Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - Not only did the under come though in Super Bowl XLIV, as everyone in the free world knows by now, the underdog New Orleans Saints also prevailed with an outright victory.

The highest-ever over/under total in Super Bowl history at 56.5 was never in doubt, as the first-half ended with the Colts leading 10-6. The two clubs compiled 32 points in the final 30 minutes, but 15 of those came with less than six minutes remaining.

More surprising than the actual final score was how Indianapolis was the heavy six-point favorite throughout most of the two weeks. The line dropped down to 4.5 points in the final days prior to Sunday, and those folks who sent it in on the underdog Saints came away with the big score.

All the late money poured in on New Orleans primarily due to two factors. First, the status of Dwight Freeney was up in the air throughout the final week, and second, the Colts should never have been favored by six points to begin with. Remember, the Steelers were giving 6.5 points to a 9-7 Cardinals squad the previous year, and not many folks gave Arizona a chance.

The reason the Colts were favored by so many points had everything to do with how the two clubs performed in the conference championship games. Indianapolis plowed through the Jets in the second half to win, 30-17, while the Saints were outgained by over 200 yards in their overtime triumph over the Vikings.

If this game had been played in week 12 or 13, Indianapolis would have been favored by just a field goal, or even less.

HOW THE GAME WAS WON

The key statistic, in my mind, coming into the Super Bowl was how poorly the Colts defended the pass. They allowed opposing quarterbacks to nail 64% of their throws, good for 26th best in the league, and there is no question Drew Brees took advantage of that by completing 82% of his tosses on Sunday.

The Super Bowl MVP enjoyed a phenomenal second half, going 16-of-17 with a pair of touchdowns leading the Saints to scores on all three possessions in the final 30 minutes. It was a complete departure for the Colts defense from the prior two postseason performances, in which Baltimore and New York were shut out on a combined 12 second-half drives.

Still, the Saints did not win this game solely on the arm of Drew Brees. Head coach Sean Payton, kicker Garrett Hartley and cornerback Tracy Porter were important cogs in the 14-point victory.

The onside kick that began the second-half might very well be the single gutsiest call ever in Super Bowl history, and the aggressive nature that Payton displayed all game long was critical to his team's success.

Hartley chipped in with 11 points on three 40-plus yard field goals and two extra points, out-dueling Matt Stover in almost all prop bets, while Porter sealed the game with a 74-yard interception return when the Colts were driving to tie the score at 24-24.

In fact, the whole Saints defense should be rewarded with the game ball, as the unit held Indianapolis to 17 total points. Keep in mind, only one team kept the Colts from scoring fewer points (in games they tried to win) this season, and that was Jacksonville all the way back in Week 1.

BIG BETS THAT CAME THROUGH

Besides the Saints plus the points and the under, there were plenty of wagers that could have ballooned one's bankroll.

Taking New Orleans to win the game, along with the Colts to lead at halftime, was a tremendous bet which paid out at 8-1 odds. Another gamble that someone could have made was to wager "NO" that either team would score in the first 7:30 minutes. All it took to cash out at a very generous +215 was one single second, as Matt Stover banged home a 38-yard field goal at the 7:29 mark of the first quarter.

Speaking of that play, a field goal has now been the first score in eight of the last 12 Super Bowls. Given those numbers, it's amazing that the touchdown was so heavily favored at -170.

Another huge moment for gamblers came on the two-point conversion, especially for those folks who wagered "YES" at +400 on a successful attempt. It was probably a double hit for those gamblers since they most likely took the 2-1 odds that there would be a two-point try to begin with.

Congratulations also goes out to those players who gambled on a low-scoring game, at least on the Colts side, as the 17-point total paid out a hefty 30-1. The 31 points scored by the Saints came in surprisingly low at 10-1. Only a 27- point total was lower at 8-1.

One bet that had gamblers waiting with bated breath was "which quarterback would throw more touchdown passes?" Heading into the final four minutes, Drew Brees held a 2-to-1 edge, but Peyton Manning would get multiple chances to tie.

I'm sure everyone who wagered on Brees at +145 breathed a deep sigh of relief when Tracy Porter intercepted Manning late in the game, but the Colts still had one more chance to strike. The final nail in the coffin came when Reggie Wayne dropped the ball at the goal line on a fourth-down play with less than one minute remaining.