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MIAMI (AP) — Peyton Manning spent the entire season building toward a Super Bowl crown, a win that certainly would ensure his place among the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.

And then he threw it all away.

Blocked onto his rear end, the Indianapolis quarterback could only watch as Tracy Porter returned an interception for a clinching, 74-yard touchdown in the final minutes Sunday night to give the New Orleans Saints a 31-17 victory over Manning's Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.

"It's time for the Saints to celebrate," Manning said afterward. "It's their field and it's their championship."

It was a startling end to a game that seemed destined to be in Manning's strong right hand. It was the lone turnover of a back-and-forth thriller. Who could have predicted that the big mistake of the biggest game would be made by Manning?

Yet there he was, sitting on the grass after brawny Saints defensive end Will Smith knocked down the quarterback as he tried to get in Porter's way. Manning took a glance over his left shoulder toward the end zone, unbuckled his chin strap, stood up and simply walked toward the bench.

"We played well in the first playoff game, played well two weeks ago," Manning said. "We just didn't make enough plays against the Saints."

All week, the story line for the Super Bowl was this: Could Manning, a New Orleans boy through and through, deny the Saints in a game they desperately wanted to win for their city?

Turned out Manning did help his hometown win its first Super Bowl.

Until Porter cut in front of wide receiver Reggie Wayne, Manning seemed to be in charge. The four-time league MVP did his dance at the line of scrimmage, putting his teammates in position, and completed passes all over the field.

The Colts set an NFL record with seven fourth-quarter comebacks this season, and surely most everyone at Sun Life Stadium thought Manning was at it again. Down 24-17, the Colts were driving toward a potential tying score until Porter's interception sealed it for the Saints with 3:12 to play.

Manning had been MVP of the Colts' victory in the Super Bowl on the very same field three years earlier, and he was a good bet to win the trophy once more. Instead, the night finished the same way his final college game for Tennessee did -- a bruising loss to Nebraska, also on this field.

Even after Porter's pick, Manning tried to rally the Colts. He moved them near the Saints' goal line, but a final pass to Wayne fell incomplete.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees, the beneficiary of pep talks from Manning while in college at Purdue, took a knee to end it.

Manning wound up 31-of-45 for 333 yards with one touchdown. He finished one completion short of the Super Bowl record set by New England's Tom Brady and tied by Brees, though the one pass he threw to the Saints will be the one that fans remember, and the pick that's shown on highlight films for years to come.

Known for their late rallies, the Colts lost by letting the Saints outscore them 15-0 in the final 15 minutes.

Manning was the center of attention for much of the final period. As he walked from the sideline to the huddle with his head down to start the fourth quarter, he suddenly found himself surrounded by three dozen Colts cheerleaders rushing off the field after their routine. He stopped, let them pass and continued on his way.

Early in the period, Manning made one of his few bad throws, floating a deep ball that fell incomplete near the goal line. Manning threw down a towel when he got to the bench.

Moments later, the giant video board showed his younger brother, Eli, in the crowd. Eli was the MVP of the Super Bowl two years ago as quarterback of the New York Giants, but there was no celebrating for the Mannings this time.