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| Date | February 7, 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Stadium | Sun Life Stadium Miami Gardens, Florida | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Drew Brees,quarterback[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Colts by 5[2][3] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Scott Green | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 74,059[4] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ceremonies | |||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | Carrie Underwood[5] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coin toss | Emmitt Smith, representing the 2010Pro Football Hall of Fame class | ||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | The Who | ||||||||||||||||||
| TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | CBS | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Jim Nantz (play-by-play) Phil Simms (analyst) Steve Tasker andSolomon Wilcots (sideline reporters) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 45.0 (national)[6] 56.3 (New Orleans) 54.2 (Indianapolis) US viewership: 106.5 million est. avg., 153.4 million est. total[7] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Market share | 68 (national) 82 (New Orleans) 80 (Indianapolis) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of 30-second commercial | $2.5 – $2.8 million[8] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Radio in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | Westwood One | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Marv Albert,Boomer Esiason,James Lofton, andMark Malone | ||||||||||||||||||
Super Bowl XLIV was anAmerican football game between theNational Football Conference (NFC) championsNew Orleans Saints and theAmerican Football Conference (AFC) championsIndianapolis Colts to decide theNational Football League (NFL) champion for the2009 season. The underdog Saints defeated the Colts by a score of 31–17, earning the franchise its first Super Bowl win.[9][10] The game was played at Sun Life Stadium (nowHard Rock Stadium) inMiami Gardens, Florida, for the fifth time (and in South Florida for the tenth time), on February 7, 2010.
This was the Saints' first ever Super Bowl appearance and the fourth for the Colts franchise, and their first sinceSuper Bowl XLI in 2007. The Saints entered the game with a13–3 record for the 2009 regular season, compared to the Colts'14–2 record. In theplayoff games, both teams placed first in their conferences, marking the first time sinceSuper Bowl XXVIII (16 years previously) that both number-one seeds have reached the Super Bowl. The Colts entered the Super Bowl off victories over theBaltimore Ravens andNew York Jets, while the Saints advanced after defeating the previous year's runners up, theArizona Cardinals, and then overcoming theMinnesota Vikings in the Conference Championship. It was also the first time both teams started with a 13-game winning streak. This game would also mark the lastSuper Bowl appearance for both the Colts and Saints as of the upcoming2025 NFL Season.
The Saints were behind 10–6 at halftime of Super Bowl XLIV. During a play many consider the turning point of the game,Thomas Morstead kicked off the second half with a surpriseonside kick. The Saints recovered the kick and soon got their first lead of the game withPierre Thomas's 16-yard touchdown reception. The Colts responded withJoseph Addai's 4-yard touchdown run to regain the lead at 17–13. The Saints then scored 18 unanswered points, includingTracy Porter's 74-yard interception return for a touchdown, to clinch the victory. Saints quarterbackDrew Brees, who completed 32 of 39 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns, was named theSuper Bowl MVP.[1][11] His 32 completions tied a Super Bowl record set byTom Brady inSuper Bowl XXXVIII. The Saints' win was seen as a major morale boost for the city ofNew Orleans following the devastation caused byHurricane Katrina in 2005. However, the game would later become controversial by theNew Orleans Saints bounty scandal, when the NFL determined in 2012 that the Saints operated aslush fund between the 2009 and2011 seasons to pay outbounties to their players for injuring their opponents.[12]
The live broadcast of the game onCBS was watched by an average U.S. audience of 106.5 million viewers, making it then themost-watched Super Bowl.[7] TheNational Anthem was sung byAmerican Idol season 4 winnerCarrie Underwood, and thehalftime show featured the British rock bandThe Who. Super Bowl XLIV was the last Super Bowl to have a uniquely designed logo as its predecessors had: starting withSuper Bowl XLV, the logo was permanently settled to bear theVince Lombardi Trophy and the Roman numerals denoting the edition of the game (except forSuper Bowl 50, which usedArabic numerals).
The league initially voted on March 23, 2005, that New York City host the game, contingent on the completion of the proposedWest Side Stadium being built for theNew York Jets by 2008.[13] After New York state government officials declined to approve $400 million for the stadium, the NFL decided to reopen the bidding for the game's site.[14] The league reconsidered the other, unsuccessful candidates forSuper Bowl XLIII:Atlanta,Houston, andMiami. On October 6, 2006, the league selected Miami as the host city, with the formerly-named-Joe Robbie Stadium as the venue.
This was the tenth time the Super Bowl has been held in the Miami Metro area at the home stadium of theMiami Dolphins: the formerly-named Joe Robbie Stadium had hosted four previous Super Bowls (XXIII, XXIX, XXXIII, and XLI) and five were played in the Dolphins' now demolished former home, theMiami Orange Bowl (II, III, V, X, XIII). The Colts franchise was playing its fourth Super Bowl, all of which were played in Miami (two at the Orange Bowl and two at then-named Sun Life Stadium). They are the only franchise to play all of its Super Bowls in the same city and the second to play two or more Super Bowls in two different stadiums (joining the Broncos who played two atQualcomm Stadium in San Diego and two at theLouisiana Superdome in New Orleans, and the Patriots who played Super Bowls in three stadiums twice – Reliant/NRG Stadium in Houston, University of Phoenix/State Farm Stadium in Glendale, and the Louisiana Superdome).
WithTampa as the host ofSuper Bowl XLIII, Super Bowl XLIV also marked the third time that consecutive Super Bowls have been played in the same state. Super BowlsII andIII were both played at the Orange Bowl. Super BowlsXXI andXXII were both played in California: XXI atPasadena'sRose Bowl Stadium and XXII atSan Diego'sJack Murphy Stadium.
Miami became the first city to host two Super Bowls designated as aNational Special Security Event (NSSE). In the wake of theSeptember 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, every Super Bowl sinceSuper Bowl XXXVI has been designated as an NSSE. Super Bowl XLI was Miami's first Super Bowl designated as an NSSE.
