MIAMI – After shutting down the Saints' No. 1-ranked offense to win the NFC championship, the Bears are preparing to face what many consider to be an even greater challenge in Super Bowl XLI.

The Indianapolis Colts are led by the incomparable Peyton Manning, a seven-time Pro Bowler who topped the league this season with 31 touchdown passes and a 101.0 passer rating.

Brian Urlacher and the Bears will face a Colts passing game that ranked second in the NFL this season.

“Manning has been the best player in the NFL for the last couple years,” said linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer. “If you look at what he’s done and what he means to their offense, there’s no one in the NFL who’s more important to their team’s success as an individual than he is.”

Manning proved that again this season, completing 65 percent of his passes for 4,397 yards. He advanced to his first Super Bowl by connecting on 27 of 47 passes for 349 yards in a 38-34 comeback victory over the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.

“He’s got a strong, accurate arm, and he knows the defenses,” said defensive end Adewale Ogunleye. “He puts his offense in the best possible situations. We’ve got to get him off track, because once he gets rolling, he’s pretty hard to stop.”

The Bears learned that lesson during the 2004 season when Manning tossed four touchdown passes to lead the Colts to a 41-10 rout at Soldier Field.

“His ball-placement is almost perfect,” said linebacker Lance Briggs. “When I watched the last time we played them when they spanked us, he made some throws in the corner of the end zone that were amazing. Nathan Vasher had great coverage and there was nothing he could do about it. He was as advertised.”

The Bears respect Manning, but they know that he’s not invincible. After throwing nine TD passes and no interceptions in his last three regular-season games, the Colts superstar has tossed just two TD passes and six interceptions in three playoff victories. In the post-season, Manning’s passer rating is just 66.8, more than eight points lower than Rex Grossman’s 75.4.

“There are quite a few challenges we will face against Peyton,” said coach Lovie Smith. “He is a coach on the field. He studies the game as well as anyone. He has a great arm. He is an excellent leader. All of his teammates believe in him. He is that perfect mold that you draw up when you are looking for a quarterback.”

A Bears defense that led the NFL with 44 takeaways and tied for eighth with 40 sacks is determined to generate pressure on Manning, who was sacked only 14 times this season.

“He knows exactly where the defensive linemen are going to be at all times,” Ogunleye said. “He knows what his linemen are capable of, and how long they are capable of blocking. He doesn’t hold the ball longer than that.

“The play-action pass is really good. They do a really good job of mixing it up. The defensive lines, in watching film, get stuck at the line of scrimmage because they’re not sure if it’s a run or pass. With any defense the mindset is stop the run first. You’ve got to respect that.”

Manning was only sacked twice in Indianapolis’ last five regular-season games.

“It’s hard to get guys in his face because they do such a good job protecting him and he gets rid of the football so fast,” said middle linebacker Brian Urlacher. “He sees things coming really quick and he gets rid of the football or he checks out of it.

“No quarterback likes pressure. You get guys in his face or at his feet, they are not going to like it and they may make some bad throws. It’s one thing to say, but you’ve got to do it. No one has really been able to do it all year against them, especially with the way they run the football and being more physical than they have in the past.”

Manning has an array of explosive weapons at his disposal, led by wide receivers Marvin Harrison (95 receptions for 1,366 yards and 12 TDs) and Reggie Wayne (86-1,310-9). Like the Bears, the Colts also boast a dangerous 1-2 combo in the backfield with running backs Joseph Addai  (226 carries for 1,081 yards and 7 TDs) and Dominic Rhodes (187-641-5).

“Indianapolis has a great quarterback,” said safety Chris Harris. “They have a very good running game, and they have two of the best receivers in the league. We’re going to have our hands full.

“It should be pretty fun. They’re going to hit us with a lot of stuff. What we’re going to have to do is stop their running game and try to force them into a one-dimensional team.”

Manning is adept at running a no-huddle offense, seemingly changing plays at the line of scrimmage while gesturing wildly with his hands as he stalks back and forth between the tackles.

“You can’t get caught up in all of that,” Ogunleye said. “The good thing about this game is that it’s one shot, and we’re going to give it all we have. We’re not going to worry about the audibles. We’re not going to worry about what he’s doing at the line of scrimmage. At the end of the day, he’s going to have to call a play. Hopefully, we’ll be ready for that play.”