Saints, Colts Set-Up for Memorable Superbowl

ESPN NFL analyst and Hall of Fame Quarterback Steve Young said it best following the Saints' 38-17 Monday Night Football blowout over the New England Patriots: "This year it isn't defense that will win the championship, it's passing." Drew Brees threw for 371 yards on 18-23 passing and five touchdowns as he led his team to the first 11-0 start in Saints history. With their improvement to 11-0, the Saints joined the Indianapolis Colts as the only other undefeated team in the NFL. Peyton Manning led a come-from-behind victory over the Colts' AFC South rival Houston Texans, 35-27 on 27-35 passing for 244 yards and three touchdowns. Both Brees and Manning have thrown for over 3000 yards passing, and have a combined total of 51 passing touchdowns versus only 20 interceptions. One could argue that these two quarterbacks have been simply perfect and could lead their teams to respective 16-0 finishes. If this were to happen, then the Colts and Saints would each be two playoff wins away from meeting in Miami for Super Bowl XLIV with identical 18-0 records. Imagine that: two quarterbacks, who will have combined for at least 8,000 passing yards and over 70 touchdown passes in the regular season, with two offenses that will rank among the top offenses in league history, meeting for a chance to go 19-0 as Super Bowl Champions. Now, let's not get ahead of ourselves both teams still have five weeks to get to the perfect regular season. The Colts and Saints will take every team's best shot for 60 minutes and hope to survive at the end of it. If either team were to slip up, the focus would shift to how they are vulnerable and how a team like the Vikings or the Chargers could beat them in the playoffs because both teams have some defensive ability and explosive offensive talent. Even if both teams finished with a loss, or two, they are still arguably the best teams in the NFL. Another thing going for this possible Super Bowl matchup is that the Colts and Saints will not meet unless it is in Miami in February. It would be special either way, but for two teams to go in unblemished would make it more memorable. To have two teams at 18-0 would make for a historic night in Miami. It would erase the let-down from two years ago when the then-undefeated New England Patriots rode into Dolphins Stadium on their white stallions looking to beat the little Giants of New York and fell short in the game, and on the offensive side of the ball, in a 17-14 shocker that ranks as the greatest upset in Super Bowl history. My apologies to all Patriots fans-I'm a fan of the Big Blue, and it was a night I will never forget. If the Colts and Saints stay on track, they will face off in a meeting that can be matched by no previous Super Bowl and one that can be forgotten by no football fan.