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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Manning’s mistake costly

Game’s lone turnover turns tide of Super Bowl

Ben Walker Associated Press

MIAMI – Peyton Manning spent the whole season building toward a Super Bowl crown, a win that certainly would put him among the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.

And then he threw it all away.

Blocked onto his butt, Manning could only watch as Tracy Porter returned an interception for a clinching, 74-yard touchdown in the final minutes Sunday that gave the New Orleans Saints a 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

“It’s certainly disappointing. Very disappointed. Disappointed,” Manning said.

It was a startling end to a Super Bowl that seemed destined to wind up in Manning’s strong right hand. It was the lone turnover of a back-and-forth thriller – who in the world would have thought the big mistake could be made by Manning?

Yet there he was, sitting on the grass after brawny Saints defensive end Will Smith knocked him down as he tried to make a tackle. Manning took a glance over his shoulder to watch Porter’s romp to the end zone, unbuckled his chin strap, stood up and simply walked toward the bench.

“We probably never got into a great rhythm. We were certainly worse in lapses in our final possession,” Manning said.

All week, this was the story line in Miami: Could Manning, a New Orleans boy through and through, deny the Saints in a game they desperately wanted to win for their city?

Turned out he helped his hometown team win its first Super Bowl – only not in the way he imagined.

Dad Archie Manning, the longtime star Saints quarterback, got caught smack in the middle.

“I was pulling for the Colts. I’m not quite over that, but I’m happy for New Orleans,” he said.

“I don’t know if I’m going to celebrate or not. Maybe later, when the city does, but I’m not in a celebrating mood. Glad to see everybody else in New Orleans celebrate. That’s enough for me now,” he said.

Added Archie: “I’m proud of him. … It just wasn’t meant to be.”

Until Porter cut in front of receiver Reggie Wayne on the left side, Peyton Manning seemed to be in charge. The four-time MVP did his dance at the line of scrimmage, putting his teammates in position, and zipped completions all over the field.

Manning wound up 31 for 45 for 333 yards and one touchdown. He finished one short of the Super Bowl record for completions set by Tom Brady and tied by Brees, though the one pass he threw to the Saints will be the one that fans remember, and it’ll be the pick that’s shown on highlight films for years.

“It’s kind of a play we’ve run a lot. Porter made a heck of play,” Manning said.

Said Porter: “It was great film study. The coaches did a great job of preparing us for that route.”