After everything Drew Brees, the Saints and the city of New Orleans had to endure just to make it to Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday night, overcoming a double-digit deficit to knock off Peyton Manning and the mighty Colts, 31-17, probably felt like one of the simpler steps on their long road to redemption.

Spotting the Colts a 10-point lead before outscoring them 31-7 over the game’s final three quarters?

Psssh. Don’t call that a comeback.

That’s nothing considering what it took for them to get to the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history.

Brees battled back from a career-threatening injury to his throwing shoulder in 2005 that made him a pigskin pariah. The Saints — the Aints no more — transformed themselves from punchline and punching bag to a formidable team that was given a puncher’s chance against Indianapolis.

And then there is good ol’ N’awlins, the battered city the Saints uplifted with their unlikely playoff run in 2006 — and whose remarkable (and ongoing) comeback story inspired the team right back. New Orleans will never be the same after Katrina. But thanks, in part, to the spiritual boost provided by the resurgent Saints, the city has bounced back from one of the deadliest hurricanes in American history.

Then in Miami, with a cryptic combo of karma, destiny and Brees going in their favor, the Saints penned a perfect ending to one of the greatest feel-good stories in American sports history by winning their first Lombardi Trophy.

Having all that karma and destiny — if you believe in those sorts of things — on their side was nice, but they probably could have gotten by with just Brees alone.

Brees was dialed in, completing 32 of 39 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns. He connected on 29 of his final 32 throws, which is extra impressive considering one incompletion was a spike to stop the clock and another was one of the Saints’ two drops. More from the crazy stats department: During New Orleans’ go-ahead touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter, Brees threw seven passes to seven different receivers, completing all of them.

It was one of the best Super Bowl performances of all time from one of the most precise passers in NFL history.

“Four years ago, whoever thought this would happen?” Brees said, fighting back tears, during a postgame interview.

Well, the Who Dat Nation, for one, but that’s about it. Now the Saints’ rise to the top has the rest of the nation wondering who’s next? The Bills? The Bungles? Even the Browns? If those Aints can win it, anyone can, right?

Eh, maybe not. These Saints were simply special.

Brees was rightfully named the game’s MVP, but New Orleans got contributions from throughout its roster. Marques Colston had seven catches. Jeremy Shockey, who has a redemption story of his own, got the go-ahead score. Towson grad Jermon Bushrod and the Saints offensive line allowed one sack. Kicker Garrett Hartley couldn’t miss.

The Saints defense put the squeeze on Peyton after the Colts’ hot start. And when cornerback Tracy Porter outsmarted the master by baiting him into a pick-six, the Manning talk quickly changed from “G.O.A.T.” to “goat!”

Hell, even kickoff specialist Thomas Morstead was a hero (yes, really) with his crafty, game-changing onside kick.

It seemed as if all 53 Saints players had a hand in the win. But the thousands of black-and-gold-clad fans who swarmed Bourbon Street after the game played their own roles in this redemption story. “Everybody back in New Orleans gets a piece of this trophy,” coach Sean Payton said.

Those folks really know how to make a comeback, too.

Matt Vensel is a content creator for b. E-mail him at matt@bthesite.com.

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