After the abomination that was the 1986 Superbowl, I never thought I’d say this; I hope the Bears win tonight. The Colts have become, to New England fans, the Yankees of football. I have to root for whoever they are playing against.
Aside from just wanting them to win, I really believe they will win. The 2003 Superbowl, much like the Patriots’ first Championship in 2002, taught us that defense wins championships. Rich Gannon had Manning-like numbers in 2002/2003, but the big game was won handily by Tampa Bay, led by Brad Johnson. Yeah, Brad Johnson.
Big plays help win big games, and who makes bigger plays than Devin Hester? Look what Ellis Hobbs did to the Indy kick coverage. And don’t believe for a minute the rumors of the much-improved Colt defense. The Pats put up 34 on them. With Benson and Jones running the ball, the Bears might not put up that many points, but they’ll control the game, field position, and the clock, and the Chicago defense will do the rest.
If the weather forecast of wind and rain is correct, all the better for Da Bears. I’m going with 31-21 with at least one defensive or specials teams score for Chicago. Then the real fun begins. Manning will put on his hang-dog face, throw his teammates under the bus, and return to glory as the guy who couldn’t win the big one.
