Baltimore Ravens - Super Bowl XLVII Champions - 2012 NFL Playoffs

Congratulations to the Baltimore Ravens, winners of Super Bowl XLVII!! The Ravens have continued in the pattern of recent Super Bowl winners: they got hot late, navigated the playoffs out of the Wild Card Weekend round, and won multiple games on the road. Having one of the top two seeds in the conferences seems to be a disadvantage now as the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers found out. The Ravens defeated three of those four bye week teams, including the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII.

The Ravens came out of the gate hard and fast; they definitely appeared to be the hungrier team. I would have to think that the 49ers were expecting that with the Ravens being the underdog, emotional team trying to seal LB Ray Lewis' retirement party with a championship ring.  All San Fran had to do was withstand the storm, something they had just done in their previous game. Ravens' QB and Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco came out on fire, ready to zip the lips of all of his doubters. Flacco had not thrown an interception in the Ravens' playoff run and continued his pick-free ways in the Super Bowl. On his first drive of the game, Flacco hit Anquan Boldin for a 13 yd touchdown pass to start off the scoring in the game. Flacco tossed two more TD passes in the second quarter including a 56 yarder to Jacoby Jones who arguably could have been the Super Bowl MVP himself. Jones made a nice adjustment on the under thrown pass that took him to the ground and then had the mind to get up and out "juke" the secondary to the end zone. That touchdown and following extra point gave the Ravens a 21 - 3 lead.

The Niners stumbled in the first half, but they still did some positive things. Two turnovers and a couple of penalties impeded their efforts. Their first play from scrimmage was erased on an illegal formation penalty - a mistake that wiped out a 20 yard pass play. In the second quarter a fumble by LaMichael James on the Ravens 25 yd line killed a good drive by the Niners when they were only down 7 - 3. The Ravens cashed in on that turnover with a drive of their own to make the score 14 - 3. 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick's only interception of the game (an overthrow to WR Randy Moss who appeared to not even attempt to corral or deflect the ball) did not lead directly to a Ravens score (a fake FG was thwarted by SF) but it ultimately put them in bad field position for their next possession. A shaky throw by Kaepernick on that drive led SF head coach Jim Harbaugh to get conservative which resulted in a punt. The Ravens scored a TD 3 plays later. Down 18, Kaepernick engineered another good drive that marched the 49ers inside the Ravens' 10 yd line but they had to settle for a FG. Baltimore took a 21 - 6 lead into the half.

I could not believe my eyes and ears during the second quarter and halftime. On my timeline on Twitter many people had called the game over. Many folks had trashed Kaepernick and a few even suggested the Niners go to backup QB Alex Smith. Even more surprising was the analyst on the broadcast saying the same things. The Niners were only down 2 scores...just TWO. How could the game be over?? Plus Kaepernick and the offense showed they could move the ball and they have had spectacular second halves throughout the playoffs. I thought the suggestions to replace him was crazy and the notion that the game was over equally as crazy. Then the worst possible thing that could have happened to the Niners happened. It was the play of the game in my eyes, which was set up by the call of the game. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh elected to defer and receive the ball at the start of the second half after Baltimore won the coin toss. The Ravens held the 49ers to a three and out on the opening drive, got the ball back and scored a TD on their opening drive and they was about to score the trifecta. Jacoby Jones took the second half kick off 108 yards for a touchdown. That play ultimately was the back breaker and put the cream on top of the call to defer receiving the ball to start the second half. Now down 28 - 6, the Niners were indeed in trouble. Though they had enough time for a comeback, what ever momentum they looked to gain early in the 3rd quarter was gone in 11 seconds. And then IT happened.

One of the most bizarre things ever to happen at a Super Bowl occurred right after Jones' kickoff TD return. The power in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans was disrupted. It knocked out lights beaming onto the field momentarily and then they came back slowly to full power. Both teams lost the ability to communicate from the sidelines to the coaches boxes. Even the main announcers for the game had their power source disrupted as the images of the half lit Superdome was accompanied by silence initially. The delay of play from the power disruption took 34 minutes. Some believe the power surge that caused the disruption also sucked momentum from the Ravens. I believe that the 49ers would have come back regardless but many folks felt the Niners benefited from the hiatus. San Fran went on to score 17 unanswered points in the 3rd quarter to close the gap to 5. Kaepernick had his offense clicking again and this time they were finishing.

