Super Bowl XLIV Preview, Spread Pick, Poll & TV Info (Updated)

It’s Monday morning, and you know what that means: time for me to give my gut instinct spread pick for Sunday’s games.

Of course, there are not “games” this weekend, just one game – the Super Bowl – which represents my final chance at salvaging some playoff pride.

By going 2-0 last weekend against the spread, courtesy of the Vikings sneaking by with a three point loss against a 3.5 point spread, I am now 4-6 during the playoffs after my stellar 135-106 regular season record.

Can I finish with a bang and pick the Super Bowl correctly? We’ll find out.

Saints-Colts Super Bowl Quick Preview

Here are all of the particulars and relevant MSF links for Sunday’s pretty important (I guess) game:

• Saints-Colts Super Bowl Date: Sunday, February 7th
• Saints-Colts Super Bowl TV: CBS
• Saints-Colts Super Bowl Kickoff Time: 6:28 ET
• Saints-Colts Super Bowl Announcers: Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
• Super Bowl Halftime Show: The Who
• Saints-Colts Super Bowl Spread: Colts -5 (as of Saturday morning)
• Saints-Colts Super Bowl Over-Under Odds: 56.5 (as of Saturday morning)
• MSF: Super Bowl 44 Point Spread Pick and Analysis
• MSF: Tips, Advice, and Guidance for Colts in Miami
• MSF: Super Bowl XLIV Early Preview – Advantage: Colts
• MSF: Saints-Colts Super Bowl Tickets

Saints-Colts Spread Pick and Prediction

And now for my quick Super Bowl betting analysis and pick.

Earlier this morning I addressed the most pressing Super Bowl concern for the teams and fans alike: Dwight Freeney’s Injury. His status is very important in terms of how this game plays out, which makes predicting an outcome difficult on Monday.

But I’ll go with what I (think I) know – that Freeney will be, at a minimum, significantly hindered. Assuming this is the case, the Colts will struggle to get a consistent pass rush and Drew Brees will have time to sit back and locate receivers with far more comfort than we initially thought. The importance of this cannot be overstated when all signs are pointing to a shootout between Brees and Peyton Manning.

Thus, while 56.5 points is a high number, I like the over in this game. Would anyone be surprised to see a 30-27 score? That almost sounds low based on what we’ve seen these two offenses be capable of, yet such a score would satisfy the over. I’d take it and feel pretty comfortable.

Can the Saints cover the spread though?

Outright, I like the Colts to win this game with or without Freeney. That is how much respect I have for Peyton Manning – that he could lose a teammate that is the third best player on the field (after Manning and Brees) and still win. I’ve just seen Manning pull out so many close games in clutch situations over the past few years and the Colts are a team on a mission, for whom a Super Bowl title almost seems pre-ordained this season.

I do, however, think that Drew Brees and the scrappy Saints can match Manning and the Colts’ offense and keep this game close until the end. It very well may turn into a last-team-to-have-the-ball-wins kind of games, but something tells me that it will be the Colts with the ball making the final play that seals a three or four point victory. Three or four points, though, is not 5.5, meaning that the Saints cover.

I’ll be posting Super Bowl analysis throughout the week, and will get more in depth than I have in this post, but I wanted to keep with my weekly tradition this season of making a pick on Monday morning just based on gut instinct. It’s worked out well so far, and for anyone foolish enough to actually listen to me for advice, I didn’t want to mess up the routine.

So here are the official picks from me for the Saints-Colts battle in Super Bowl XLIV this Sunday:

Saints-Colts Super Bowl spread pick: Saints +5

Saints-Colts Super Bowl over-under pick: Over

Saints-Colts Super Bowl prediction: Colts 35 | Saints 31

What do you think?

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* – Peyton Manning photo credit: Colts Chatter

Midwest Sports Fans (MSF) Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links used in this Saints-Colts spread pick, prediction, TV kickoff time, and announcers post were paid for by the parties being linked to. That said, MSF only writes about stories that we believe will interest our readers, and we only link to and endorse sites and services that we would use or have used ourselves. We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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