The Baltimore Ravens will be playing the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII this Sunday. It will be known as the battle of the two Harbaughs. Both teams are coming off road victories. The Ravens traveled to New England and upset the favored Patriots 28-13. The Ravens defense dominated the second half of the game from start to end. The San Francisco 49ers are also coming off a road victory. They had a 28-24 comeback win against the Atlanta Falcons. Colin Kaepernick did not put up the impressive numbers he did against the Packers. He did enough to win the game, avoided turnovers and lead his team to important scores when they needed him most.
This promises to be a very exciting game. Both teams are clicking on all cylinders, the 49ers offense is doing what they do best and the Ravens defense is playing like as there was no tomorrow. Personally this game is going to come down whether or not the Ravens will find a way to move the ball on San Francisco. If you have faith in Joe Flacco, you should put your money on them. If you trust the Niners’ defense might overwhelm him, you should put your money on them.
Both teams have some key injuries that are going to affect the outcome of the game. For San Francisco it is the lose of wide receiver Mario Manningham. He tore his ACL and PCL in Week 16. Not only was Manningham one of the few players of 49ers with Super Bowl experience, but more importantly it deprived Colin Kapernick one of his most reliable weapons on the field. This means that future hall of famer, Randy Moss, is going to need to step up and be that go to receiver he once was.
The Ravens lost their shutdown corner back, Lardarius Webb, in Week 6. He suffered a torn ACL against the Cowboys. His replacements have been spotty at times. The only good thing that could be taken from this is that the Ravens defense was able to compensate well against the Patriots last weekend.
In order for San Francisco to get a win on Sunday they need to relay on Vernon Davis. The tight end came back with a vengeance against Atlanta, catching five passes for 106 yards and a touchdown. He played like the Vernon Davis that once caught balls from Alex Smith. He was struggling to form rapport with his new quarterback Colin Kaepernick. He will be relied on to produce the same way he did against Atlanta.
We have all heard of the amazing story that is Ray Lewis. He brings the intangible advantage to his team and his presence cannot be overstated. Lewis is a huge impact on the running game, even coming off his injury , he has stilled performed at a high level. His pass defense is not the same as his run defense. Vernon Davis must be able to get open against the Ravens. Since the game will be played on turf it should be an advantage for the 49ers. They will be able to run routes against the older, slower linebacker.
The Ravens have had some impressive wins the past two weeks. Personally I think that they will come out trying to be explosive, but at the end of the game I think that the 49ers will prove they are worthy of being Super Bowl champions. The reason for this is because of the speedy, weather less Superdome. San Francisco will have the edge with its speed on both sides of the ball. If this game was taken place next year in the cold, outside venue that is MetLife Stadium then maybe the Ravens would have that edge. This will be a close game but the edge goes to San Francisco by a field goal.
Predicted Score: San Francisco 26 , Baltimore 23
