As the NFL playoffs are set to begin, 28% of football fans believe the Indianapolis Colts will emerge as champions when all is said and done. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of 719 fans found that 14% believe the Dallas Cowboys will win it all, 13% pick the Minnesota Vikings, 11% say it will be the San Diego Chargers, and 9% pick the New Orleans Saints to go all the way.
In
December, when the Colts and Saints were both undefeated, 29% thought the team from Indianapolis would win it all while 26% picked New Orleans.
One reason for the confidence in the Colts is Peyton Manning. Forty-four percent (44%) say he’s the best quarterback in the game today. Eighteen percent (18%) believe that title belongs to Brett Favre while 11% think it’s Drew Brees.
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There are doubts, though, about the Colts strategy. Only 43% agree with the team’s decision to rest starters and coast during the final two weeks of the season rather than seek a perfect 16-0 record. Forty-seven percent (47%) believe it was a mistake.
While expectations for a Saints victory have fallen, they are the team with the most fans at the moment. Seventeen percent (17%) of football fans are rooting for New Orleans while Indianapolis and Dallas are each being cheered on by 16%. Fifteen percent (15%) are pulling for the Vikings and no other team reaches double digits.
Colts fans are the most confident—74% expect their team to win it all. Just 34% of Saints fans say the same.
Rounding out the playoff teams, 5% expect the New England Patriots to win, 4% pick the Philadelphia Eagles, and three teams are tied at 2%--the Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, and New York Jets. Bringing up the rear are the Baltimore Ravens, picked by just 1% to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the Super Bowl this year.
