The Quadrangle

Issue date: 1/31/07 Section: Sports

Peyton Manning finally got past the AFC Championship game, leading a game-winning touchdown drive with 3:30 left on the clock and giving the New England Patriots their second playoff loss since the beginning of the Tom Brady and Bill Bellichek era.
The win etches their names in the Super Bowl history book, and a chance at winning the Vince Lombardi trophy..
There were a couple more barriers broken on the sidelines this postseason as Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith became the first two African-American to be head coaches in a Super Bowl.
But let's look at Super Bowl XLI and the match-ups that will be the defying factors in the outcome of the game.
First off, we got the Indianapolis Colts' explosive offense going against the Chicago Bears tenacious defense. Peyton Manning and his ability to move around in the pocket could cause some havoc for the Bears defense as they do not have the greatest secondary in the league.
If the Bears can create a lot of pressure in Manning's face, it will cause him to make some erratic throws, as he has done in the past. Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes have been a great tandem in the backfield, making Manning's job much easier. Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark have also been making defenses look silly in the secondary
Then you have the Chicago Bears offense against the Indianapolis Colts defense. This is going to be a surprise all the way up to game-time. All through the playoffs the Colts have stopped the run, which has resulted in three big wins and a Super Bowl berth.
The Bears strength in their two wins against the Seahawks and the Saints has been their running game. Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson have combined for 316 yards rushing in two games, giving Rex Grossman a less likely chance of making crucial mistakes.
If the Colts can keep up their dominant rush defense and make Rex Grossman beat them, it might be a long day for the Bears offense. The Colts secondary has also been very dominant, as they have held every quarterback under 250 yards passing and have five interceptions. Bob Sanders has led the secondary all year and is about to solidify a Super Bowl for the Colts.
With the Colts' addition of Adam Vinatieri, they will always be a kick away from winning that big game. However, with Rashied Davis and Devin Hester returning kicks, the Bears special teams will be very dangerous. Robbie Gould was the most efficient kicker in the NFL this year, and could go kick for kick with Vinatieri. Even though Adam Vinateri has won three Super Bowls, the edge goes to the Bears with more depth in their special teams.
The result in this game will come down to the match-up between the Indianapolis Colts defense and the Bears offense. If the Colts defense has one more great game like they have all postseason, they will come out on top because of the explosiveness of their offense.
In the end, the Bears offense will not have enough to keep up with the Colts hurry-up offense. Peyton Manning will solidify his spot in the Hall of Fame, and do something Dan Marino could not: win a Super Bowl.

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