Super Bowl hinges on Saints’ defense

For the most important football game of the season, there couldn’t be a better match-up.

Indianapolis boasts one of the best passing offenses in the league; New Orleans possesses an above-average secondary. The Saints have a potent running game; the Colts have one of the best rush defenses in the league.

New Orleans’ passing defense was top-notch for the first 13 weeks of the regular season, but has since taken a tumble. Even if the Saints’ secondary were at the top of their game, though, Colts’ quarterback Peyton Manning would be able to find a way to get things done through the air.

Manning seems to be a new breed of quarterback, adjusting play calls at the line of scrimmage and always seeming to know what the defense will do. I have heard Manning’s dominance likened to a chess game: an opposing defense may make a good move and catch Manning off guard, but the MVP-caliber quarterback will learn from that miscue and never allow that move to work against him again.

Simply put, the Saints don’t have the manpower required to stop every offensive weapon Manning has at his disposal. If Reggie Wayne is covered, Manning will target Dallas Clark, Pierre Garcon, or Austin Collie.

Indianapolis doesn’t have as strong a secondary as New Orleans, but they do have the potential to put an incredible amount of pressure on Drew Brees.

A lot of this hinges on how healthy Colts’ defensive end Dwight Freeney is tonight. There is little doubt that he will play, but he won’t be 100 percent.

The Saints’ offensive line - particularly Jermon Bushrod - did a great job of shutting down Minnesota’s Jared Allen two weeks ago, but Freeney could pose a tougher challenge — health permitting.

In the regular season, a team coming off a bye week possesses an inherent advantage because of the extra week of preparation. Thanks to the awkward placement of the Pro Bowl this year, both the Colts and Saints have had an extra week to prepare for each other.

Whether or not this shared advantage will cancel out remains to be seen, but it is known that both teams have very good coaches.

The Saints have the “underdog” and “feel-good story” advantages. Even though the Colts have multiple ties to the city of New Orleans (it’s Manning’s home town, Wayne grew up in the city, and Addai went to LSU), America has adopted the Saints: the city’s first Super Bowl appearance.

The biggest key in this game will be New Orleans’ passing defense. If Saints’ defensive coordinator Gregg Williams can slow down Manning, he will give Drew Brees’ offense a chance to match the Colts on the scoreboard.

Another aspect to consider, though, is Indianapolis’ running game.

The Colts managed to out-rush the New York Jets — a team whose offense revolves around their running game — two weeks ago, but Indy was near the bottom of every major rushing category throughout the regular season.

If Joseph Addai and the Colts’ offensive line get their running game going tonight, their offense will be firing on all cylinders.

With the best passing game in the league and a potentially dangerous running game, there will be little hope of stopping the Colts.

Prediction: Colts 35, Saints 28.

Andrew Kneeland is a junior at the Arizona Virtual Academy. He is an intern at the Green Valley News.