The2010 Pro Bowl was played on January 31, during the off-week between the conference championships and the Super Bowl, breaking with the precedent of scheduling the game for the Sunday after the Super Bowl. The game also changed venues fromAloha Stadium inHonolulu, Hawaii, where it had been held since 1979, to Sun Life Stadium in Miami (the same city and stadium hosting the Super Bowl itself). Fourteen players from the Super Bowl participants, seven from each team, had been selected but were unable to participate due to the change. The new schedule took advantage of the bye week given to the conference champions to rest and prepare for the Super Bowl. The Pro Bowl returned to Honolulu the following season and remained there until 2015, when it was played inGlendale, Arizona, a week beforeSuper Bowl XLIX, also in Glendale. The game returned to Honolulu in 2016, and beginning in 2017 was played in Orlando permanently. This, however, changed again in 2020, when the league announced that the2021 Pro Bowl would be played at the newAllegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
The move also meant that the Pro Bowl, which was won by the AFC by a score of 41–34, would avoid competing against the2010 NBA All-Star Game, the second full day of competition in the2010 Winter Olympics, andthe 52nd running of the Daytona 500, as would have been the case had the game been played on February 14 per its traditional post-Super Bowl scheduling.
TheNew Orleans Saints finished the season with an NFC best 13–3 record and went on to advance to the first Super Bowl in their 43 years as an NFL team.[15] After joining the NFL in 1967, it took them 21 years to record their first winning season and another 13 years after that to win their first playoff game.[16][17] It came in 2000 with a dethroning of the defending champion St. Louis Rams, at the beginning of a decade which concluded with Super Bowl XLIV. Five years later, the New Orleans area suffered another setback when theLouisiana Superdome was devastated with the rest of the city byHurricane Katrina, forcing them to play all of their home games in2005 elsewhere as they finished with a3–13 record (seeEffect of Hurricane Katrina on the New Orleans Saints). But in the off-season, the team's fortunes began to turn. First, they signed free agent quarterbackDrew Brees, who would go on to throw for more passing yards than any other quarterback over the next four seasons. They also drafted multi-talentedHeisman Trophy winning running backReggie Bush, receiverMarques Colston, and guardJahri Evans, three players who would become major contributors on the Saints' offense. The following season, New Orleans improved to 10–6 and advanced to the NFC title game for the first time, which they lost to theChicago Bears. Although they failed to make the playoffs over the next two seasons, they continued to sign new talent, and by 2009 they were ready to make another run at the Super Bowl.
The Saints' offense led the NFL in scoring, averaging just under 32 points per game. Brees finished the season as the NFL's top rated quarterback (109.6), completing an NFL-record 70.6% of his passes for 4,338 yards and 34 touchdowns, with just 11 interceptions.[18][19] His top target was Colston, who caught 70 passes for 1,074 yards and 9 touchdowns, but he had plenty of other weapons, such as receiversDevery Henderson (51 receptions) andRobert Meachem (45), along with tight endsJeremy Shockey (48) andDave Thomas (35). With fullbackHeath Evans out of action due to injury for most of the season, Dave Thomas often lined up as a fullback, with tackleZach Strief serving as an extra blocker on short yardage plays. The ground attack was led by running backsPierre Thomas andMike Bell. Thomas rushed for 793 yards and caught 39 passes for 302, while Bell added 654 yards on the ground. Bush was also a major contributor, rushing for 390 yards (with a 5.6 yards per carry average), catching 47 passes for 335 yards, and adding another 130 yards returning punts. New Orleans also had a strong offensive line with three Pro Bowl selections: guardJahri Evans, centerJonathan Goodwin, and tackleJon Stinchcomb.
Defensive linemanWill Smith led the team in sacks with 13. Another big weapon on defense was linebackerJonathan Vilma, who led the team with 87 tackles and intercepted three passes. The Saints' secondary was led by 12-year veteran safetyDarren Sharper, who recorded 9 interceptions and set an NFL record by returning them for 376 yards and three touchdowns. CornerbackTracy Porter was also effective, recording 49 tackles and 4 picks with one touchdown.
The Saints started out the season strong, winning their first 13 games. But then they became the first 13–0 team ever to lose their last three games of the year. After losing their 14th game to theDallas Cowboys 24–17, they suffered a narrow loss to theTampa Bay Buccaneers (20–17 in overtime) afterGarrett Hartley missed a potential game-winning field goal. With the team's playoff seed clinched, head coach Sean Payton chose to rest Brees and other starters in the final game of the season, resulting in a 23–10 loss to theCarolina Panthers. The string of defeats cast a cloud over the team's postseason chances. Still, they clinched the No. 1 NFC playoff seed and scored 76 points in their two playoff wins en route to their first ever Super Bowl.
Indianapolis had the NFL-best 14–2 record, winning seven games by less than a touchdown,[20] on their way to earning their second Super Bowl appearance in the last four years. Once again, the Colts boasted a powerful offense led by 10-time Pro Bowl quarterbackPeyton Manning, who threw for over 4,500 yards and 33 touchdowns during the season, with only 16 interceptions, earning him a 99.9 passer rating and a league record fourthNational Football League Most Valuable Player Award. Under the protection of Pro Bowl centerJeff Saturday and the rest of the line, Manning had been sacked just 13 times during the regular season, the fewest in the NFL. His top targets were veteran receiverReggie Wayne and tight endDallas Clark, who both recorded 100 receptions and 10 touchdowns. Wayne led the team with 1,260 yards, while Clark was second with 1,106. Manning also had other reliable targets, such as recently drafted receiversAustin Collie (60 receptions for 676 yards and 7 touchdowns) andPierre Garçon (47 receptions for 765 yards and 4 touchdowns). Running backJoseph Addai led the Colts' ground game with 821 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns, while also catching 51 passes for another 336 yards and 3 scores.
