2010 NFL Championship – Superbowl Betting Odds

Super Bowl XLIV Preview

Well it’s been an exciting and interesting year of NFL football and after five months it has finally arrived, Super Bowl Sunday. It’s all come down this. Both the Colts and the Saints comes in as the No. 1 seed in their conference and it would appear that this season’s Super Bowl match up is sure to be one of the best in recent years.

CLICK HERE FOR THE BEST PREDICTIONS FOR YOUR SUPERBOWL GAMBLING PICKS??? —>

Here are my thoughts and prediction for the big game to help you make your wagers winners.

Sunday, February 7 – 6:25 pm – New Orleans Saints (15-3) @ Indianapolis Colts (16-2)
Superbowl Betting Odds: Indianapolis -5 (Total 56 ½ )

The Saints edged out the Vikings in dramatic fashion with a 31-28 overtime victory in this year’s NFC Championship game last Sunday, while the over in Indianapolis the Colts dismantled the Jets 30-17 on their way to another AFC title.

At first glance one might think that this year’s Super Bowl is poised to be a battle between two MVP caliber quarterbacks, but when you put all it all in perspective its more than that. Both teams will need to break out their entire arsenal if the want to be crowned as this season’s NFL Champions.

The Saints will make their first Super Bowl appearance in the franchises’ 43-year existence on Sunday, and all eyes will be on quarterback Drew Brees. He led the NFL with a 109.8 passer rating, threw for 4,388 yards and recorded a league-best 34 touchdown passes in the regular season. In his two postseason games he has completed 40 of 63 attempts for 444 yards, six TDs, and no interceptions. He threw for three TDs as New Orleans won the NFC championship game 31-28 in overtime against Minnesota.

New Orleans led the NFL with 31.9 points per game and accomplished that with plenty of options offensively; one is their running game. The Saints are averaging 119.5 rushing yards per game in the postseason and are led by running back Pierre Thomas who finished the regular season ranked sixth overall with 793 yards rushing. But let’s not forget about the Saints’ Reggie Bush, who has had a relatively disappointing this season in the backfield, but still has the potential to break out and make big plays as a receiver and a returner. Bush has just a single rushing TD, but also has one touchdown reception and one return TD this postseason.

League MVP quarterback Peyton Manning will lead the Colts as they try for their second title in four years. Manning led Indy to his first championship in 2007, beating the Chicago Bears 29-17. After finishing 2009 second in the NFL with 4,500 yards passing and 33 TDs, he dismantled the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets – two of league’s best defenses – by posting a 104.6 passer rating in the playoffs, and completing 56 of 83 attempts for 623 yards, five TDs, and one interception. Manning passed for 377 yards and three touchdowns against the league’s top-ranked defense in the AFC championship game, leading Indianapolis to a 30-17 win over New York.

The Colts were ranked seventh overall offensively in the regular season, averaging just 26.0 points per game. Most of Indy’s ability relied heavily on Manning, leaving some to question where the Colts would be without their star quarterback. They have struggled with there running game all year and finished the season ranked dead last, while averaging an anemic 71.5 yards per game in the postseason.

Even with the league’s worst running game, the Colts should have little problem moving the ball against the Saints. New Orleans ranked 20th in scoring defense, giving up 21.3 points per game, and has surrendered a total of 42 points in the playoffs. The Colts offensive line should have little problem giving Manning a little extra time as the Saints have only gotten to the oppositions quarterback just once in two postseason contests. Indy will need to utilize short dump passes in order to drive down the field to compensate for their lack of a solid rushing attack.

To help out their defense, New Orleans will need to focus on running the ball more in an attempt to control the clock and keep Manning off the field. If they can find a way to effectively run the ball it will take a lot of pressure off of Brees, which should allow some bigger things to open up for him downfield.

The Colts ranked 8th in scoring defense, allowing just 19.2 points per game during the regular season and have been nothing short of impressive during the playoffs. But they could be without All-Pro defensive end Dwight Freeny who is suffering from a torn ligament in his right ankle. Freeny led Indianapolis with 3.5 sacks and his absence could be a big blow. He is listed as day-to-day.

The Saints only key player that has been listred as questionable is special teams’ player and short-yardage running back Lynell Hamilton. Hamilton has a sore left ankle has practiced under the watchful eyes of the New Orleans training staff.

Both Brees and Manning possess the ability to spread the ball around to a number of different receivers, as well as being able to douse the pass rush with quick preciseness. Brees has more mobility than Manning and is more effective throwing on the run. He can be unstoppable when he uses short drops for quick-hitting plays over the middle. The Saints secondary will need to contain Manning’s favorite target Reggie Wayne, who finished the regular season with 1264 yards receiving and 10 TDs, while Indy’s concern will be focused on 6-4 target Marques Colston.

The Colts seem to be the better team on paper but Saints are on Cinderella run and seem to find ways to win games even when they appear to be totally out of it.

This game should be a high scoring affair with New Orleans edging out the Colts by a touchdown and the OVER.

We stand behind one of our top NFL Sportsbooks – Bodog.com – Sign Up For A Free Account Today, and know that they have ONE OF THE Best CREDIT CARD ACCEPTANCE rates in the industry.

Matt Martz is a sports writer for the Bakersfield Californian located in Central California. Blessed is the gambler who expects nothing, for ye shall not be disappointed.