Peyton Manning was finally able to lead the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl title last season. Drew Brees would like the same for himself and the New Orleans Saints this year.

The 2007 NFL season opens Thursday night as Manning and the Colts begin defense of their title when they host the Saints in a matchup of teams with the potential to meet again in February.

After winning 12 or more games in four straight seasons and reaching the AFC title game in 2003, Manning and the Colts finally claimed a Super Bowl championship by beating the Chicago Bears 29-17 last February in Miami. It was the Colts' second title in franchise history and first since moving to Indianapolis in 1984.

It also - at least for the time being - quieted Manning's critics who felt the future Hall of Famer was unable to lead his team to a title.

Manning, who completed 65 percent of his passes for 4,397 yards, 31 touchdowns and a career-low nine interceptions during the 2006 regular season, was 25-for-38 for 247 yards with a touchdown and an interception to earn Super Bowl MVP honors.

Though some pressure is off, Manning might have an even tougher task as the Colts look to become the ninth team to win consecutive Super Bowls.

With four starters gone via free agency and three-time Pro Bowl left tackle Tarik Glenn retired, Indianapolis is taking a back seat to New England and San Diego as the favorite to represent the AFC in Super Bowl XLII in Arizona on Feb. 3, 2008.

"It's uncharted territory for most of us," said Manning, who was 20-of-25 for 314 yards and a career-high six touchdowns in a 55-21 win over New Orleans on Sept. 28, 2003, in the teams' most recent meeting. "All we really know how to do is to work hard and get on the same page. That's all we've done, that's all I've ever known."

New Orleans, meanwhile, has become one of the favorites in the NFC to reach its first Super Bowl after an improbable and emotional run in 2006 ended with a 39-14 loss at Chicago in the conference championship game.

Coming off a 3-13 season in 2005 and the lingering effects Hurricane Katrina left on the Gulf Coast area, New Orleans finished 10-6, won the NFC South title and captivated not only a city, but a nation.

Behind Brees, the runner-up to San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson for the NFL MVP, New Orleans led the league in total offensive yards (6,387), passing yards (4,503) and scored a franchise-best 416 points.

"I still feel like we've only scratched the surface as an offense," said Brees, who in his first year with the Saints led the league in passing with a career-high 4,418 yards. "We've got a lot of weapons and we've got a lot of balls to be spread around. I'm excited about the possibilities and the opportunity we have."

The Saints will get that opportunity against an Indianapolis defense with two new starters at cornerback - Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Hayden - to replace Nick Harper and Jason David (now in New Orleans), who were lost in free agency.

Also playing elsewhere is defensive tackle Corey Simon and linebacker Monte Reagor, while defensive tackle Anthony McFarland was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury.

Hard-hitting safety Bob Sanders appears healthy after missing 12 games in 2007 because of injuries and 6-foot-2, 296-pound rookie Ed Johnson is slated to replace McFarland up front.

"I think we are a little faster in some areas and I think we're playing faster," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "We look to be more physical, which is a good thing."

The Colts biggest concern last season was their inability to stop the run and it could be the same in 2007, but there appears to be improvement.

Indianapolis allowed 5.3 yards per carry and was last in the league against the run in 2006, but yielded 4.1 yards in the playoffs and 3.2 during the preseason.

While the defense looks to improve, Pro Bowl receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne - who combined for 181 receptions and 21 TDs last season -- will help Manning.

Second-year running back Joseph Addai, who rushed for 1,081 yards on 226 carries in 2006 in an offense that averaged 26.7 points and recorded 4,308 passing yards - second to New Orleans - has a season to build on.

Manning is also confident rookie Tony Ugoh will play well in Glenn's place.

Though the Saints don't have the track record of the Colts' offense, they have the potential to be just as potent for years to come.

In addition to Brees, who threw for 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and led the team to a 6-2 road record, perennial 1,000-yard rusher Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush work well in the backfield.

McAllister rushed for 1,057 yards and 10 TDs in 2006, and Bush finished an impressive rookie season with a team-leading 88 catches for 742 yards, while rushing for 565 yards on 155 carries.

