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MIAMI -- Burn those bags. Put the S back in front of those Ain'ts. These Saints, finally, are Superb.

New Orleans cornerback Tracy Porter gathered in Peyton Manning's pass and sprinted 74 yards toward the goal line with 3:12 left in Super Bowl XLIV to give the Saints an insurmountable lead on their way to a 31-17 victory on Sunday.

After falling behind 10-0 in the first quarter, the Saints soared back on the arm of quarterback Drew Brees. At one point completing 10 straight passes, he finished 32 of 39 for 288 yards and two touchdowns to tie the Super Bowl record for completions on his way to wining MVP honors.

For a city savaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Saints have been a symbol of New Orleans' perseverance. Some 700 miles away from Sun Life Stadium, the French Quarter rocked with something approaching Mardi Gras intensity.

The Saints persevered early as the Colts, nursing a 3-0 lead, put together a muscular drive in the first quarter with Manning turning to running backs Donald Brown and Joseph Addai.

Brown caught a short flip from Manning and turned it into an 11-yard gain. Addai roared through a huge hole and went 16 yards, and after an incomplete pass, another 11. On third-down at the Saints' 49, Addai broke a tackle by linebacker Jonathan Vilma and got past safety Darren Sharper.

Twenty-six yards and three plays later, Manning hoisted one to Pierre Garcon for a seemingly simple 19-yard touchdown.

Passing Them By

Colts QB Peyton Manning went 31-for-45 with 333 yards a TD and interception, falling to 1-1 in Super Bowls and 9-9 overall in the postseason. Manning did become the third QB in postseason history to surpass 5,000 postseason passing yards.
Most Postseason
Passing Yards Brett Favre 5,855
Joe Montana 5,772
Peyton Manning 5,164
John Elway 4,964

Cornerback Jabari Greer, hurt on a previous play, was on the sideline. Garcon turned backup safety Usama Young completely around and floated into the end zone with a comfortable margin.

The Colts, who tied the longest scoring drive in Super Bowl history, led 10-0 with 36 seconds left in the first quarter. This might not have seemed daunting, but the greatest deficit ever erased in a previous Super Bowl was 10 points in Super Bowl XXII when the Redskins fell behind and scored 42 unanswered points on the Broncos.

The Saints came back with a spirited drive and a 46-yard field goal by Garrett Hartley. It might have been more, but Dwight Freeney reached out and touched Brees on third down, forcing the Saints to kick. Freeney's right ankle, the subject of rampant pregame speculation after a week of zero practice, was not enough to render him ineffective. He bullied left tackle Jermon Bushrod, pushing him backward, then snagged a handful of Brees' jersey for a sack.

Garcon presented the Saints with a gift -- a dropped ball that might have turned into a huge play. New Orleans made the Colts pay, taking the ball down the field to the Colts 3, where they had first-and-goal. On third-down at the 1, running back Mike Bell slipped on the grass, taking a decent-sized divot for no gain. The Colts, wishing to save time for Manning, called a timeout with 1:55 left in the half.

Saints head coach Sean Payton made the predictable call to go for it. Pierre Thomas got the handoff to the right, but the Colts were stronger. At the snap, middle linebacker Gary Brackett knifed behind the Saints' offensive line and changed Thomas' direction. Thomas was then blasted by Tim Jennings and, definitively, by linebacker Clint Session.

After stopping the Colts with a three-and-out, the Saints stabilized the game when Hartley drilled a 44-yard field goal to make it 10-6 as time ran out.

The Saints dominated the second quarter, outgaining the Colts 143 yards to 15 and running 35 plays in the half, eight more than Indianapolis, but still they trailed.

Porter's interception was the finishing blow, but Payton's call for an onside kick to open the second half might have been the play that changed the game.

The ball, kicked expertly by Harley, bounced off the hands of the Colts' Hank Baskett and was recovered by the Saints' Chris Reis.

Starting on its own 42, New Orleans scored its first touchdown of the game when Brees lobbed a short ball to Thomas on the right side and he broke back to the left, diving into the end zone for a 16-yard score to give the Saints a 13-10 advantage.

The expected shootout started to develop into a surprising defensive standoff.

Manning answered the Saints' score, completing two critical passes to tight end Dallas Clark before finding Addai. Addai spun a full 360 degrees and ran for a 4-yard score to put the Colts back on top, 17-13 with 6:15 left in the third quarter.

The Saints closed the gap to one point on their next possession when Hartley hit a 47-yard field goal. Hartley also made a 40-yard field goal in overtime against the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game.

Indianapolis moved down the field, picking up a fourth-and-2 at the Saints 46 when Reggie Wayne caught a 14-yard slant. Just when it looked like the Colts would distance themselves, Vilma made two defensive plays -- a tackle for loss followed by some deft coverage of Colts wide receiver Austin Collie by the end zone.

Brees took over, finding tight end Jeremy Shockey with a two-yard touchdown pass on the right side to give the Saints their first lead with 5:42 left to play.

New Orleans, up 22-17, chose to go for the two-point conversion.

Lance Moore had the ball in his grasp over the goal line momentarily before it came loose. The play was called incomplete, but the Saints' challenge held up as replays showed the catch was good and the Saints took a seven point lead.

With the Colts driving on the next possession, the Saints' blitz hurried Manning, allowing Porter to make his game-changing play and put the team that once trailed by 10 up by 14.

And as confetti drifted down onto the field, the Saints celebrated themselves, and by extension their city.

New Orleans Saints vs. Indianapolis Colts - Recap - February 07, 2010 - ESPN