Saints Work OT, Earn 1st Super Bowl Berth

The New Orleans Saints are heading to their first Super Bowl after battering Brett Favre and beating the Minnesota Vikings in overtime tonight, 31-28, on unheralded Garrett Hartley's 40-yard field goal. Favre threw away Minnesota's best chance to win, tossing an interception to Tracy Porter deep in New Orleans territory in the closing seconds of regulation. Then the Saints won the coin toss and, in short order, a ticket to Miami to face the Indianapolis Colts.

The team that had no home 5 years ago, after Hurricane Katrina ravaged its city and the Superdome, overcame a slew of mistakes in the biggest game the Big Easy has ever seen. "This is for everybody in this city," said coach Sean Payton, the architect of the Saints' turnaround. "This stadium used to have holes in it and used to be wet. It's not wet anymore. This is for the city of New Orleans." (More New Orleans Saints stories.)