Indianapolis' defensive line was led by Pro Bowl defensive endsRobert Mathis andDwight Freeney. Freeney led the team with 13.5 sacks, while Mathis added 9.5 sacks and forced 5 fumbles. Behind them, the Colts had a solid corps of linebackers featuringClint Session andGary Brackett, who each recorded 80 tackles. Pro Bowl safetyAntoine Bethea led the secondary with 70 tackles and four interceptions.
Under their new coachJim Caldwell, the Colts started off the season with 14 consecutive wins before suffering their first loss to theNew York Jets, 29–15, a game in which Caldwell made the controversial decision to rest his starters after the team took a slim lead rather than keep them in to play for a chance at a 16–0 season. Indianapolis finished the season at 14–2 following a loss to theBuffalo Bills, in which they rested their starters and went on to advance to the Super Bowl, making them perfect in all their games in which their starters played all four-quarters.
Caldwell led the Colts to the Super Bowl the season afterTony Dungy retired, just like in Tampa Bay whenJon Gruden led theTampa Bay Buccaneers toSuper Bowl XXXVII after Dungy was fired. Senior offensive line coachHoward Mudd retired following the game.[21]
The Saints started off their playoff run with a dominating 45–14 win over the defending NFC championArizona Cardinals. The Cardinals were coming off a 51–45 overtime win over theGreen Bay Packers in which they racked up 531 yards against a defense ranked second in the league in total yards allowed. However, although the Cardinals scored on their first play of the game, the Saints dominated the Cardinals with 35 points in the first half. First,Lynell Hamilton scored on a 1-yard run. Then, Sharper recovered a fumble from the Cardinals, setting up Brees' touchdown pass to Shockey. Following a punt, Bush scored on a franchise playoff record 46-yard run. In the second quarter, Brees added two more touchdown passes, one to Henderson on aflea flicker and the other to Colston that was set up by a Will Smith interception, giving them a 35–14 first half lead before adding 10 more points in the second half on a Hartley field goal and Bush's 83-yard punt return. Bush racked up 217 all-purpose yards, while Brees threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns.[22]
Their opponent in theNFC Championship Game was theMinnesota Vikings, led by 11-time Pro Bowl quarterbackBrett Favre, who had thrown four touchdown passes in their divisional round win over theDallas Cowboys. Even though the Saints' offense could only muster 257 total yards, their defense made up for it by forcing five turnovers. Additionally, the Saints outgained the Vikings in punt and kickoff return yards 166 to 50. The key play of the game occurred late in the fourth quarter with the score tied 28–28 and the Vikings driving for a potential game-winning field goal. With less than a minute left, they reached the Saints 33-yard line. But after two runs for no gain and a penalty that pushed them back to the 38, Porter picked off a pass from Favre to send the game into overtime. After the Saints won the coin toss, Pierre Thomas's 40-yard kickoff return set up a 10-play, 39-yard drive that ended with a game winning 40-yard field goal by Hartley, sending the Saints to their first ever Super Bowl.
The Colts' first opponent was theBaltimore Ravens, a 9–7 squad that had advanced to the divisional round by defeating theNew England Patriots 33–14, forcing four turnovers from their All-Pro quarterbackTom Brady. Against the Colts, however, all they could manage was a field goal on their opening drive. Indianapolis built up a 17–3 first half lead with aMatt Stover field goal and Manning's touchdown passes to Wayne and Collie. In the second half, the Colts survived two interceptions from Ravens safetyEd Reed on one drive, one of which Reed fumbled, and the other which was called back by a penalty. Stover, who spent 18 years with theModellfranchise, finished the drive with his second field goal to make final score 20–3, as their defense put the game away by forcing two consecutive turnovers.
Their next opponent was in theAFC Championship Game against theNew York Jets, who had made the playoffs in part due to Caldwell's decision tobench his starters in their Week 16 meeting. This time, the Colts would have to mount a comeback, as the Jets built up a 17–6 first half lead. Yet the Colts would step up to the challenge, scoring 24 unanswered points. First, Manning completed three passes to Collie for 80 yards, the last one a 16-yard touchdown completion to cut the score to 17–13 at the end of the half. Manning added two more touchdown passes in the second half, one to Garçon and one to Clark, and Stover added a 21-yard field goal to close out the scoring. Manning finished the game with 377 passing yards and three touchdowns, while Garçon and Collie had over 100 receiving yards each.
This was the first Super Bowl matchup in which both teams had afirst-round bye sinceSuper Bowl XXXIX. All four of the Super Bowls in-between had one team that played all three rounds (two of which werewild card teams), with three of those teams (including the Colts inSuper Bowl XLI) winning it all.
