In Super Bowl XLI, the Indianapolis Colts defeated the Chicago Bears 29 - 17. Many proclaim that this was a Super Bowl to remember. Others say it was one-sided, and it should have never happened. The truth is that the Indianapolis Colts should not have been there.

This does not mean that the Colts are not deserving of a Super Bowl. In fact, Peyton Manning, the quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts, had never won a Super Bowl prior to this year. He has been in the National Football League (NFL) for nine years. Marvin Harrison, a wide receiver of the Indianapolis Colts, has been in the NFL for 11 years. Manning and Harrison have such great chemistry together that they have been considered, by many sports analysts, the best duo in the NFL.

Amjed Abdel-Ghani, a sophomore at Athens, says, “Peyton always builds up a great record, but he loses in the playoffs. This year was finally his year to shine.”

Each season, the Colts would make it to the playoffs, but they never made it past the American Football Conference (AFC) Championship (the semi-finals). This year, during the AFC Championship, the Colts played the New England Patriots. Tom Brady, the quarterback of the Patriots, had never lost an AFC Championship game before. In fact, prior to that game, his playoff record was 12-1. At half-time, the Patriots led 21 -6. What could have made the Patriots give up such a lead?

Ali Asad, a freshman at Athens,also a huge football fan, says, “Reche Caldwell is the reason that the Patriots lost. He dropped too many wide open passes that could have won the game for the Patriots.”

Reche Caldwell, a wide receiver for the Patriots, did indeed drop a few passes during the AFC Championship. One of the dropped passes was in the end zone when he was wide open. If a wide receiver drops passes like those, he should be benched. At one point in the game, the Colts left Caldwell wide open. There was not one Colt with in 15 yards of him. When Brady threw him the perfect pass, it bounced off of his chest. This dropped pass led to a turn-over.

Caldwell said at a press conference after the AFC Championship, “I missed some plays out there that could have helped our team. It wasn’t my best performance, but I have to come back and work harder.” Caldwell was right. If he would have caught both of those dropped passes, there is no doubt that the Patriots would have upset the Colts.

Asad also said, “The Patriots did not put up a fight on goal line, letting Joseph Addai run over them like that.”

The other mistake that was made by the Patriots was to be blamed on the defensive coordinator. With a minute and fourteen seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Colts were on the two-yard line. It was known that the Colts would go to their rookie running back, Joseph Addai. The Patriots decided not to blitz. This led to an easy game-winning touchdown run by Addai.

Brady could not lead the Patriots to a come-back. With a minute left on the clock, he threw passes which got the patriots to the forty-yard line, but a miscommunication between Brady and the Patriots’ tight-end, Ben Watson, led to an easy interception by the Colts. This interception ended the game.



Although the Patriots have more experience in Super Bowl games, Abdel-Ghani said, “The Patriots deserved this loss. Tom Brady has three Super Bowl rings. I think that is enough. Peyton Manning deserved the Super Bowl much more.”

The Colts barely made it to the Super Bowl. The reason they won the AFC Championship was because the Patriots were unprepared. If Caldwell would have made those catches, and better defensive choices had been made, the Patriots could have easily been in their fourth Super Bowl within six years.