Receiver Marques Colston is no longer the little-known talent he was during his rookie season when he caught 70 passes for 1,038 yards and eight touchdowns.

Defensively, the Saints finished second in the league by allowing 232.6 yards per game and could improve with the additions of David and linebacker Brian Simmons through free agency.

It all leaves the Saints with some lofty expectations.

"What has happened in previous years isn't necessarily a predictor of what will happen this season," said Saints coach Sean Payton, the 2006 NFL Coach of the Year. "I feel comfortable that this team understands it's a different season. The goal that we set out for last year we fell short of, in regards to playing for a championship. Yet, those are the right types of goals that you set. I think our players understand that and will be able to handle that."

The high-powered Louisville offense picked up right where it left off from a year ago in coach Steve Kragthorpe's debut last week. Quarterback Brian Brohm, though, believes the unit can get even better.

The 10th-ranked Cardinals look for another offensive outburst and try to win their 20th straight home game when they face Middle Tennessee on Thursday night.

Louisville had one of the nation's most prolific offenses last season, gaining the third-most yards (6,179) and averaging the fifth-most points (37.8) under former coach Bobby Petrino.

The Kragthorpe era began with a similar offensive performance, as Louisville racked up 655 yards in last Thursday's 73-10 win over Murray State.

"A lot of people thought we were going to have a drop-off after we swapped coaches," said senior wide receiver Harry Douglas, who had five receptions for 151 yards and two touchdowns. "We just wanted to come out here and show everybody what we could do and get better as a football team."

Brohm needed little time to find the end zone, hitting Douglas for a 44-yard touchdown pass on Louisville's first offensive play of the season. Brohm, in his final play of the game, also connected with Douglas for a 59-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the second half to make the score 56-10.

The Cardinals' 73 points were their most since scoring 79 against Ogden in 1926 and they extended their home winning streak to 19, the second-longest in the country behind Southern California.

"Brian was very sharp. He's a surgeon out there," Kragthorpe said. "He gets us in the right play and he was very sharp from a mental standpoint, in total command."

Brohm, a Heisman Trophy hopeful, completed 16 of 21 passes for 375 yards and four touchdowns in just over a half of work.

"We really didn't show a lot of our offensive package today," Brohm said. "I thought we executed well on offense. We still have a lot of things to work on for improvement."

One of the only areas on offense where the Cardinals could improve would be throwing more passes to wide receiver Mario Urrutia.

The 6-foot-6, 228-pound junior had 58 catches for 973 yards last season, but had just two receptions for 55 yards in the opener. Urrutia had one of his best games last year against Middle Tennessee, though, catching four passes for 134 yards and two TDs.

In the first meeting between these two schools last Oct. 6, the Cardinals won 44-17 at Middle Tennessee. Brohm missed the game because of a hand injury, and Louisville actually fell behind 10-3 in the first quarter.

While the Cardinals' offense scored on all but one of its possessions Thursday, the revamped defense was not quite as brilliant.

The Racers tied the game at 7 with just over eight minutes left in the first quarter, and the Cardinals' defense allowed them to hold the ball for long stretches and missed several tackles. The Cardinals gave up 130 rushing yards and 141 passing yards.

Louisville's defense may have better luck against Middle Tennessee, which totaled 199 yards passing and just 18 on the ground in a 27-14 loss to Florida Atlantic in Saturday's season opener.

The Blue Raiders, the Sun Belt Conference co-champions in 2006, turned the ball over four times and fell behind 24-0 in the fourth quarter before two late scores.

Junior quarterback Joe Craddock completed 20 of 32 passes for 199 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in his first collegiate start.

Senior DeMarco McNair, who had 586 rushing yards last season, led Middle Tennessee with 16 rushing yards on 10 carries. The team needed 32 attempts to get 18 yards on the ground.

The Blue Raiders are 0-2 against Big East teams, and have lost all 11 of their games against ranked opponents since joining the Football Bowl Subdivision in 1999.