot up again and they were in the lead, 24-17. The Colts last chance at the title was for Manning to make an open-field tackle, but Saints' Tracy Porter intercepted the play. With barely three minutes left to fight back, Manning and the Colts couldn't put any more points on the board, and the New Orleans Saints won their first Super Bowl.
The City Celebrates EZRA SHAW—GETTY IMAGES Jeremy Shockey #88 of New Orleans celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the colts in Super Bowl XLIV. | |
New Orleans fans went wild in celebration of their team's first title. Four years ago, Hurricane Katrina flooded the city, leaving much of New Orleans in ruins and forcing many residents to leave. Today, New Orleans is still working hard to rebuild. The Super Bowl win is sure to lift people's spirits.
Few expected the Saints to be the night's big winners. But the team had other plans. "We just believed in ourselves, and we knew that we had an entire city and maybe an entire country behind us," Brees said after the game. "This championship is for you, New Orleans."