The game was televised live in the United States onCBS, capping CBS's 50th season of NFL coverage (1956–93; 1998–present). This was the 17th Super Bowl telecast for CBS, the largest total among the "big four" US television networks. CBS had also broadcast the previous Super Bowl held in South Florida (XLI).Play-by-play announcerJim Nantz andcolor commentatorPhil Simms were in the broadcast booth, withSteve Tasker andSolomon Wilcots serving assideline reporters. The game was preceded byThe Super Bowl Today, a four-hour pregame show hosted byJames Brown and featuring analystsDan Marino,Boomer Esiason,Shannon Sharpe andBill Cowher along with several other commentators,[23] which started at 2 p.m. EST. A kickoff show for the game aired from 6 p.m. EST to 6:28 p.m. EST. A Spanish language broadcast was aired on the second audio program, with play-by-play announcer Armando Quintero and color analyst Benny Ricardo.[24]
With an average U.S. audience of 106.5 million viewers, this was the thirdmost-watched Super Bowl, trailing only the 111 million viewers forSuper Bowl XLV the following year and 111.3 million viewers forSuper Bowl XLVI. At the time, it was the most-watched program of any kind in American television history, beating the 27-year-long record previously held by the final episode ofM*A*S*H, "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen", which coincidentally, also aired on CBS, and was watched by 105.97 million viewers.[25] An estimated 153.4 million total viewers watched all or part of the game.[26] The game drew a nationalNielsen rating of 45.0 with a 68 share, the highest for a Super Bowl sinceSuper Bowl XXX in 1996 (46.0/68). The telecast drew a 56.3 rating in New Orleans and a 54.2 rating in Indianapolis, first and fourth respectively among local markets.[7]
Perennial Super Bowl advertisersAnheuser–Busch InBev andCareerBuilder stated their commitment to advertise in Super Bowl XLIV, showing eight and two different spots during the game, respectively. A 30-second spot costUS $2.8 million with several advertisers getting discounts, down from the previous year's $3 million. All advertising slots were sold out on February 1, 2010, six days before the game.[27]Pepsi-Cola had previously stated their commitment to advertise, but then said they would not be buying any commercial time, marking the first time in 23 years that Pepsi did not run an ad during the Super Bowl itself.FedEx also stated that they would not buy ad time.[28] Both Pepsi and FedEx are official NFL sponsors.Coca-Cola andDr Pepper Snapple Group capitalized on Pepsi's absence by buying ads in the game; Dr Pepper's ad featuredKISS performing "Calling Dr. Love", while one of Coca-Cola's three ads featuredMontgomery Burns (ofFox'sThe Simpsons) losing everything he owns. Also for the second straight year, one of the Big Three American automobile makers –General Motors – did not have a commercial in the game.Ford had one commercial for the Ford Edge featuringMike Rowe.Chrysler'sDodge brand did advertise this year for itsDodge Charger, narrated byMichael C. Hall.
Frito-Lay'sDoritos brand, in turn owned by PepsiCo, had four consumer-created advertisements scheduled. The first three ads – running in the first quarter – featured a sly dog using an anti-bark collar to his advantage to steal a man's Doritos, a fast-handed boy defending his Doritos and his mother from a potential suitor, and a man faking his death for free Doritos. The fourth ad, featuring an angry gym rat who was overprotective for his Doritos being stolen, aired in the fourth quarter. Had three of the ads topped theUSA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter rankings, the commercial's creators would have won a total of US$5 million ($1 million for first, $600,000 for second and $400,000 for third, plus a $1 million bonus for each of the three finalists). The previous year, Joe and David Herbert's "Free Doritos" ad topped the survey and won $1 million.[29] TheUnited States Census Bureau spent $2.5million on a 30-second spot, directed by noted independent filmmakerChristopher Guest,[30] for the2010 United States census, which urged Americans to answer its questionnaires that will be sent out in the next few weeks.[31]McDonald's aired a commercial, updating a famous ad from the early 1990s, in which NBA superstarsLeBron James andDwight Howard (replacingMichael Jordan andLarry Bird) play an otherworldly game ofH-O-R-S-E, with a McDonald's lunch going to the winner – however, they soon look over and see that Bird has helped himself to it.Mars Chocolate returned three years after its controversialSnickers ad that was protested by gay groups with two men kissing one another that was pulled one day following the game (seeSuper Bowl XLI: Commercials). The commercial – winner of the annual Ad Meter survey – featured veteran actorsBetty White andAbe Vigoda playing full-contactbackyard football.[32]
The rest of the Top Five:
The YouTube Top Five of their "2010 Ad Blitz" were:
ADBOWL results reflected the following ranking:
Internet domain registrarGoDaddy, which created a racy ad the year after theSuper Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy, bought two ads in the Super Bowl for the sixth consecutive year.[33] Advertising Age reported thatParamount Pictures bought a Super Bowl spot for the upcoming filmsIron Man 2 andThe Last Airbender.[34] A trailer for theHBOminiseriesThe Pacific was also aired.
Other advertisers for 2010 includedHomeaway Inc.,[35] paying tribute toNational Lampoon's Vacation with their starsChevy Chase andBeverly D'Angelo, andDiamond Foods, who returned to promote both itsEmerald Nuts brand andPop Secret popcorn, which they bought fromGeneral Mills two years before.[36]Boost Mobile aired a special ad, celebrating the 25th Anniversary ofThe Super Bowl Shuffle, featuring many of the 1985 Chicago Bears to advertise their US$50 per month service.[37] Also, in a CBS-produced promo for theLate Show with David Letterman, theeponymous host and his longtime talk show rival,Jay Leno, appeared together withOprah Winfrey.
Three advertisers in particular raised eyebrows with their choice to advertise during the Super Bowl. One new advertiser,Focus on the Family,[38] aired a commercial featuring 2007Heisman Trophy winnerTim Tebow and his mother that elicited criticism from some women's groups who demanded CBS cancel the ad because they claimed it would be divisive, under the impression that it would mention Tebow's mother was advised, for health issues, toabort her son Tim, but she chose to give birth to him. In the first quarter, CBS aired the advertisement, which had not been pre-released to the public.[39] Per a statement released earlier, the ad did not mention the topic of abortion explicitly.[40]
One proposed sponsor,ManCrunch, a gay dating site that bills itself as a place "where many many many men come out to play", had expressed interest in purchasing a 30-second advertisement. The ManCrunch advertisement would have depicted a maleGreen Bay Packers fan and a maleMinnesota Vikings fan reaching into the same bowl of potato chips at the same time and, after a brief pause, begin to passionately kiss. ManCrunch's ad, which has since been released to the public, was initially put on a waiting list before the network outright rejected it due to it violating CBS's broadcast standards. ManCrunch immediately accused CBS of discrimination. Some observers suspect that their advertisement was an attempt atambush marketing and free publicity.[41] Another ad that was rejected by CBS for failure to meet standards was for the texting servicekgb, which focuses on two men with CGI-enhanced images bent over with their heads in their posteriors, while an actor,Sean Gunn, portraying an agent stated that "They had their head up their [backsides]".[42] kgb instead aired an ad with two people who had to find the Japanese word for "I surrender" before being run over by asumo wrestler. Another ad for Bud Light which was rejected showed workers stripping down for a charity clothes drive in exchange for free beer. All of the rejected ads were shown on YouTube.
