Mardi Gras in Miami as Saints win first Super Bowl

The New Orleans Saints completed their long-awaited transformation from chumps to champions by defeating the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 in the Super Bowl on Sunday to claim their first NFL title.

New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees completed 32 of 39 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns as he out-duelled the Colts' Peyton Manning to help the Saints recover from a 10-point first-quarter deficit.

"We just believed in ourselves," said Brees, who was named Most Valuable Player (MVP).

"We knew we had an entire city, maybe an entire country behind us. We're feeling it was all meant to be. It was destiny. Mardi Gras may never end."

The Mardi Gras-style celebration in the chilly Dolphin Stadium began when cornerback Tracy Porter picked off a Manning pass with just over three minutes left and raced 74 yards for a score to give the Saints a 31-17 lead.

"It's the kind of play we run a lot and Porter just made a great play," said a dejected Manning, a former New Orleans resident who finished with 31 completions in 45 attempts for 333 yards, one touchdown and that one very costly interception.

"Just very disappointing."

The Saints have been a ray of hope for beleaguered New Orleans since 2005 when Hurricane Katrina slammed the Gulf Coast, leaving death and destruction in its wake.

"Coming to New Orleans and having that opportunity there was definitely a calling," said Brees. "It was an opportunity that not many get in their entire life, to come to a city that had just been devastated by a natural disaster.

"Not only were we rebuilding an organisation and a team, but also a city and a region. It was a mentality that we've been through so much yet we're going to come back stronger."

The Saints fans among the 75,000 in Dolphin Stadium erupted after Porter's pickoff, knowing their first title was imminent. Thousands stayed well after the game to savour the moment.

"The stadium atmosphere was a huge edge for us," said Saints coach Sean Payton. "I felt like we took the lid off the Superdome and it was outside. It was clearly a Saints crowd and we were happy about that."