Puntinplay followers are in for another treat as our good friends at www.goldsheet.com have kindly let us use there excellent Super Bowl analysis. Which includes series history between the Saints and the Colts and a prediction from TGS.
SERIES HISTORY
The all-time series between the Saints and Colts is knotted, 5-5, with Indianapolis evening the series by virtue of a 41-10 home victory in the 2007 regular opener. Indy has won its last two games against New Orleans by a composite score of 96-31, and Manning is 38-of-55 for 602 yards, nine touchdowns and no interceptions in those contests.
The Saints' most recent win over the Colts was a 34-20 affair at the Superdome in 2001, and their only other matchup against Manning was a 19-13 victory in 1998, in what was the quarterback's fourth career NFL start.
Brees is 1-2 head-to-head against Manning, including 1-1 while with the Chargers (loss in 2004, win in 2005) in addition to the 2007 defeat while with New Orleans.
Payton is 0-1 against the Colts, while Indianapolis' Caldwell will be meeting both Payton and the Colts for the first time as a head man.
The Colts are 9-10 at Sun Life Stadium all-time, including a 27-23 win over the Dolphins there in Week 2 of this season, and their 29-17 triumph over the Bears in Super Bowl XLI. The Saints are 1-1 in meaningful games played at the facility, scoring their first win ever in South Florida with a 46-34 win over Miami there in Week 7 of this season.
OVERALL ANALYSIS
Apart from the two quarterbacks, much of what the Colts and Saints are about defies a simple evaluation of personnel. Are these the two most talented teams in the league? Probably not. But strong systems, good coaching, and a winning culture have equaled a combined record of 31-5 this season - these teams know how to win. But knowing that, this game will be won based on the subtlety of a few matchup advantages. The New Orleans defense has had success this season by forcing turnovers, and Manning is as careful a quarterback as you'll find in the NFL. The Colts are going to score some points here, and will show an ability to keep the ball out of Brees' hands, thus reducing his margin for error dramatically. When the Saints do control it, don't count on them matching the Colts score-for-score, or from staying mistake-free when it matters.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Colts 31, Saints 17
