SUPER BOWL XLI RETROSPECTIVE
PEYTON'S PLACE
In his first eight seasons, Manning compiled a 3-6 playoff record. Two of the losses were to the Patriots and Tom Brady, the QB he would be measured against throughout his career.
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| Date | February 4, 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Stadium | Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Peyton Manning, Quarterback | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Colts by 7[1][2] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Tony Corrente[3] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 74,512[4][5] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Future Hall of Famers | |||||||||||||||||||
| Colts: Bill Polian (general manager), Tony Dungy (coach), Marvin Harrison. Bears: None | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ceremonies | |||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | Billy Joel, ASL performed by Marlee Matlin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coin toss | Dan Marino and Norma Hunt (widow of Lamar Hunt)[6] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | Prince and the Florida A&M University Marching 100 | ||||||||||||||||||
| TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | CBS | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, Steve Tasker, Solomon Wilcots, Sam Ryan and Lesley Visser | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 42.6 (national)[7] (est. 93.2 million viewers)[8] 50.2 (Chicago)[9] 55.5 (Indianapolis) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Market share | 64 (national) 77 (Chicago) 83 (Indianapolis) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of 30-second commercial | US$2.6 million[10] | ||||||||||||||||||
In the 2006 playoffs, however, things were different. Manning and the Colts earned tough wins against the Chiefs and Ravens, and finally slayed their Bill Belichick-ridden dragon with a 38-34 come-from-behind win in the AFC title game.
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| A very Miami Vice/Dolphinesqe Logo |
Dispatching Chicago was going to be a formality, right? Manning’s first ring was forecasted to be a lock against the seemingly overmatched Bears led by journeyman QB Rex Grossman and a solid
Problem is, no one gave the Chicago Bears or Mother Nature the first-half script depicting the tale of Manning’s coronation.
First, Manning and the pass-happy Colts were greeted by a driving rainstorm, the first Super Bowl played in nasty weather. The Colts were further shocked and left flat-footed on the opening kickoff when the Bears’ Devin Hester took it all the way back for a touchdown, the quickest score in the 40-year history of the game.
On the Colts’ first possession, things got worse with a Manning interception thrown to Bears safety Chris Harris.
By the time the first quarter was over, Manning had thrown a 53-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne, but the Colts botched the extra point in the brutal elements. One Grossman TD pass to Mushin Muhammad later and the Colts found themselves in a 14-6 hole.
That’s when things began to turn for Manning, as the cerebral QB turned to his running attack to beat the Bears at their own game.
As the rain continued to pound, he began handing the ball to Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes, who gashed the Monsters of the Midway. The pair combined for 191 rushing yards, catching the usually sturdy Bears defense off guard. Manning mixed in short completions, helping the Colts play keepaway as the held the ball for 38 minutes and racked up 430 total yards.
The Colts took a 16-14 lead they would never relinquish on a second-quarter Rhodes TD run.
The Bears never recovered from Manning’s decision to rely on his running game. Chicago began to crack, eventually collapsing under the weight of five turnovers.
The Colts went on to win the a game that also saw the Colts’ Tony Dungy and the Bears’ Lovie Smith become the first black head coaches to lead their teams to the Super Bowl.
And Manning got his ring, to go along the Super Bowl MVP after completing 25 of 38 passes for 247 yards with one TD and one interception.
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“It was mostly joy, with some relief,” Manning said in 2007. “The relief was I don’t have to answer the question anymore about winning a Super Bowl.”
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| Date | February 4, 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stadium | Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Peyton Manning, Quarterback | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Colts by 7[1][2] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Tony Corrente[3] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 74,512[4][5] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Future Hall of Famers | |||||||||||||||||||
| Colts: Bill Polian (general manager), Tony Dungy (coach), Marvin Harrison. Bears: None | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ceremonies | |||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | Billy Joel, ASL performed by Marlee Matlin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coin toss | Dan Marino and Norma Hunt (widow of Lamar Hunt)[6] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | Prince and the Florida A&M niversity Marching 100 | ||||||||||||||||||
| TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | CBS | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, Steve Tasker, Solomon Wilcots, Sam Ryan and Lesley Visser | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 42.6 (national)[7] (est. 93.2 million viewers)[8] 50.2 (Chicago)[9] 55.5 (Indianapolis) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Market share | 64 (national) 77 (Chicago) 83 (Indianapolis) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of 30-second commercial | US$2.6 million[10] | ||||||||||||||||||
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