But Manning and the Colts got the early-game jitters over with quickly and soon turned the momentum of the game on a 53-yard touchdown pass from Manning to wide receiver Reggie Wayne. The Bears took the lead back late in the first quarter on a Rex Grossman-to-Muhsin Muhammad touchdown before the Colts ran off 16 unanswered points of their own to take control of the game.
Still the Bears had an opportunity to pull the contest out as they took control of the ball early in the fourth quarter down by just five points. But as they did through much of the playoffs, the Colts defense came up big to seal the victory when cornerback Kelvin Hayden intercepted a Grossman pass and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown.
Manning was 25-of-38 for 247 yards, often taking the short-to-intermediate options as the Bears cover two defense protected against the big play. And while his numbers weren't exactly eye-popping, especially by his lofty standards, they were good enough to earn him Super Bowl MVP honors. Perhaps more importantly, he finally had the championship monkey off his back and effectively silenced his critics in the process.