Colts vs Saints at Super Bowl XLIV: A QB Battle for the Ages

It’s rare that the Super Bowl features unquestionably the two best teams in NFL football, however that is exactly what online betting fans can expect in this upcoming Super Bowl XLIV.

The last time two number one ranked teams faced each other on Superbowl Sunday was when the Dallas Cowboys faced the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII where the Troy Aikman-led Cowboys beat up on the Jim Kelly-led Buffalo Bills 52-17 in a memorable game that cemented the legacy of the “new look” Cowboys, while also cementing the legacy of the Bills as perennial runner-ups. To be sure, any game featuring such legendary quarterbacks was prone to be memorable – such is the case with this upcoming Super Bowl XLIV. With an appealing point spread favoring the Colts but only by a single score at Bodog, online sports bettors are foaming at the mouth in anticipation of what will surely be a classic QB matchup.

The New Orleans Saints feature the most explosive offense the NFL has seen since Kurt Warner’s St. Louis Rams gave us the “Greatest Show on Turf”. Behind a solid O-line, the diminutive Brees has ample time to find a cadre of receivers such as Marques Colston, Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem, who all have one thing in common – they can run fast and they can catch the deep pass. Add in high profile Tight End Jeremy Shockey, a tandem of running backs in Pierre Thomas and potential game-changer Reggie Bush and you have a lot of weapons at the disposal of one of the smartest QBs in the game today. Brees’ has proven he can move the ball downfield and with a suspect Colts secondary featuring two rookie starters in Jacob Lacey and Jerraud Powers, he could have a huge game – indeed the lineup of Brees-related bets at online sportsbooks such as Sportsbook.com are very appealing . Still, with a reputation of being such high scorers comes a caveat – New Orleans has gone UNDER the total points bet in 4 of its past 6 games and with a large Total Point spread of 56.5 at BetUS, there is a good chance that will happen again.

Unlike the balanced New Orleans attack, to say the Indianapolis Colts rely on superstar quarterback Peyton Manning would be quite the understatement. The four-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP is playing arguably the best any quarterback has ever played in the history of the National Football League (little wonder Sportsbook.com have him as the favorite to win Super Bowl MVP) . Featuring two new wide receivers in Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie to back up perennial Pro Bowlers Reggie Wayne and Tight End Dallas Clark, Manning has put in a masterful season: completing over 65% of his passes on the year and turning the two minute drill at the end of the first half into a guaranteed 6 points time after time (The Colts are paying -135 currently to be the last team to score in the first half). If there is one knock on the Colts offense it is their lack of a running game (they ranked dead last in rushing offense), however against the New York Jets in the AFC Championship game Manning audibled to the run at the line of scrimmage several times, throwing off the Jets defense and giving them some balance when the Jets’ linebackers would back off expecting the pass.

While Manning may not feature as powerful an arm or heavy reliance on the long ball as Brees, Peyton gets the nod in the QB matchup in Super Bowl XLI V due to his unparalleled decision making and ability to make the defense react to him, not the other way around. For online football bettors, the nod as well has to go to the Colts. Not because of any loyalty or reputation, simply due to the fact that in the Colts last 9 games they have been 7-2 Against the Spread, while New Orleans has been 1-6 Against the Spread in their past 7 games. While the Quarterbacks might be the two best in the game and comparable on so many levels, beating the spread is what really separates choices for savvy online football bettors.