Among other rejected or modified ads were one forElectronic Arts'Dante's Inferno, which had to be edited for content (the closing phrase, originally intended to read "go to Hell", was replaced with "Hell awaits"), and GoDaddy's originally planned advertisement.[43] Career Builder's ad, showing people dressed too casually for "Casual Friday" and aDockers ad to promote a free pair of their pants with men in shirts but sans trousers aired back-to-back early in the second quarter.
AnE*TRADE advertisement, continuing their theme of talking babies on a Web cam, featured a boyfriend-stealing, "milkaholic" baby girl named "Lindsay." ActressLindsay Lohan, who has a history of alcoholism and was noted for having tried in the early 2000s to date popular young men who were already dating other women, attempted to sue E*TRADE over the advertisement, seeking US$100 million in damages, under the impression that the advertisement defamed her viasubliminal messaging and violated herpersonality rights. E*TRADE denied the allegations and stated the name "Lindsay" came from a member of the accounting staff.[44] Lohan and E*TRADE settled the lawsuit in September 2010; the terms were confidential.[45]
Viewers worldwide were able to watch on the following channels:
Canada:CTV (English) andRDS (French) (subject tosimsub due toCRTC mandates all cable/satellite providers to replace the American feed.)
Mexico:Televisa,TV Azteca (broadcasting in HD).
Belize:Tropical Vision Limited,Great Belize Television.
Costa Rica:ESPN,Fox Sports Latin America.
Guatemala:ESPN,Fox Sports Latin America.
Panama:ESPN,Fox Sports Latin America.
Australia:Fox Sports 3,ESPN,Channel Ten andOne HD
New Zealand:Sky Sport 2 andESPN
Austria:Puls 4 started at 23:30 (CET)
Belgium:Prime Sport
Denmark:TV3+/TV3+ HD starting at 22:00 (CET)
Europe:ESPN America.
Finland:Nelonen Sport Pro and onViasat Sport/Viasat Sport HD started at 00:00 (CET)
France:W9
Germany:ARDDas Erste started at 23:35 (CET)
Greece:Nova Sports started 01:30 (EET)
Hungary:Sport 1
Ireland and
United Kingdom:BBC One and onSky Sports 1 and HD 1 at 10:55 pm and 11 pm (GMT)
Italy:Rai Sport Più started at 22:00 (CET),Rai Due started at 00:15 (CET), broadcast also in HD in selected areas.
Norway:NRK1 started at 23:15 (CET) and onViasat Sport/Viasat Sport HD
Poland:Polsat Sport/Polsat Sport HD started at 00:00 (CET)
Portugal:SportTV 2 and onSportTV HD started at 23:00 (WET)
Romania:Sport 1 started 01:00 (EET)
Russia:NTV Plus
Slovenia:Šport TV 1
Spain:Canal+
Sweden:TV6 No longer available on TV6. Super Bowl is broadcast onTV10 and onViasat Sport/Viasat Sport HD started at 00:00 (CET).
Turkey: Fox Sports [Turkey] Spormax HD started 01.00 (EET)On radio,Westwood One had the national English-language broadcast rights to the game in the United States and Canada.Marv Albert (play-by-play) andBoomer Esiason (color commentator) called the game for the network; it was the last broadcast Albert would do for Westwood One, due to his desire to focus on his basketball coverage duties.[46] The teams'flagship stations also carried the game with their local announcers:WLHK-FM andWFNI-AM in Indianapolis (withBob Lamey andWill Wolford announcing) andWWL-FM/AM in New Orleans (withJim Henderson andHokie Gajan announcing). The Saints' radio broadcast on WWL-AM was available throughout much of the United States, since WWL is a Class A clear channel station.Univision Radio aired a Spanish-language feed for Hispanophone American listeners (with Clemson Smith-Muñiz and David Crommett announcing).
Sirius XM Satellite Radio carried 14 game feeds in ten languages toSirius subscribers, as well as toXM subscribers with the "Best of Sirius" package.[47] In addition to the four US feeds mentioned above, Sirius carried the following international feeds:
United Kingdom:BBC Radio 5 Live (English;Arlo White announcing) Spain:Canal+ Spain (Spanish) Russia:NTV Plus (Russian)
France:W9 (French)
Japan:NHK (Japanese) Germany:ARD (German) Italy:RAI (Italian) Hungary:Sport1 (Hungarian)
Netherlands:Prime Sport (Dutch) Denmark:Viasat (Danish)FieldPass, the subscription Internet radio service provided by the league at NFL.com, also carried most of these feeds. Due to contractual restrictions, only Sirius XM and FieldPass were permitted to carry the local team broadcasts along with WLHK, WFNI and WWL, with the teams' other network radio affiliates instead airing the Westwood One feed.
Barenaked Ladies played the Super Bowl Saturday Night event withO.A.R. andRobert Randolph and the Family Band.Chris Daughtry,Steve Winwood andQueen Latifah performed during the Super Bowl pre-game tailgate party, which started at 2:00 p.m.
