In Super matchup, offenses will dominate the show

It's only fitting that these teams are playing in the Super Bowl. After all, they both started 13-0, unprecedented in NFL history.

The Colts were 14-0 before they rested their starters to get ready for the playoffs. How they have played in the postseason has shown that they were not hurt by resting their starters, which resulted in losing the final two games of the regular season.

The Saints ended their season with three straight losses. New Orleans was outplayed by Dallas and Tampa Bay, then rested its starters and lost to Carolina in Week 17. There was some concern that the Saints lost their momentum. Clearly, they also are back on track after their two playoff wins.

Both teams enter the Super Bowl having eliminated all the "rust" questions that were asked before the playoffs began.

Colts offense vs. Saints defense

The Colts' win over the Jets told us a lot. The Jets went into the game with the idea that they were not going to let Dallas Clark and Reggie Wayne beat them. So the Colts simply adjusted and threw the ball to Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon. The way they came through shows you the depth and versatility of the Colts' receiving corps.

Of course, the man who makes it all go is Peyton Manning. He showed his usual poise and clutch play on Sunday. With the Colts trailing 17-6, he didn't panic. He found Collie and Garcon in favorable matchups and exploited them. In the Super Bowl he will face pressure again, from the magnitude of the game and the possible defensive schemes of the Saints, but what the AFC Championship Game showed is he has the confidence to go away from his top two targets, Wayne and Clark.

I think the Saints will struggle to cover the Colts' receivers. Their linebackers are not overly fast and will have trouble matching up with Clark. The Saints certainly don't have a cornerback who can compare with the Jets' Darrelle Revis. The Saints struggled late in the year when they had injuries at that position. They are healthy now, but I think they will have trouble in their matchups at corner and safety.

The Colts' offensive linemen play better as a group than they appear to do if broken down individually. The Saints have an edge when Sedrick Ellis is lined up against Colts guard Kyle DeVan. Ellis needs to have a big game, but he is not as good as Haloti Ngata of the Ravens, and Ngata was not a game-changer against the Colts. I do not think the Saints' pass rush will be strong enough to affect the Colts' passing game.

The Colts' running game is more of a secondary aspect to their offense. If you give them the run like the Jets did last Sunday they will take it, but they won't stay with it for a long time.

The Colts have the edge on this side of the ball. Minnesota moved the ball very well on New Orleans. Without the benefit of crowd noise to help the Saints' pass rush, the Colts' edge on offense grows.

Saints offense vs. Colts defense

The Saints also have an explosive offense. They will spread the ball around.

Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush give the Saints versatile backfield weapons. (Getty Images)

They do not have receivers as good as Wayne or Clark, but they all have things they can do very well. Marques Colston is an excellent route runner who has great hands and an excellent ability to reach out and catch passes away from his body. Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem give Drew Brees deep targets. Jeremy Shockey is an underneath receiver at this point in his career. He will not threaten the defense like he once did.

Reggie Bush gives Brees versatility as a receiver out of the backfield and Pierre Thomas can be effective on screen passes, as he showed last Sunday. Like Manning, Brees has a lot of options to throw to. I give the Colts the edge with their receivers over the New Orleans receivers, but the Saints will cause trouble for the Colts secondary. New Orleans might struggle with linebackers Clint Session and Gary Brackett, with their quickness and instincts in defending against the pass and the run.

The Colts are in better position on defense than the Saints. They can generate a better pass rush with Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis than the Saints with Bobby McCray and Will Smith. The Saints will have to devote two men to stop Freeney; left tackle Jermon Bushrod will not do it by himself. Mathis will be matched up with a fellow Pro Bowl selection in right tackle Jon Stinchcomb. I like Mathis in this matchup, too. The Saints' guards, Carl Nicks and Jahri Evans, are very good and give the Saints the edge on the inside.

The Saints make their running game a bigger part of their offense than the Colts and will stick with it longer. I think the Saints will be able to move the ball. For most of this year, Brees was playing as well as Manning, so he has the ability to cause the Colts defense a lot of problems. He is smart, a quick decision maker and an especially accurate passer. He also is a good athlete who can make plays out of the pocket.

Manning will have a slight edge at quarterback, but that will not be the difference in the game. The Saints can and should score points, and they hold a slight edge in their matchup with the Indianapolis defense.