Who Will be the Difference Maker?

Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Dwight Freeney have dominated the headlines surrounding the Super Bowl for the past two weeks. However, in so many of the 44 total Super Bowls, players have stepped up out of nowhere and carried their team to a victory. From Desmond Howard to Dexter Jackson, players have surfaced from the back of people’s minds to steal the spotlight from the usual superstars. This Sunday I believe someone not named Brees or Manning will step up and have a huge impact on this game. For me, I turn first to the defensive side of the ball in my search for this year’s possible dark horse’s, and for the Colts I believe he will come from the secondary.

Melvin Bullitt has stepped up for Bob Sanders this season, and played very well. His biggest play of the season came against the New England Patriots when he made the tackle on the infamous 4th down conversion attempt that ultimately ended the game. This Sunday Drew Brees will be looking to pick apart a secondary that has been hampered with injuries throughout the season, and with the possibility of Dwight Freeney being out he will only have more time to throw. Thus, I believe it will be even more crucial that the Colts secondary perform well, especially since they will have to cover for an extended amount of time. The Saints also implement a spread offense that requires more than just cornerbacks to cover the receivers, and more pressure will be put on Bullitt to be aware and not get burnt. 

On the other hand, I believe the difference maker for the Saints may come from the receiving core. Marques Colston gains the majority of the attention, and rightly so. However, the Saints offense has a plethora of receivers that can explode at any moment, Devery Henderson, Robert Meachem, Lance Moore, Jeremy Shockey, and David Thomas, fill out the weapons Brees has at his disposal. So while it would be safe to assume that any of these players may step up and perform, I believe one in particular may truly shine. Robert Meachem was able to grab 9 touchdown receptions this season, while racking up 722 yards. Clearly Meachem has proven that he has the touchdown potential that can change games, and if the Colts put most of their focus on Colston and Henderson, Meachem could shine and take advantage of a good matchup. 

Although I expect Brees and Manning to be huge factors in Sunday’s game, this game is full of explosive players who take a backseat to their own team’s superstars. It will be interesting to see who can step up and make the big catch or the big tackle when the game is on the line. Let’s just hope the Colts are the ones who are left standing at the end of the game.