More than an NFL championship will be on the line when the Colts and Bears clash in Super Bowl XLI on Sunday night in Miami: it's the battle for respect.

For Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts, it's a chance to show the critics that they can win the "big one."

Quarterback Peyton Manning will try to lead the Colts to their first Super Bowl title since the club moved from Baltimore to Indianapolis in 1984.
(Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Rex Grossman and the Chicago Bears are looking to silence the pundits who said they don't even deserve to be here.

The Colts have not won the championship since moving from Baltimore to Indianapolis in 1984: the Baltimore Colts won the Super Bowl in 1970. The Bears won their only Super Bowl in 1986.

The Colts are solid favourites to win the game, but the Bears are feeding off their underdog status and playing the "no respect" card.

"We've been underdogs all season long," said Bears Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Urlacher. "We've played into that role pretty well. We won 15 games this season for a reason. Analysts picked against us even in our playoff games. It's something we like."

Chicago, to a degree, comes into Sunday's game as the underdog as a result of the apparent disparity between the American Football Conference and National Football Conference.

Some playoff observers considered many teams in the AFC — including the Colts, San Diego Chargers, Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots — to be superior to teams in the NFC, including Chicago.

The Bears didn't exactly offer overwhelming evidence for the naysayers in their inter-conference games. They hammered a Buffalo Bills team in transition early in the season and had to claw out a 10-0 win over the New York Jets.

But they also lost in a turnover-ridden game against New England, and more disturbingly, they were hammered by a Joey Harrington-led Miami Dolphins.

When the Bears have the ball

Chicago's Thomas Jones has been a steady runner, more apt to lull the opposition with a series of runs than burst for a spectacular play.

His 33-yard run in the NFC Championship was 11 yards better than the longest gain by either he or fellow Bears running back Cedric Benson in the regular season.

The much-maligned Grossman fluctuated wildly from terrific to awful in the regular season, but in two playoff games, he's been good enough to keep the team from losing.

Even beyond Grossman's personal struggles this season, one of the more interesting battlegrounds will be when Chicago takes to the air.

Grossman converted on big passes to Bernard Berrian and Rashied Davis in playoff games against the Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints, though it must be said that both secondaries on those teams left something to be desired.

Chicago's receiving corps includes Grossman's close friend Muhsin Muhammad. The nominal top receiver on the club, he has underperformed in the playoffs and the quarterback figures to try and get him into the game early.

The Bears will need to establish an offensive presence early, especially if the Colts put up their share of points. Should Chicago trail the Colts and be forced into having Grossman try and make things happen, the game could turn into a blowout.

When the Colts have the ball

With expectations lower than in previous seasons, the Colts have made it to the championship from the wild card position, winning three games.

They, too, are playing with a bit of a chip on their shoulders, the result of losses to New England and the Pittsburgh Steelers that contributed to their "can't win" tag.

"You've got a team that's a little ticked off," Manning said this week. "There are guys who will play that way. I think you need that to rebound from last season."

Much has been made of Manning's sub-par statistics in this post-season. He's thrown only one touchdown and been intercepted six times.

But the fact that Manning hasn't produced a sensational performance in three games — a lengthy span for him — has to be cause for a bit of concern for Bears fans.

As well, even if the Colts had to settle for five Adam Vinatieri field goals in their win over Baltimore, there aren't many other quarterbacks who could even move their teams into scoring position five times in one game against the vaunted Ravens defence.

While Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark have been threats down the field, the Colts will need all-time leading receiver Marvin Harrison to step up. Harrison hasn't been much of a factor in the playoffs, with 10 catches and no touchdowns.

Much like the Bears, Indianapolis utilizes two men in their backfield. While many thought the team would miss star running back Edgerrin James when he left for the Arizona Cardinals, it has actually made their ground attack less predictable.

Rookie Joseph Addai had a strong season and usually gets the bulk of carries, while Dominic Rhodes is a powerful runner with the ball.

The Colts have successfully chewed up time with their running backs in the post-season and will need to do it one more time.

With files from the Associated Press