Super Bowl XLVII Preview
After the ups and downs of the 2012/13 NFL season, we are finally down to the final two. One thing that is for sure, the saying ‘Defense wins Championships’ is still one that holds weight, with the offensive juggernauts of New England, Denver and Atlanta falling before reaching the final hurdle due to their vulnerable defenses.
Both Baltimore and San Francisco bring a few storylines with them to New Orleans for the showpiece end to the season, but one of the best is the fact that the opposing head coaches are brothers. John leads Baltimore while Jim is the big shot in San Francisco, but even as brothers, both teams’ physical style of play will ensure that there will be no love lost between the two.
Sure Hall-of-Fame linebacker Ray Lewis is also playing his final game in the NFL, and where better to end such a fantastic career than in a Superbowl, although there’s only one result that would provide him with the perfect end.
So what can we expect to see come Sunday night/Monday morning?
The key to this game will be how Baltimore deals with the explosive nature of Colin Kaepernick and the dual threat San Francisco 49’ers offense. First and foremost, they must stop Frank Gore from running the football down their throats, if they can stuff running lanes early and often, then they will force the game onto Kaepernick’s shoulders. Although the 2nd year QB has been impressive so far, it is yet to be seen how he will react to the pressure on the biggest stage of all, will he force throws or run with the football more?
If Kaepernick runs with the football, the Ravens’ defense will have to be on its toes, as the fast-track in the Superdome will play to his strengths, which are his speed and absolutely obscene stride length. Baltimore cannot afford to let him get out of the pocket and into space because the QB will run the game away from the Ravens.
In terms of Baltimore, their offensive display against the Patriots is something they may have to replicate to have a chance of winning this one. Ray Rice didn’t have the best of days on the ground, so the Ravens put the game in the hands of Joe Flacco, who found Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin deep and often. The lapses in coverage from the 49’ers in the NFC Championship game are something the Ravens will hope to repeat, and if they do, Flacco’s big arm could make them pay.
San Francisco’s defense, long heralded as the toughest around, has some issues. Justin Smith’s triceps are a mess, but he will play hurt. Aldon Smith hasn’t had a sack in ages and the 49’ers safeties are being exposed in coverage much more often than Jim Harbaugh would want. All these creeping issues make the Niners’ defense not quite as much of an imposing prospect, but let’s not kid ourselves, it’s still one of the hardest nuts to crack in the NFL, and Baltimore will have their work cut out.
On the other side, Baltimore’s defense continues to defy age, injury and doubts, keeping New England’s offense to just 13 points in the AFC Championship and impressing everyone watching. Playing for Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, who is also facing the end of his time in Baltimore as his contract runs out, has to be a huge factor in the standard of play from the Ravens’ defense, but you can’t underestimate the quality that Cary Williams, Dannell Ellerbee and Paul Kruger have brought over the past few months, and they will have to keep playing at that high a level to keep the Niners at bay.
I can see this being one of the all-time classic battles in a Super Bowl, with the two coaches having their teams play at a really high intensity in a physical, hard-hitting game. Both teams have players who are pushing their bodies to the limit just to play in this game, and the final result could be decided by which team lets those injuries affect their intensity. The running game will be very important, and no matter how well either team defends the run, both teams have to persevere with it as the play-action pass is key to both teams’ offenses.
Although the Ray Lewis story seems to carry an element of fate with it, I have been tipping up the 49’ers as possible Champions for many months now and I believe that they have enough, both on offense and defense to win this game. If Colin Kaepernick follows the trends of San Francisco QB’s of the past (13 TD’s, 0 INT’s), he will be perfect in the Super Bowl, and that alone could be enough to carry the Niners to the Lombardi Trophy. I’m going with an enthralling game to be settled in no small part due to a 50+ yard David Akers field goal midway into the 4th quarter, a nice way for the 49’ers experienced kicker to end a frustrating season.