Queen Latifah sang "America the Beautiful" andCarrie Underwood sang "The Star-Spangled Banner". Underwood's performance marked the third straight year that an alumnus ofAmerican Idol has been invited to perform the national anthem, joiningJordin Sparks atSuper Bowl XLII andJennifer Hudsona year later. Translation of both songs intoAmerican Sign Language was provided by Kinesha Battles, a student at theFlorida School for the Deaf and Blind.[48]
To commemorate the 15th anniversary of theSan Francisco 49ers' fifth Super Bowl victory, which took place at this stadium,Jerry Rice, who had also been MVP ofSuper Bowl XXIII, another Super Bowl played at this stadium, joined the coin toss ceremonies. Rice had just been named to thePro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2010. The rest of the class –Rickey Jackson,Dick LeBeau,Floyd Little,Russ Grimm,John Randle, andEmmitt Smith – were named the day before. The Saints won the coin toss, marking the 13th straight Super Bowl the NFC won the toss (the Cardinals won the toss inSuper Bowl XLIII but elected to defer to the second half, giving the Steelers the ball to open the game). The coin used for the toss was flown into space onSTS-129 before the game.[49]
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The Who performed at theSuper Bowl XLIV halftime show. The band played a medley of their hits, consisting of "Pinball Wizard", "Baba O'Riley", "Who Are You", "See Me, Feel Me", and "Won't Get Fooled Again". For the first time since theSuper Bowl XXXIV halftime show, there was no crowd of fans surrounding the halftime stage.[50] This performance was also released as downloadable content for the Rock Band series, named "The Who Super Bowl S-mashup".
Retailers had ordered much moreNew Orleans Saints merchandise prior to the game than they had ordered Colts merchandise.[citation needed] TheNFL estimated that US$100million worth ofSuper Bowl merchandise would be sold.[51]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Full game broadcast on CBS onYouTube |
As thedesignated home team in the annual rotation between AFC and NFC teams, the Colts elected to wear their home blue uniforms with white pants, while the Saints wore their road white uniforms with old gold pants.
The Saints won the coin toss and chose to receive, but their first possession resulted in a three-and-out and a punt.
The Colts' offense took the field for the first time, with the ball spotted at their own 27-yard line. They put together a 53-yard drive that featured two completions from quarterbackPeyton Manning to tight endDallas Clark, as well as a 14-yard reception by wide receiverAustin Collie on 3rd-and-7. The drive ended with a 38-yard field goal by kickerMatt Stover to give the Colts an early 3–0 lead. At 42 years old, Stover became the oldest player in NFL history to participate in a Super Bowl.
Wide receiverCourtney Roby returned the ensuing kickoff to his own 26-yard line. Approaching the 25-yard line, Roby swooped into a dive and appeared to fumble the ball, but officials ruled that he was down by contact after taking a hit by Colts cornerbackTim Jennings. This time, the Saints managed to get a first down with a 16-yard completion from quarterbackDrew Brees to running backReggie Bush, but they were eventually forced to punt again.Thomas Morstead pinned the Colts back at their own 4-yard line with a 46-yard punt.
The Colts responded with an 11-play, 96-yard scoring drive, tying the record for the longest drive in Super Bowl history. Running backJoseph Addai rushed three times for 53 yards, while Manning completed three passes for 35 yards, the last one a 19-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverPierre Garçon, increasing the Colts' lead to 10–0.
The Saints' next drive carried over from the previous quarter. Four completions by Brees for 36 yards, as well as an unnecessary roughness penalty against linebackerPhilip Wheeler, helped the Saints advance to the Colts' 22-yard line. But on third down, Brees was sacked for a 7-yard loss by defensive endDwight Freeney, forcing the Saints to settle for a 46-yard field goal from kickerGarrett Hartley. After scoring on their first two drives, the Colts were forced to punt for the first time when Garçon dropped a pass on third down. The Saints stormed down the field to set up 1st-and-goal at the Colts' 3-yard line, aided by Brees' two passes to wide receiverMarques Colston for 40 yards and a 21-yard reception by wide receiverLance Moore. However, the Colts' defense stood their ground. After Moore was stopped for no gain by cornerbackKelvin Hayden, a false start penalty against offensive tackleZach Strief pushed the Saints back to the 8-yard line. Running backPierre Thomas picked up 7 yards to reach the 1-yard line, but the Saints ended up turning the ball over on downs when Thomas and running backMike Bell failed to tie the game. The Colts ran three straight running plays in an effort to wind down the clock and go to halftime with a seven-point lead, but the Saints used up their first two timeouts and kept the Colts from getting a first down. Following Bush's 4-yard punt return to his own 48, with 35 seconds and one timeout left to use in the half, Brees completed two passes to wide receiverDevery Henderson for 25 yards, and Hartley kicked a 44-yard field goal as time expired, cutting the Saints' deficit to 10–6.
The Colts were set to receive the ball to start the second half but were caught by surprise when the Saints executed anonside kick. This was the first onside kick attempted before the fourth quarter in Super Bowl history,[52] a play the Saints referred to as "The Ambush."[53] Morstead kicked the ball to his left, and after traveling almost 15 yards, the ball bounced off the face-mask of Colts wide receiverHank Baskett, who failed to make a clean recovery. Several players dove for the loose ball, creating a pile that took over a minute for the officiating crew to separate. When the dust finally cleared, Saints linebackerJonathan Casillas was officially credited with the recovery on the 42-yard line, but he and a number of his teammates insisted that it was actually safetyChris Reis who came up with the ball.[54] The Saints' offense took over and stormed down the field on an effective six-play, 58-yard drive in which they never faced a third down. Brees completed five consecutive passes for 51 yards on the drive and capped it off with a "check-down" pass on the right side to Pierre Thomas, who took it 16 yards for the first Saints touchdown of the game behind blocks from Henderson; offensive linemenJonathan Goodwin,Jahri Evans, andCarl Nicks; fullbackKyle Eckel; and tight endJeremy Shockey. The score gave the Saints their first lead of the game, 13–10.
The Colts answered with their own touchdown drive, moving the ball 76 yards in 10 plays. Clark caught three passes from Manning for 45 yards, while Addai rushed three times for 19 yards, the last for a 4-yard touchdown, to put the Colts back in front with a 17–13 lead with 6:15 remaining in the quarter. For just the second time in Super Bowl history, both teams scored touchdowns on their initial possessions of the second half; the only other time occurred inSuper Bowl XIV.
