The Indianapolis Colts were never supposed to make it to the Super Bowl, after 35 years of eluding the big game.The odds were against them in every game in the playoffs.
No one expected them to make it past the first round against the Kansas City Chiefs.
No one expected them to beat the New England Patriots, the winners of three of the last five NFL championships.
However, they made it to Miami for Super Bowl XLI to face the Chicago Bears and are now preparing to play in the biggest game of their careers.
For once since entering the playoffs, they are the favorites.
The Colts’ main strength going into the Super Bowl is quarterback Peyton Manning, regarded by many as being the best in the league.
He leads all quarterbacks in the NFL with 31 touchdown passes in the 2006 season and is second in passing yards with 4,397 total yards in the regular season. Manning also achieved 787 passing yards in his three postseason games so far.
Manning has been labeled as not being able to handle the pressure of the playoffs, but that was before the AFC Championship game.
Manning and the Colts came back from a 21-6 half-time deficit and scored 32 points in the second half to come away with the win.
Manning’s chemistry with wide receiver Marvin Harrison also cannot be ignored. They are one of the best quarterback/receiver pairs in NFL history.
Harrison finished the regular season with 95 receptions and 12 touchdowns scored. He has had 10 in the playoffs.
Rookie running back Joseph Addai has also had an outstanding regular season and postseason.
In the regular season, he had 226 rushes for a total of 1,081 yards and made seven touchdowns. Addai has also been an asset to the Colts in the postseason with 57 rushes for a total of 217 yards in the three games.
Kicker Adam Vinatieri has also been a key to the Colts’ playoff success.
Vinatieri has made all 11 field goals attempted in the postseason for a total of 33 points scored.
He was responsible for all 15 points scored in the Colts’ win in the second round of the playoffs over the Baltimore Ravens.
Vinatieri also knows what it takes to come away with a Super Bowl win, having won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots.
Much has been made of the excellent Chicago Bears defense, but the Colts defense has also come alive during the playoffs.
They have only 100 fewer rushing yards in the playoffs than they did in the regular season.
In the regular season, they totaled 25 sacks and 751 total tackles.
In the playoffs so far, though, they have a total of seven sacks, close to a third of their regular-season total, and 143 tackles.
The Colts have earned their way to face the Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl, but in order to win, their offense has to continue to be as dominant as they have been in the playoffs, against a tough Bears defense.
The Colts defense has to continue their impressive postseason, and quarterback Peyton Manning and head coach Tony Dungy must provide strong leadership just as they have for the past few seasons.