The Super Bowl, at least from our perspective, is all about the numbers ... those tasty little digits we consume like food itself.
Here's a look at 24 finger-lickin' good Cold, Hard Football Facts from Super Bowl XLIV, now officially one of the 12 best Super Bowls in history. It's true. We've deemed it so.
0.000122070312%
Probability of winning 13 consecutive coin tosses, something the NFC has done every year since Super Bowl XXXII (the NFC is just 3-10 in those games)
.454
Percentage of games that Defensive Hog Index correctly predicted this postseason (5-6); DHI is now 25-8 in postseason games since its creation in 2007
3
Rookie head coaches who have lost the Super Bowl; Indy coach Jim Caldwell joined Denver’s Red Miller, who lost Super Bowl XII to Dallas; and Oakland’s Bill Callahan, who lost Super Bowl XXXVII to Tampa.
4
Number of future Hall of Fame quarterbacks that the Saints beat during the season (Tom Brady, Kurt Warner, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning)
7
Incompletions thrown by Drew Brees (32 of 39), who completed an astounding 82 percent of his passes
8
Number of words that former Colts head coach Tony Dungy wishes he could take back, when he boasted "I don't think it's going to be close" in reference to Indy’s second Super Bowl appearance of the decade.
9
Quarterbacks who have both won and lost a Super Bowl: Peyton Manning joined Len Dawson, Roger Staubach, Bob Griese, Joe Theismann, Brett Favre, John Elway, Kurt Warner, and Tom Brady. Not a bad list though, is it?
10
Largest comeback in Super Bowl history; Drew Brees and the Saints tied Doug Williams and Redskins from Super Bowl XXII. Each team trailed 10-0 early in their respective victories.
12
14
Points per game averaged by Peyton Manning's Colts in their nine postseason losses.
21
Number of tackles by Colts linebacker Gary Brackett in his two Super Bowl appearances; he led his team in tackles in both games (including 13 combined tackles this year).
22
Difference in seconds in time of possession between the two teams; the Saints controlled the ball for 30:11 and the Colts for 29:49
32
Completions thrown by Drew Brees, who tied Tom Brady's record from Super Bowl XXXVIII
42
Age of Colts kicker Matt Stover, who became the oldest player in Super Bowl history.
43
Years it took for the Saints to win their first Super Bowl.
45.67
Average length of kicker Garrett Hartley's three field goals. He became the first kicker in Super Bowl history to connect on three 40-plus-yard field goals in a single game
48
Number of yards by which the Colts outrushed the Saints (99-51); New Orleans averaged just 2.8 yards per carry on 18 runs (51 yards total).
74
Yards of cornerback Tracy Porter's interception touchdown to clinch a Saints victory; Porter has provided the two most memorable defensive plays in Saints' history in consecutive games. He also picked off BrettFavre in the final moments of the NFC Championship game.
85.4
Passer rating of Peyton Manning in his two Super Bowl appearances(81.8 against the Bears in SB XLI and 88.4 against the Saints in SB XLIV).
96
Yards covered by Indy’s first-quarter touchdown drive, the longest in Super Bowl history.
135
Total yards by Colts' running back Joseph Addai, who rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown, and caught 7 passes for 58 yards.
209
Number of days until the start of the 2010 season in which Peyton Manning has to think about his fourth-quarter interception returned for a Saints touchdown, arguably one of the five most costly turnovers in NFL history.
617
Points scored by the Saints, including the postseason; the fourth most in a single season (2007 Patriots, 1983 Redskins, 1998 Vikings)
1.8 million
Number of times you will hear the expression "WhoDat!" in the next seven months (or next seven hours for those of you in Miami or New Orleans).