Addai's touchdown proved to be the last Colts score, as the Saints took complete control of the game from then on. On the Saints' next possession, they reached the Colts' 29-yard line, and Hartley kicked his third field goal, a 47-yarder, to cut the Saints' deficit to 17–16. In doing so, he became the first kicker in Super Bowl history to score three field goals of 40 or more yards in the same game.
This was the first one-point lead after the third quarter in Super Bowl history and second closest game after three quarters, behindSuper Bowl XXXIX which was tied between theNew England Patriots andPhiladelphia Eagles.
The Colts responded with a drive to the Saints' 33-yard line, during which Manning completed a 17-yard pass to Garçon, then two passes to wide receiverReggie Wayne for 24 (including one on 4th-and-2), but came up empty when Stover missed a 51-yard field goal attempt wide left, giving the ball back to the Saints with good field position on their own 41-yard line. Brees subsequently led the Saints on another touchdown drive featuring seven different players getting the ball. Bush started off the drive with a 12-yard run, then Henderson caught a 6-yard pass on the Colts' 36-yard line. Following an 8-yard catch and run by Bush, Brees completed passes to Colston, wide receiverRobert Meachem, and tight endDavid Thomas, moving the ball to the 5-yard line. After a 3-yard run by Pierre Thomas, Brees threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Shockey. Rather than settle for a six-point lead, and risk a potential Colts game-winning touchdown, the Saints chanced a two-point conversion. Moore caught a pass from Brees while standing at the edge of the end zone and attempted to pull the ball in over the goal line as he fell to the ground and rolled over on his head. The ball was kicked away from Moore's hands by cornerbackJacob Lacey, and the play was ruled an incomplete pass, prompting a coach's challenge fromSean Payton. After the review, the ruling on the field was overturned when it was determined that Moore maintained possession of the ball long enough and the ball had crossed the plane of the goal line for a successful conversion, putting the Saints back in front, 24–17, with 5:42 remaining in the game.
With a chance to tie the game, Manning led the Colts into Saints territory by completing two passes each to Garçon and Wayne for gains of 27 and 17 yards, respectively. However, cornerbackTracy Porter intercepted a pass by Manning at the Saints' 26-yard line for the game's only takeaway and returned it 74 yards for a touchdown, increasing the Saints' lead to 31–17 with 3:12 remaining.[55] Porter's pick-six improved teams to 10–0 in Super Bowls when returning an interception for a touchdown, although that record is now 13–1 followingSuper Bowl LI (when the New England Patriots overcame a 28–3 deficit to the Atlanta Falcons).
Now down by two touchdowns, the Colts needed a touchdown on their next drive, followed by a successful onside kick, to stay alive, though they still had all three of their timeouts to use. Manning completed a 40-yard strike to Collie, followed by two passes to Addai for 23 yards to reach the Saints' 3-yard line. When an offensive pass interference penalty against Garçon on 1st-and-goal pushed them back 10 yards, the Colts got those yards back on a reception by Addai on the next play. However, the next three plays saw a tipped pass by linebackerScott Shanle that went off the goal post, Addai getting tackled for a 2-yard loss by defensive tacklesSedrick Ellis andAnthony Hargrove, and a pass that went through the hands of Wayne, effectively sealing the Saints' first Super Bowl title with 0:44 left on the clock. Brees took a knee, winning the Saints' first league championship in franchise history, the first major league championship for a professional sports team fromLouisiana.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saints (NFC) | 0 | 6 | 10 | 15 | 31 |
| Colts (AFC) | 10 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
atSun Life Stadium,Miami Gardens, Florida
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Drew Brees was namedSuper Bowl MVP for tying a Super Bowl record by completing 32 of 39 passes, with 288 passing yards and two touchdowns. After the game, Brees said, "Four years ago, who ever thought this would be happening when 85 percent of the city was under water? Most people left not knowing if New Orleans would ever come back, or if the organization would ever come back. We just all looked at one another and said, 'We are going to rebuild together. We are going to lean on each other.' This is the culmination in all that belief."[56]
Sources: NFL.com Super Bowl XLIV, Super Bowl XLIV Play Finder NO, Super Bowl XLIV Play Finder Ind,Hoffco Super Bowl XLIV Play by Play
| Statistic | New Orleans Saints | Indianapolis Colts |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 20 | 23 |
| First downs rushing | 3 | 6 |
| First downs passing | 16 | 16 |
| First downs penalty | 1 | 1 |
| Third down efficiency | 3/9 | 6/13 |
| Fourth down efficiency | 0/1 | 1/2 |
| Net yards rushing | 51 | 99 |
| Rushing attempts | 18 | 19 |
| Yards per rush | 2.8 | 5.2 |
| Passing–completions/attempts | 32/39 | 31/45 |
| Times sacked–total yards | 1–7 | 0–0 |
| Interceptions thrown | 0 | 1 |
| Net yards passing | 281 | 333 |
| Total net yards | 332 | 432 |
| Punt returns–total yards | 1–4 | 1–0 |
| Kickoff returns–total yards | 4–102 | 5–111 |
| Interceptions–total return yards | 1–74 | 0–0 |
| Punts–average yardage | 2–44.0 | 2–45.0 |
| Fumbles–lost | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Penalties–yards | 3–19 | 5–45 |
| Time of possession | 30:11 | 29:49 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Records set[57] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Highest completion percentage, career (minimum 30 completions) | 82.1 | Drew Brees (New Orleans) |
| Most completions, game, both teams | 63 | Saints (32), Colts (31) |
| Highest completion percentage, both teams | 75% | Saints (82.1%), Colts (68.9%) |
