The Super Bowl XLIV odds are a big showdown between two excellent offenses. We all know about the Indianapolis Colts explosive offense and the New Orleans Saints had the No. 1 unit in the NFL. Furthermore, we all know about Peyton Manning and Drew Brees. Here is a position-by-position breakdown of the offenses minus the quarterback comparison, which is a wash.

Running Backs

While the quarterback matchup is basically even, the Saints have the edge in the backfield. Talent-wise, Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas are probably only slightly better than Joseph Addai and Donald Brown, but the edge clearly goes to the Saints in productivity.

They just find a way to have offensive balance while the Colts don’t.

Offensive Line

Both teams have similar offensive lines in caliber and both teams have Pro Bowlers in their front five but when you boil it down, numbers speak the loudest.

The Colts offense allowed only 13 sacks on the year and three of them came when the backups were in and Curtis Painter was playing quarterback in the last two weeks.

By the numbers, the Colts have the edge here.

Receivers

This is another area where the race is tight but the Colts have the slight edge when you do the math and they again leave with the edge.

Reggie Wayne is a better receiver than Marques Colston, Pierre Garcon is more rounded than Robert Meachem while Austin Collie and Devery Henderson are probably about even but offer different skills.

Meanwhile, Dallas Clark is a Pro Bowl tight end while Jeremy Shockey is battling a knee injury.

When you add it up, the Colts have the better pound-for-pound unit and the better pound-for-pound offense.