The unofficial holiday known as Super Bowl Sunday has finally arrived. There are plenty of subplots surrounding the much anticipated matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV, such as NFL Most Valuable Player Peyton Manning vs. runner-up Drew Brees, or Peyton and the Colts vs. father Archie's former Saints team.

But when it is all said and done the only story anyone cares about is how the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints perform on Sunday. I've broken down each team to get a first look at how Sunday's game might play out.

Offense

Indianapolis Colts

Passing

The Colts ranked second in the league in passing offense in the regular season and it was because of one simple reason: Peyton Manning. Manning put together an NFL-record fourth MVP-season as he led the Colts to a 14-2 record in the regular season. While the Saints offense may score a lot of style points, the Colts simply score touchdowns. They aren't flashy but this second-ranked passing attack is a well-oiled machine that will efficiently bowl over its opponents when it gains momentum.

Manning has a plethora of weapons in his arsenal including Pro Bowlers Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark. This offense also owes some of its success to emerging young stars, rookie wide receiver Austin Collie and second-year wide receiver Pierre Garcon. Collie and Garcon lead the team in receiving yards in the postseason, combining for 360 yards and snagging three of Manning's five postseason passing touchdowns.

Rushing

The Colts running game this season has been abysmal. They ranked dead last in the league averaging a mere 80.9 yards per game in the regular season. Joseph Addai was the leading rusher with 828 yards to go with a 3.8 yards per-carry-average and 10 rushing touchdowns. This rushing attack has been equally ineffective in the postseason.

New Orleans Saints

Passing

When it comes to the Saints passing offense one word comes to mind: explosive. Much like the Colts, this Saints offense starts with its quarterback Drew Brees. Brees finished second in MVP voting to none other than Manning, and put together an MVP-caliber-season of his own while leading his team to a 13-3 record. Head coach Sean Payton is an offensive guru: a mad scientist if you will, who is always coming up with innovative ways to score.

The Saints find ways to create mismatches by utilizing every member of their offense. Most fans know Marques Colston by now, but the emergence of other players such as Tennessee product Robert Meachem helped this offense take it to the next level. With controversial tight end Jeremy Shockey playing up to his potential, this offense is lethal.

Rushing

Drew Brees and the Saints passing offense gets much deserved attention, but the Saints running game is what makes this offense work. The Saints quietly ranked sixth in rushing in the regular season and used a committee of backs that included Denver Broncos castaway, Mike Bell, Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush. Together this group averaged 131.6 yards per game in the regular season on their way to a combined rushing total of 1,837 yards along with 16 rushing touchdowns.

Their success has carried into the postseason as they have combined for 216 yards rushing through two playoff games. The Saints use a lot of trickery in the running game with reverses and other unorthodox running plays in order to keep defenses accountable. With this solid running game, the Saints are very effective in play-action.

Offensive Edge

Push. Two great quarterbacks with tons of talent around them. The Saints are more balanced but the Colts still have Manning under center. Both offenses should dominate on Sunday.

Defense

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts are headlined by Peyton Manning and the offense, but the defensive unit undoubtedly helped them to the Super Bowl. This is an underrated unit that is led by Pro Bowl defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, who combined for 23 of the 34 sacks by this defense. The defense ranks a pedestrian 18th in yards per game allowed, but it ranks eighth in scoring defense, surrendering only 19.2 points per game.

This is a defense that held the first ranked rushing offense in the regular season, the New York Jets, to a meager 83 yards rushing in the AFC Championship Game. However, the Indianapolis defense has a huge question mark in Freeney, who suffered a torn ankle ligament in the AFC Championship Game. If Freeney cannot play effectively and Indy's pass-rush plummets, look for Brees and the Saints to have a big day.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints made three acquisitions in the offseason that really gave a boost to their defense, when they added defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and signed All-Pro safety Darren Sharper and cornerback Jabari Greer. Williams brought his swagger to the Saints defense that forced 39 turnovers in the regular season and leads all teams in the postseason with seven turnovers. A lot of those can be attributed to Sharper as he had nine of the team's 26 interceptions.

Williams hinted last week that his defensive unit will be following a similar game plan this Sunday to the one that made Brett Favre actually want to retire after he was pummeled in the NFC Championship Game. This defense will have to get pressure on Peyton Manning if the Saints want to win this game. If they can't get the Colts offense out of rhythm, then Manning will pick the defense apart.

Defensive Edge

The Colts. This is assuming Freeney decides to play through injury and hobble around the field on Sunday, a la Terrell Owens in Super Bowl XXXIX. If Freeney is unable to play it's a toss-up. Both defenses are overshadowed by their offenses, but they aren't the teams' Achilles heel either. No one is expecting either of these defenses to shut down Peyton Manning and Co. or Drew Brees and the Who Dat nation, but the defense that can slow down the adversarial offense will likely win this game.

Special Teams

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts were below-average in the return game ranking, No. 18 in return yards in the regular season and falling dead last in punt return yardage. The Colts found a gem in last season's draft, rookie punter Pat McAfee out of West Virginia, who ranked fifth in punt average in the regular season. Clutch kicker Adam Vinatieri was successful on 7-of-9 field goals before going down with an injury. Seasoned kicker Matt Stover filled in successfully, making 9-of-11 attempted field goals in the regular season.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints have a very successful return game, ranking fourth in return yards in the regular season and first in the postseason. Reggie Bush has been unstoppable on punt returns in the postseason averaging a whopping 27.3 yards on his four returns, including an 83-yard scamper to the end zone against the Arizona Cardinals in the divisional playoff round.

Veteran kicker John Carney made 13-of-17 field goals in the regular season before being replaced by Garrett Hartley, who was successful on 9-of-11 attempts. Punter Thomas Morstead was above-average in the regular season, and never seemed to put the Saints in a bad position.

Special Teams EDGE

The Saints have an explosive return game spearheaded by Bush, and the Colts special teams will have to play disciplined in order to keep it in check. Special teams can change the momentum of a game in an instant so it cannot be overlooked by either team. The kickers of both teams will likely spend more time kicking extra points rather than field goals on Sunday with two powerful offenses.

Verdict

IND 34 NO 28

Super Bowl XLIV features two explosive offenses, and it will be up to the defensive squads to taper this potential shoot-out. This game has potential to be a classic Ali vs. Frazier slugfest, and I wouldn't be surprised if it is decided in the final seconds of the game. I pick the Colts today, but by the time the game kicks off my mind could change completely. This has been one of the hardest Super Bowls to pick with both teams so evenly matched. The only thing I am sure of is that Super Bowl XLIV will be filled with plenty of fireworks as the NFL's best go head-to-head.