The Mercedes Benz Superdome plays host to Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday in a game that features the triumphant return of the Baltimore Ravens to the title game where they square off against the young up-start San Francisco 49ers.
It has been quiet a ride for the Baltimore Ravens this season. The Ravens family has suffered through two deaths, key player injuries, an offensive Coach firing and the emotional return of Ray Lewis in what will be his swan song; all of which has brought the Ravens within a game of once again hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
The San Francisco 49ers were not without their own obstacles this season, although none quiet so personal. The quarterback controversy in San Fran was reaching a fever pitch once Alex Smith went down with a concussion and Colin Kaepernick was inserted into the lineup. Many people considered it a temporary stop-gap until Smith was cleared to resume play; however, coach Jim Harbaugh saw the playbook open up under Kaepernick and he stuck with his young-gun the rest of the season.
Come Sunday these two teams put it all aside and go head to head for the title of Super Bowl Champion. The Ravens bring experience into the game while the 49ers counter with youthful exuberance. Which team will come out victorious?
The key to victory for the Baltimore Ravens will be their defenses ability to contain and slow down Colin Kaepernick and the free-flowing 49ers attack. For the 49ers the game plan is simple, ensure that the defense plays to it’s utmost potential and leave no page in the offensive playbook unturned for it will take everything to keep the Ravens defense off balance.
The Baltimore Ravens did not play a team this season that possessed a quarterback and a fully functioning offense as that of the San Francisco 49ers. The AFC is full of teams with more traditional style offenses and more pocket passing quarterbacks. The Ravens played two teams with mobile quarterbacks, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Redskins; they subsequently lost both games.
Now in each game the quarterback option really turned out to be not much of an option at all. Michael Vick and Robert Griffin III each rushed for only 34 meagre yards a piece. What they did do was combine for 613 passing yards and the respective running games racked up a total of 308 yards on the ground.
What does it all mean? Well, in both of those games the Ravens were committed to stopping the quarterback option which they did do successfully; however, such a commitment to the quarterback allowed for the running backs to punch through the line and get into the secondary and permitted the vertical passing game to open up which resulted in the opposing receivers having great days.
In the Conference Final game against the Atlanta Falcons Colin Kaepernick had only two rushing attempts that went for a measly 21 yards. What he did do well was read the Falcons defense and change the plays out of the option offense. The play calling contributed to Frank Gore having a solid game as well as Kaepernick completing 16 of his 21 pass attempts for 233 yards.
The Falcons were geared to take away the quarterback option out of the pistol offense and they succeeded much like the Ravens did when they went up against the Eagles and the Redskins. Unfortunately for the Falcons they didn’t count on Kaepernick being able to adapt on the line of scrimmage and make real time decisions with the football. Ultimately the Falcons underestimated Kaepernicks ability to throw the ball down field to his receivers and they paid the price for it.
The Ravens seem to be headed down the same road as they too have shown their willingness to roll the dice on shutting down one component of opposing offenses in hopes that frustration and inept playmaking allows for them to secure wins.
If this game featured the Ravens defense against a more traditional style quarterback then I think this defensive game plan wouldn’t be as much of a gamble; however, they are facing a multi-faceted offense that can come at you from a multitude of angles and one that features prominent playmakers like Vernon DavisTim Crabtree## and the age-less Randy Moss.
The evolution of Colin Kaepernick as a quarterback has been a quick one. You can see that he is improving not just game by game; he is getting better play by play out there. His defensive reads out of the pistol formation are spot on, he is as adept on his ball fakes as any quarterback in the league and he has a cannon of an arm to go along with just enough gunslinger mentality that when combined make him too much of a threat for the Ravens defense to contain.
I don’t think the Ravens defense can keep up to the 49ers offense. Too many options and too many weapons at Kaepernicks disposal will make for a weary and tired Baltimore squad. The aging defensive core will tire of the change of pace plays, the spread formations, quarterback option calls and the pistol spreads that force defenses to guess right or pay a dear price.
Ultimately the 49ers defense is a better and more aggressive tackling unit that goes into this matchup as the lesser known. The 49ers offense is gaining momentum and confidence; and as a team the 49ers are peaking at exactly the right time. Come this Sunday the 49ers will have reached the pinnacle of the football world and they will once again be crowned World Champions.
PICK: San Francisco 49ers