In case you’ve been living under a rock, the New Orleans Saints won Super Bowl XLIV.  In what turned out to be a pretty great game, the underdog Saints battled hard to take the win.  It all started with an onside kick recovered by the Saints in the opening minutes of the second half.  But, it wasn’t until the third quarter that the Saints sealed the deal.

Peyton Manning threw a costly interception.  Cornerback Tracy Porter picked off a pass intended for Reggie Wayne and ran it in 74 yards for a touchdown with just 3:24 left on the clock.  That put the Saints up 31-17.  It was the same tactic used by Porter when he intercepted a pass off of Brett Favre in the final minutes of their Conference Championship game to secure their place in the Super Bowl.

Though the Colts dominated the first half of the game, they couldn’t seem to put together an effective play for most of the second half, and once Porter picked of Manning’s pass, all was lost.  The Saints went on to win their first Super Bowl in franchise history.  Drew Brees took home the MVP trophy and has secured his place among the great quarterbacks playing in the league.  This is after a severe throwing shoulder injury that could have ended his career.  New Orleans was the only team that would draft him, and it seems that it paid off.  It was a big win for a deserving team.

And so ends another fantastic season of the NFL, though before we wrap it all up, get to BetUS to put down a final wager.  They are offering odds on whether or not Brett Favre will return for another season or finally retire (for the third time):

Will Brett Favre in Week 1 of the 2010-11 Season?
Yes: -110
No: -130

Several Premier League clubs will be ruing missed chances after there were some surprise wins on the weekend. The title race looks to only have two contenders after Arsenal fell seven points behind second-placed Manchester United, but with mid-week matches on Tuesday and Wednesday, every team has a chance to close the deficit.

BetUS has already posted odds on every Week 25 game, so head over to place a wager on your favorite club. Here are a few of the best odds on offer at the moment:

Manchester City: -250
Draw: +335
Bolton Wanderers: +700

Arsenal: +110
Draw: +225
Liverpool: +250

Aston Villa: +300
Draw: +230
Manchester United: -110

Everton: +400
Draw: +240
Chelsea: -135

In the meantime, here’s a wrap of some of the best action that was played out over the weekend.

Liverpool (1) vs. Everton (0): The most surprising part of this fixture was the fact that only two players were sent off.

While it took 21 minutes for the first card to be produced, it certainly wasn’t the last. The Merseyside derby played out in much the same way as previous clashes, with a lot more fire than flair. Opportunities were plentiful only because of the excessive amount of free kicks awarded to both sides; three yellow cards in the first half could easily have doubled had the referee chosen to be less lenient.

No goals came from the opening exchange, but Tim Cahill had the best opportunity. A free header came his way, and the Australian found himself unmarked; with all the time in the world, the midfielder belted the ball just over the bar for a rare miss. Coming out for the second half, the Reds weren’t going to pass up any gilt-edged chances, and they made that clear when Dirk Kuyt converted a cross on 55 minutes. Everton’s day was made even worse when Steven Pienaar was sent off deep into stoppage time.

Hull City (2) vs. Manchester City (1): Following on from their encouraging draw against league leaders Chelsea mid-week, Hull managed to hold off Manchester City for all three points.

Confidence seems to be the key word for Hull City at the moment; their draw to the Pensioners was only the tip of the iceberg as they earned a valuable three points on the weekend. Climbing out of the relegation zone for the first time in weeks, Phil Brown’s squad created chance after chance in the first half. City simply couldn’t get a touch on the ball, and they were made to pay for it when Jozy Altidore scored his first Premier League goal in cracking fashion.

Going into the break one down, Roberto Mancini obviously had some fierce words for his players. They came out a different squad, but couldn’t do anything to stop George Boateng’s rocket on 54 minutes. Retaliation was swift however, as Emmanuel Adebayor scored a scrappy goal in the penalty area. Unfortunately for City, it simply wasn’t enough as Hull ran away with a rare victory.

Manchester United (5) vs. Portsmouth: (0): In an incredible 90 minutes of football, Portsmouth produced three own goals to see off any chance of causing an Old Trafford upset.

While the scoreline ended up 5-0, the most surprising fact was that it took 40 minutes for United to get on the board. While they had plenty of chances early on, the reigning champions simply couldn’t put any of them away; that all changed just before halftime though, as Wayne Rooney grabbed his 101^st Premier League goal. For the second week straight, Nani caused his opposition to create an own goal as his effort took two deflections before hitting the back of the neck.

With two goals so close to halftime, United were able to breathe a lot easier in the second. Their patience soon paid off when Michael Carrick’s effort took a wicked deflection off Michael Hughes and into his own net, just three minutes before Dimitar Berbatov scored one of the goals of the week. The icing on the cake came for United in the 69^th minute when Marc Wilson helped Pompey’s to a third own-goal.

Chelsea (2) vs. Arsenal (0): Chelsea once again moved to the top of the table with a comfortable 2-0 win over Arsenal; the Gunners are now three games without a win.

Arsene Wenger’s frustrations continued at Stamford Bridge as Didier Drogba ran circles around the Gunners’ defence. Only seven minutes into the match, the home side were already in front; Drogba hanging around on the far post managed to put away a teammate’s headed effort. A quarter of an hour later, the Ivorian doubled his winnings with his 22^nd goal of the season.

With a seven-point gap between second and third positions, it looks like Wenger’s side will once again miss out on any silverware. There is still enough time to get back in contention, but with Chelsea and United playing so well, it’s hard to see any club catching them.

Be sure head over to BetUS to make a wager on any of the 10 matches being played Tuesday and Wednesday.

As I’m sure everyone is aware, the biggest football game of the year is rapidly approaching.  There’s just over two days to go before the Colts and the Saints face off in Miami in Super Bowl XLIV and for all of you sportsbetting fans – aficionados and casual bettors alike – BetUS has gone crazy with Super Bowl fever.

In addition to their most up-to-date Super Bowl line, they are offering more props than you could possibly imagine. In fact, there are nearly 60 different categories to choose from.  This includes quite a few on different players and positions as well as first and second half props, quarter props, team props, team comparison props, and many, many more.  Here’s a look at some of the best and unusual on offer …

Peyton Manning total passing yards
Over 310 ½: -120
Under 310 ½: -110

Drew Brees total rushing attempts
Over 1 ½: +140
Under 1 ½: -170

First to score
Saints: +105
Colts: -135

National Anthem Length
Over 1 minute and 41 seconds: -110
Under 1 minute and 41 seconds: -130

Gatorade dumped on winning coach
Blue: +1000
Clear/Water: +150
Lime Green: +600
Orange: +500
Red: +1000
Yellow: -130

How many times will Kim Kardashian be shown on TV?
Over 2 ½ total TV shots: -130
Under 2 ½ total TV shots: -110

Pete Townsend total windmills
Over 5 ½: -200
Under 5 ½ +150

There are plenty more where that came from, so get to BetUS to read through their full list of props available.  While you’re there, check out the Super Bowl line to put down a wager on your favorite team.  Don’t forget that BetUS is also offering live betting throughout the big game, which means that the betting fun doesn’t have end after the kickoff.

Go Colts!