On Sunday the Baltimore Ravens will take on the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII.
The game will feature two former Bulldogs, running back Anthony Dixon for the 49ers and defensive end Pernell McPhee for the Ravens, so no matter which team wins, a former Bulldog will be a Super Bowl champion.
The 49ers are a three-and-a-half point favorite to win the game, and I agree with this. On paper, the 49ers are the better team. They are perhaps the most talented defense in football, led by Patrick Willis, who is the best middle linebacker in the game.
This 49ers defense is coming off a game where it shut out one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL for the entire second half of the NFC Championship game, so the Ravens will have their hands full trying to move the ball on this unit.
For the 49ers to win this game, they are going to have to stop the Ravens passing attack led by quarterback Joe Flacco.
Flacco has turned into Joe Montana it seems this post season and is playing the best football of his life. He has not thrown an interception the entire playoffs and is really throwing the ball well.
The 49ers have the best front seven in football, and I have little doubt they will play the run well. But the one area where they can be beaten is through the air, so stopping the pass will be crucial.
Offensively, throwing the ball will be key for the 49ers. They are known for running the ball, but the Ravens will have spent two weeks preparing for that and most likely will be keying on the run.
That should make them more vulnerable to the pass, and quarterback Colin Kaepernick has proven he can win games with his arm as well as his legs.
The Ravens are riding a tremendous wave of momentum into this game. Despite backing into the playoffs losing four of their last five games to close the regular season, the Ravens have found new life since Ray Lewis has come back from an injury and announced he would retire after this season.
Since then, it is as if every player on the Ravens team has raised his level of play and is playing for the beloved captain.
Right now, a big part of the 49ers offensive attack is the read option. It has become the staple of their offense, and if the Ravens are to win the Super Bowl, they must stop the read option and force the 49ers to depend on their passing attack more.
No team has had success yet defending the 49ers read option, and unless the Ravens figure it out, they will not win this game.
The Ravens, however, have an excellent coaching staff and two of the smartest defensive players in the league in Lewis and Ed Reed, and they will have had two weeks to prepare. If anybody can figure out how to limit the 49ers option attack it is the Ravens.
Ultimately, the Ravens will not be able to stop the 49ers run game. It is just too difficult to defend the 49ers option attack when Kaepernick is throwing the ball as well as he has been.
If the defense tries to focus on Frank Gore, then Kaepernick beats it. If the Ravens try to focus on Kaepernick, then Gore beats them. And if they try to stop them both by putting extra defenders in the box, then Kaepernick beats them with his arm.
The combination of all that along with the 49ers defense holding the Ravens offense in check will be too much to overcome. I’m picking the 49ers to win 24-21.