MIAMI – While much of the pre-Super Bowl hype has focused on quarterbacks Rex Grossman and Peyton Manning, Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson could make the biggest impact in Sunday’s game.

Sharing the workload, the Bears running backs have combined to rush for 294 yards and 5 touchdowns on 76 carries in playoff victories over the Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints.

Thomas Jones has rushed for 189 yards and 4 TDs on 40 carries in two playoff victories.

“You need at least two good running backs to make it through a season, especially if you call yourself a running football team,” said coach Lovie Smith. “We are a running football team. We get off the plane running the ball. It’s a lot of punishment the players will take during the course of the season.”

Some questioned why the Bears would select Benson with the fourth pick in the 2005 draft when they already had Jones. But it was all part of the master plan to bolster the power running game.

“You have to continue to add good players,” Smith said. “We liked what we could get in that slot when Cedric came around. The offensive line has done a super job and both of our running backs have remained injury-free for the most part, and that was our plan going into the season.”

In rushing for 1,210 yards and 6 touchdowns on 296 carries, Jones became the first Bears running back to post back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons since Neal Anderson did so three straight years from 1988 through 1990.

The former Virginia star feels that his running style meshes perfectly with the Bears offense.

“I like to accelerate through holes, and our offensive line does a great job with staying with their guys,” he said.

“Depending on what plays we run, I have kind of two ways to go, and with my style I am kind of shifty, so if I don’t see a hole front side I am quick enough to cut back if I see guys that are out of position or out of place. It is a nice mixture of power plays, misdirection plays and zone plays, and I think that I run all three of those plays pretty well.”

While most running backs would prefer to tote the entire load, Jones realizes that splitting carries is beneficial.

“It is something that has been good for our team this year,” Jones said. “It has kept me fresh and has given us a nice one-two punch. I think that we complement each other well the way that we run. We have different running styles, and that is something that has been very successful for us this year.

“He is more of a downhill guy. He is going to take a guy head-up a majority of the time. His main thing when he gets to the open field is punishing guys. He likes to go head first and that is kind of intimidating for defensive backs.

“While they try to tackle him, I come in and I am kind of shifty and I will take a guy on if I have to, but I would rather make a guy miss and get extra yards. This is how we complement each other.”

The Bears running game has thrived in part because Jones and Benson both have accepted their roles.

“Both guys have bought into it,” said offensive coordinator Ron Turner. “We feel they are both very good players and we want to utilize both their strengths. We’ll continue to play both of them at various times, and if one of them gets hot, running really well, we’ll stick with them.

“Right now they are both playing well. I think it helps because it keeps them both fresh. You get in the second half and both of them have had a chance to get some rest and get a break.”

In the Super Bowl Sunday, the Bears will face a Colts run defense that ranked last in the NFL during the regular season, yielding 173 yards per game. But Indianapolis has improved dramatically in the post-season, permitting an average of only 73 yards on the ground in three playoff victories.

Many have credited the Colts' resurgence to the return of hard-hitting safety Bob Sanders, who missed all but four regular-season games with a knee injury.

“That’s oversimplifying it and not giving enough credit to the rest of the guys, but I think that is the difference,” Turner said. “Sanders came in and gave them some energy, gave them some confidence. He flies around, he plays so hard, he plays so fast and he’s such a good player.

“I think everyone else kind of picked up on that and they’re all playing better. They’re all playing really well right now. So much of sports is confidence. They had to put together a couple of good games and all of a sudden they started believing and they started making the plays.”