When he joined Dan Marino on midfield for the pregame coin toss, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning hoped that by the end of the night, he would have accomplished something the former Miami Dolphin great never did: win a Super Bowl.
Mission accomplished.
Behind their quarterback's MVP performance, the Colts captured Super Bowl XLI over the Chicago Bears 29-17 last night, as Manning went 25-38 with 247 yards and one touchdown in a rain-soaked game in Miami.
The game had an ominous beginning for Indianapolis when Chicago defensive back Devin Hester scored a touchdown on the opening kickoff for the first time in Super Bowl history. Hester's 92-yard runback gave the Bears a 7-0 lead just 14 seconds into the game.
The Colts answered with a shaky first drive. After two false-start penalties on tackle Tarik Glenn and guard Jake Scott, respectively, Manning threw his seventh interception of the postseason on a deep third and 12 pass intended for wide receiver Marvin Harrison.
But the Colt defense followed with a crucial early stop, forcing the Bears and quarterback Rex Grossman to go three-and-out on their first drive of the game and giving the ball back to its Pro Bowl quarterback.
This time, Manning responded. The former University of Tennessee standout converted all three third downs in a nine-play, 80-yard drive, including a 53-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Reggie Wayne with Chicago nose tackle Tank Johnson wrapped around his waist. The longest pass-play of the game was marred by Indianapolis' botched extra-point attempt, however, as the snap sailed through holder Hunter Smith's fingers. With under seven minutes remaining in the first quarter, the Bears still clung to a 7-6 lead.
The effects of the steady rain that fell throughout the night were seen over the course of the next two plays. Chicago tight end Gabe Reid fumbled Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri's kickoff, giving the ball right back to Indianapolis deep in Chicago territory. But on the very next play, Colts rookie running back Joseph Addai fumbled the handoff from Manning, with Bears defensive end Mark Anderson recovering the ball for his team at his own 43.
Chicago took advantage of the shift in momentum. On the first play after the Addai fumble, Bears running back Thomas Jones took the handoff from Grossman 52 yards to the Indianapolis five-yard line, the longest running play of the season for Chicago. Facing a third and goal from the four, Grossman threaded a pass to wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad in front of Colts cornerback Nick Harper to give the Bears a 14-6 lead. With the reception, Muhammad became the third player in NFL history to catch a touchdown in the Super Bowl with two different teams.
Chicago held onto its eight-point advantage - its largest of the game - through the end of a first quarter marred by four total turnovers, the most ever for a first quarter in the Super Bowl.
Indianapolis started the second quarter in Bears territory, driving to the 11-yard line before Vinatieri knocked a 29-yard field goal through the uprights, his 12th of this postseason, to cut the Colts' deficit to five.
The Indianapolis defense stymied the Chicago offense again, inducing another critical three-and-out, forcing a worn Bears defense onto the field. Starting at the Chicago 42 after Bears punter Brad Maynard shanked a punt down the middle of the field, Manning picked up 39 yards on his first two throws of the drive, including a 17-yard completion to tight end Dallas Clark as he was being chased to the far sideline.
Two plays later, facing a critical third and two from the Chicago 11, Colts running back Dominic Rhodes gave a strong second effort after being hit behind the line of scrimmage to gain three yards on the play. On second and goal from the one, Rhodes took the handoff from Manning into the end zone, giving Indianapolis a 16-14 lead it would not relinquish.
Chicago had a chance to grab momentum late in the first half when cornerback Charles Tillman stripped Colts tight end Bryan Fletcher with his team driving inside the two-minute warning. On the very next play, however, Grossman fumbled the snap, giving possession right back to Indianapolis. With 1:26 left in the half and the ball on the Chicago 35, the Colts had a golden opportunity to expand their lead. But Vinatieri hooked a 36-yard field goal try wide left, keeping the Bears within two heading into the half.
In the third quarter, all the scoring came courtesy of field goals. Manning engineered a 13-play, 56-yard drive that ate the first 7:34 of the third quarter and culminated in a Vinatieri 24-yard field goal.
After another stellar defensive stand by the Colts that featured the game's first two sacks, Indianapolis, behind a 36-yard run by Rhodes and a facemask penalty on Chicago free safety Danieal Manning, drove to the Chicago ten before Vinatieri knocked in a 20-yarder with 3:16 left in the third.
Starting at the Indianapolis 40 after a 15-yard unnecessary-roughness penalty on Colts defensive end Robert Mathis, the Bears were finally able to respond, driving 14 yards in six plays before kicker Robbie Gould converted a 44-yard field goal that brought his team within five at 22-17.
The one-possession game got out of hand for Chicago with just under 12 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Right after completing a 22-yard reception to Muhammad, Grossman threw his first interception of the game, as Colts defensive back Kelvin Hayden returned the former University of Florida star's pass 56 yards for a back-breaking touchdown, giving Indianapolis a 29-17 lead.
A case of Good Rex/Bad Rex showed again on the Bears' next drive. Facing a crucial third and two on his own 28, Grossman completed an 11-yard pass to tight end Desmond Clark. He hung his very next throw, however, a pass intended for wide receiver Bernard Berrian, leading to another interception.
The victory by the Colts, their first since notoriously moving from Baltimore after the 1983 season, was also noteworthy for another reason, as Tony Dungy became the first African American head coach to win the Super Bowl.
