Super Bowl weekend is finally here! The big game tomorrow is essentially a national holiday. With all of the parties, festivities, commercials, and the halftime show, most of America has a reason to watch. Like many football fans, I will be watching because I love football, and I am especially excited about the matchup. Super Bowl XLVII features the Baltimore Ravens versus the San Francisco 49ers. By now everyone knows the headlines. I already gave my take on the Harbaugh's, and this will also be the last time Ray Lewis' laces up his cleats. I won't even get into the whole deer antler spray story, because frankly, I don't care. On the field, Ray Lewis is a legend and arguably the greatest linebacker ever. Lewis is a once-in-a-generation player, and should be mentioned in the same breath as Tom Brady and Peyton Manning as this generations' all-time greats. I am excited to see how well he performs, and what type of impact he can have on the field. Between these two stories, Super Bowl XLVII has received a lot of hype. Will the game live up to that hype?
Super Bowl XLVII: Baltimore Ravens vs San Francisco 49ers
The Baltimore Ravens reached New Orleans by defeating Indianapolis, Denver, and New England. Based on how the Ravens finished the regular season, many people were predicting the Colts to pull off the road upset. Baltimore prevailed in that matchup, and were huge underdogs on the road at Denver and New England. Baltimore then defeated Denver in a double-overtime thriller, and the Raven's defense was able to shutout the Patriots in the 2nd half to win the AFC Championship. The Ravens now come into the Super Bowl as underdogs once again. How can they pull off another upset? On offense, the Ravens will have to throw the ball to win. I don't expect the Ravens to be able to run on the 49ers, so the key to them winning this game will be the Ravens' passing game. As I stated in my NFC Championship preview, there are big plays to be had against the 49ers secondary. The 49ers do have an impressive front seven that can stop the run, and some playmakers in the secondary, but they give up big plays when their "Cover 2" scheme breaks down. Both Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan were able to combine for over 650 yards passing and 5 Touchdowns against the 49ers secondary. With Torrey Smith as a deep threat, and Anquan Boldin and Dennis Pitta as underneath options, the Ravens have the ability to make plays in the passing game. But to be able to do this, Joe Flacco must have time to read the coverage and make the throws. To me the key to the Ravens' offensive success will be Torrey Smith. If Smith can get behind the 49ers secondary he has a chance to have a huge day. If not, Smith can still have an impact in the passing game by stretching the 49ers defense out and opening up holes underneath for Boldin and Pitta to move the chains. Either way, the 49ers need to get more pressure on the quarterback than they have in their two previous playoff games to slow down the Ravens' passing attack.
The San Francisco 49ers are playing in the Super Bowl because of defeating the Green Bay Packers at home, and the Atlanta Falcons on the road. After receiving a first round bye, the 49ers offensive didn't miss a beat. Colin Kaepernick will be making just his 10th career start on Sunday, but has been a nightmare for defenses to defend. Equipped with a huge arm, and home run hitting speed at the quarterback position, Kaepernick has turned the 49ers into arguably the NFL's most balanced offensive attack. For the 49ers to win on Sunday, Kaepernick just has to keep doing what he has been. By using the "pistol" offense, Kaepernick has been able to spread out NFL defenses and force them to make plays in space by implementing the read-option. Against the Packers, Kaepernick was able to run all over the field because the Packers did not get penetration at the line, and focused on the running backs more than Kaepernick. On the other hand, the Falcons tried to stop Kaepernick from running. Although they were able to hold him to just 21 yards rushing on 2 carries, Frank Gore and LaMichael James were able to combine for 124 yards rushing and 3 TD's. Kaepernick is running the read-option so effectively right now that I don't know if you can stop both options in the run game. If the Ravens try to load up the box and stop both options, then there will be massive holes in the Ravens' secondary. If that happens, Kaepernick has the arm to shred the Ravens' secondary with one big play after another. If the Ravens have any chance on slowing down the 49ers offensive attack, they need to get pressure and attack the read-option. The Packers and Falcons were not able to stop the option because they waited to see what Kaepernick would do with the ball. That is exactly what Kaepernick wants defenses to do. If you give Kaepernick time to read the defense and the holes that his offensive line creates, then he will make the correct read every time. If guys like Haloti Ngata can get penetration up the middle and attack the read-option, then Kaepernick will be forced to make quick decisions. If that happens, the Ravens should have success because San Francisco has not been able to set up blocks, and get to the second level allowing Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs to make plays.
I see this game being a close, back-and-forth type battle. In the end, I believe the 49ers offense will be too much for the Ravens defense to handle. The way Kaepernick is running the offense, it is nearly impossible to be able to stop both running options and the passing game. The Ravens' offense will be able to make plays through the air and should find the end zone at least twice. Unfortunately for Baltimore, that won't be enough. The Harbaugh Bowl figures to be a classic game, and I predict younger brother Jim's 49ers will defeat John's Ravens. With a victory and a relatively young team, the 49ers could be on the brink of starting a dynasty.
Prediction: San Francisco 24 Baltimore 20
-Eric Tichelbaut
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