| Most field goals, 40 or more yards, game | 3 | Garrett Hartley (New Orleans) |
| Oldest player | 42 | Matt Stover (Indianapolis) |
| Records tied | ||
| Largest deficit overcome, winning team | 10 points | Saints |
| Most completions, game | 32 | Drew Brees (New Orleans) |
| Most two-point conversions, game | 1 | Lance Moore (New Orleans) |
| Most yards, touchdown drive | 96 yards | Colts |
| Most first downs passing, both teams | 32 | Colts (16), Saints (16) |
| Fewest rushing attempts, game, both teams | 37 | Colts (19), Saints (18) |
| Most completions, game, team | 32 | Saints |
| Fewest times sacked, game, team | 0 | Colts |
| Fewest times sacked, game, both teams | 1 | Colts (0), Saints (1) |
| Fewest fumbles, game, both teams | 0 | Colts vs. Saints |
| Fewest turnovers, game, team | 0 | Saints |
| Saints passing | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C/Att1 | Yds | TD | Int | Rating | |
| Drew Brees | 32/39 | 288 | 2 | 0 | 114.5 |
| Saints rushing | |||||
| Car2 | Yds | TD | LG3 | Yds/Car | |
| Pierre Thomas | 9 | 30 | 0 | 7 | 3.33 |
| Reggie Bush | 5 | 25 | 0 | 12 | 5.00 |
| Mike Bell | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2.00 |
| Drew Brees | 1 | −1 | 0 | −1 | −1.00 |
| Devery Henderson | 1 | −7 | 0 | −7 | −7.00 |
| Saints receiving | |||||
| Rec4 | Yds | TD | LG3 | Target5 | |
| Marques Colston | 7 | 83 | 0 | 27 | 9 |
| Devery Henderson | 7 | 63 | 0 | 19 | 7 |
| Pierre Thomas | 6 | 55 | 1 | 16 | 7 |
| Reggie Bush | 4 | 38 | 0 | 16 | 5 |
| Jeremy Shockey | 3 | 13 | 1 | 7 | 4 |
| Lance Moore | 2 | 21 | 0 | 21 | 2 |
| Robert Meachem | 2 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 3 |
| David Thomas | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| Colts passing | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C/Att1 | Yds | TD | Int | Rating | |
| Peyton Manning | 31/45 | 333 | 1 | 1 | 88.5 |
| Colts rushing | |||||
| Car2 | Yds | TD | LG3 | Yds/Car | |
| Joseph Addai | 13 | 77 | 1 | 26 | 5.92 |
| Donald Brown | 4 | 18 | 0 | 5 | 4.50 |
| Mike Hart | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2.00 |
| Colts receiving | |||||
| Rec4 | Yds | TD | LG3 | Target5 | |
| Dallas Clark | 7 | 86 | 0 | 27 | 9 |
| Joseph Addai | 7 | 58 | 0 | 17 | 7 |
| Austin Collie | 6 | 66 | 0 | 40 | 9 |
| Pierre Garçon | 5 | 66 | 1 | 19 | 7 |
| Reggie Wayne | 5 | 46 | 0 | 14 | 11 |
| Donald Brown | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 2 |
Notes:
Hall of Fame‡
Over a two-month period beforeSuper Bowl 50,Slate writer Justin Peters viewed and ranked every single Super Bowl game in history. About Super Bowl XLIV, which he ranked the fifth best, Peters had this to say: "...coming as it did five years after New Orleans was flooded in Hurricane Katrina, the Saints' victory actuallymattered."[60]
The Saints finished thenext season with an 11–5 record, but failed to defend their league title after they were eliminated by theSeattle Seahawks in the Wild Card playoff round.[61][62] Super Bowl XLIV later became the subject of the widerNew Orleans Saints bounty scandal, also known as "Bountygate", in which the NFL alleged in 2012 that several Saints defenders operated aslush fund that was in operation from the2009 season and Super Bowl XLIV, through2011. This alleged slush fund paid out bonuses, or "bounties", for in-game performance in violation of NFL rules, including deliberately injuring or knocking opposing players out of games. The league responded with some of the most severe sanctions in the league's 92-year history, and among the most severe punishments for an on-field incident in North American professional sports history.[63] On appeal, former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, appointed by Goodell to investigate, agreed that the bounty program had taken place, but he disagreed that it was the NFL's place to enact disciplinary measures and contended it was the duty of the coaches and management.[64] All player suspensions were overturned in 2012.[65] In2012, New Orleans failed to make the playoffs for the first time since their Super Bowl win, with the sanctions for Bountygate cited as one of the primary causes. The Saints rebounded in2013, but were eliminated in the Divisional playoff round by the eventualSuper Bowl XLVIII championSeattle Seahawks. They returned to the playoffs in2017 by defeating theCarolina Panthers in the Wild Card Round, butlost to theMinnesota Vikings in the Divisional Round. Thenext season they defeated thePhiladelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round to advance to their first NFC Championship Game since 2009 but lost to theLos Angeles Rams incontroversial fashion. After playoff losses in2019 and2020, Saints quarterback and Super Bowl XLIV MVP Drew Brees retired after 20 seasons.[66] Super Bowl XLIV remains the franchise's only Super Bowl appearance.[67]
The Colts would finish thenext season with a 10–6 record, but lost in the Wild Card round to theNew York Jets.[68][69] After that, the Colts plummeted to 2–14 after they lostPeyton Manning for the2011 season to neck surgery.[70][71] Manning was released following the season and signed with theDenver Broncos, with whom he wonSuper Bowl 50. The Colts would then proceed to draft quarterbackAndrew Luck first overall in the2012 NFL draft, with whom they went 11–5 for three consecutive years, won theAFC South twice, and made the2014 AFC Championship Game, losing to theNew England Patriots 45–7. In the2015 and2016 Colts' seasons, they finished 8–8 and missed the playoffs, which was mostly because Luck missed 10 combined games due to various injuries. In the2017 season, the team finished 4–12 after they lost Luck to a shoulder injury for the year. Since Super Bowl XLIV, Indianapolis has been 106–103–1, with a 3–5 postseason record.[72]
The Saints were the last team to win a championship game of a major professional sports league in North America on their first attempt until 2019, when both theToronto Raptors of theNBA and theMLB'sWashington Nationals accomplished the feat.
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