The New Orleans Saints (15-3) and the Indianapolis Colts (16-2) will face off in Super Bowl XLIV on Feb. 7 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami.The Saints are hoping to get their franchise’s first Super Bowl win, while the Colts seek to bring home their second Lombardi trophy in three years.The Saints and the then-Baltimore Colts first met on the field 43 years ago. It was 1967, the Saints’ inaugural season. The Saints leapt off the starting blocks to a fast start in their very first game. Wide receiver John Gilliam took the opening kickoff and sprinted 94 yards to the end zone against the Los Angeles Rams. They would only stumble most of the way after that.By the time the two teams met, the Colts, led by quarterback Johnny Unitas, were in their 15th season and had won two NFL championships. The Saints were looking for their franchise’s third win.It wouldn’t come against the Colts, who won 30-10. The Saints waited 19 years and three more games for revenge, finally beating the Colts for the first time, 17-14,in 1986.Throughout their history, the Saints and Colts have only met 10 times. The series is tied 5-5, with the tiebreaker coming this weekend on the biggest stage of all.The Colts are led by quarterback Peyton Manning, the 2009 Most Valuable Player. Quarterback Drew Brees, who finished second in the voting, leads the Saints offense.Brees led the league in touchdowns (34), completion percentage (70.6) and quarterback rating (109.6) this season. Manning was second in touchdowns (33) and completion percentage (68.8). His quarterback rating (99.9) ranked sixth.On the defensive side, the Saints were second in the league in forced turnovers with 39. The Colts rank 18th, with 26 takeaways.Sun Life Stadium is a familiar venue to both teams. The Colts played the Miami Dolphins there on Sept. 21, winning 27-23. The Saints visited the Dolphins on Oct. 25, where they rallied from a 21-point deficit to win, 46-34. The stadium has played host to the 1989, 1995, 1999 and 2007 Super Bowls. Every Super Bowl hosted there has had a kickoff returned for a touchdown, something both teams achieved during the regular season.Chad Simpson of the Colts returned one 93 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Dec. 17, while Courtney Roby of the Saints scored on a 97-yard kickoff return against the Rams on Nov. 15.The two teams followed a similar path this season. The Saints won their first 13 games before dropping the final three games of the season. They were still able to retain the No. 1 seed in the NFC and secure home field advantage throughout the playoffs.The Colts won their first 14 games on their way to a No. 1 seed in the AFC, before making a controversial decision to rest their starters against the New York Jets. They would later beat the Jets in the AFC Championship game to secure their Super Bowl berth.Kickoff time is 5:25 p.m. on CBS. The Colts are favored by 2.5 points according to ESPN.
 
 
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