Super Bowl Preview

The fate of the football universe rests on last game, one final NFL Sunday before the long and cold drought to come. The Super Bowl is a coronation, the climactic moment for two of the league's most storied franchises. Who will be the champion of the world? Will it be the Bears, written off all season as a lucky and overrated team with a terrible quarterback, who defy the odds and etch their name on the Lombardi Trophy? Or will this be the moment Colts QB Peyton Manning makes his ascension into NFL lore as one of the greatest ever and carries his city to a pinnacle they have never reached? Lets break it down:

COLTS OFFENSE VS. BEARS DEFENSE

Quarterback Peyton Manning directs an attack that has proven to be nearly unstoppable when clicking. Manning seems to have shaken his tendency to crumble in big games with a defining performance against the Patriots, but he had been shaky in the postseason until that point. The Bears defense proved dominant once again in their championship game against the Saints, holding the NFL's top-ranked offense to a meager 14 points. Most importantly, they were able to hold running backs Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister to only 19 and 18 yards respectively. Although committing so many defenders to the box allowed Drew Brees to have a strong game, the Bears held tough in the red zone and did what they do best, forced turnovers. Even though Manning and Colts have an even more fearsome passing game than the Saints and are near the top of the league in red zone efficiency, the Bears have to hold to a similar game plan as they did last week. Indianapolis is most effective when their ground game is going, and the tremendous tandem of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai has been very productive this postseason. The Bears have to stop the run, force the Colts into 3rd and long situations, and hope that their back 7 can force Manning into mistakes. The Bears lead the league in takeaways, and with pressure on the quarterback they will be able to generate some interceptions. Of course, if Manning elevates his level of play and has a game for the ages, it won't matter. The bet here is that won't happen this Sunday.
Slight Edge: Bears

BEARS OFFENSE VS. COLTS DEFENSE
The Colts defense has really elevated its play in these playoffs, especially towards stopping the run. They have held three very good rushing teams, the Chiefs, Ravens, and Patriots, to under 100 yards on the ground. The key to this game is whether the Bears can establish Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson, because if they can't take pressure off of Quarterback Rex Grossman he will give the game away with turnovers. If the Bears can get into manageable 3rd down situations where Grossman doesn't have to press, he is capable of controlling the game and being an efficient and effective passer. Against the Cardinals when Grossman turned the ball over 6 times, the Bears rushed for only 38 rushing yards and a paltry 2.4 yards per carry. If that happens again, Dwight Freeney will have three sacks and Grossman will have to be peeled off the turf. The Colts defense's biggest weakness all season has been stopping the run, but their recent success should continue against the Bears.
Edge: Colts

Special Teams/Coaching/Intangibles

The Bears special teams trio of Hester, Maynard, and Gould are arguably the best in the game and Chicago should win the field position battle. But as good as Gould has been, there is no kicker in the game I would trust in a big-game situation more than the Colts Adam Vinatieri, so that matchup is pretty much a wash. This is both Lovie Smith's and Tony Dungy's first time as head coaches in the Super Bowl (although Lovie Smith has been there before as an assistant with the Rams) so neither has an edge in experience. The biggest edge here is the intangibles. The Bears have been overlooked and under-appreciated all season, and go into this game with nothing to lose and everything to gain. The Colts have to contend with the lingering doubts over Peyton Manning's big-game ability that date back to his days at Tennessee; with all the pressure and expectations on him, will he be able to respond? I think the Bears will be the looser team and it will show on Sunday.

Prediction: Bears over Colts 28-27