The Ravens had a couple of great drives in the 4th quarter. They clearly had lost all of the momentum but hung in there. An early 19 yd FG by K Justin Tucker stemmed the tide briefly. The Niners offense answered that score with a 76 yd drive capped by a 15 yd TD run by Kaepernick. Now down 31 - 29, the 49ers went for the two point conversion. The Ravens squashed that attempt with strong pressure by Ed Reed on Kaepernick, though it did appear that Reed was off sides. Baltimore then went on a 5:34 drive that culminated in a 38 yd FG by Tucker. With the score now 34 - 29 the stage was set. Could the Niners go on a four minute drive and finish it off with a TD, leaving the Ravens barely any time to retaliate? Boy did they come close! Starting at their own 20, the Niners drove the ball down to the Ravens 7 yd line. First and goal from the 7 with 2:39 left. On first down James ran for two yards. Then for some reason the Niners tried to pass on their next 3 plays, all to WR Michael Crabtree. I thought they should have run the ball, especially on 3rd and 4th downs. All three passes fell incomplete and on the fourth down, I felt Baltimore got away with a hold and/or pass interference on Crabtree. No flag was thrown though and the Ravens took over on downs. They killed the clock all the way down to 4 seconds, taking a safety to improve P Sam Koch chances of a better punt (and decreasing the odds of a good return) making the score 34 - 31. The subsequent punt could not be returned for a TD by the 49ers as time expired and the Ravens became the new champs!

This Super Bowl will be remembered for the Harbaugh brothers coaching against each other, the power outage and what effect it may or may not of had on the game and the Ravens last "goal line" stance. But mostly I think it will be remembered for the beginning and the end of a Ravens' story. The beginning is the emergence of Super Bowl MVP Flacco. He now has that ring and that SB MVP trophy so a lot of the noise about his ability will now have to quell some. Will this be the first of multiple Lombardi trophies Flacco will bring back to Baltimore? Will he also now emerge as the new leader of the Ravens? Lewis, the now former leader of the Ravens represents the end. What more can be said? The heart and soul of the team who was an original Raven retires on top after 17 years (and two championships). Obviously his Canton call will only be five years away.

2012 NFL Playoffs - Super Bowl XLVII - Baltimore Ravens vs. San Francisco 49ers

And then there were two............ the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers have survived their OTA's, training camp, pre-season, regular season and conference playoffs. Now they square off in New Orleans for all the marbles, the Lombardi trophy and the right to be called "Super Bowl Champs"!

SUPER BOWL XLVII

 

 

 

Baltimore Ravens vs. San Francisco 49ers (-3.5)

The Ravens ride into New Orleans as the number four AFC seed with playoff victories over the Colts,  Broncos and Patriots. To some people, their wins in Denver and New England were improbable and impressive.  But the truth about Baltimore is the core of this team has been battle tested and quite frankly, it is their time to be in the big game. For the number two NFC seed 49ers, their road was a little shorter. Playoff wins over the Packers and Falcons propelled San Fran into the Super Bowl. Both the Ravens and the 49ers have a lot in common starting with the sibling relationship between their head coaches John and Jim Harbaugh. Both teams knocked on the Super Bowl door last year only to be denied access in their respective conference championships. Both teams have strong playmakers on both sides of the ball. Both have the capability of lighting up the scoreboard as well as shutting the opposing team down. I honestly think either team can win this game but I have a feeling the 49ers will prevail. On defense the Niners should  "contain" the Ravens run game but I think they will bend a little with the pass game.  Joe Flacco should have some success passing to his talented receiving tandem as well as to Ray Rice out of the backfield.  Anquan Boldin or Torrey Smith are capable of torching  the 49ers secondary like the Falcons' WR Julio Jones did in the NFC Championship game but I think SF will prevent the deep ball. In order to do so they must get real pressure up front on Flacco, which I think they will. If they don't and give him any kind of time, it could be a long day for them. The Ravens defense has been inspired in the playoffs by the return of their leader Ray Lewis. They have played light years better in the playoffs than they did during several stretches in the season. But this defense can give up yards and can be scored upon. I still think the Broncos let them off the hook by not going "no huddle" late in the game. If a team "fast breaks" the Ravens defense I think they can be cracked. No better weapon to do that than 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick's ability to run and pass could cause headaches for the Ravens. He is quick as a cat when he's on the run in the "pistol" and when he gives the ball away, RB Frank Gore can do some damage. Also RB LaMichael James can cause issues when he's in the "pistol" due to his amazing speed. When Kaepernick passes (and does he have a strong arm!)  he can count on Michael Crabtree, Delanie Walker, Vernon Davis and the veteran Randy Moss to make some plays for him. I think the Ravens will attempt to shut the run game down to put it all on young Kaepernick's arm. I don't think they will be successful though. The 49ers will wear out the Ravens defense  - they will go uptempo on Baltimore and the game will get away. I'm taking San Francisco to stay undefeated as an organization in the Super Bowl and they will cover the points. For the 49ers sake they better hope it doesn't come down to them kicking a field goal though. K David Akers doesn't look healthy at all.

 





2012 NFL Playoffs - Road to Super Bowl XLVII - Conference Championships

WOW!! Now that was some "good football"!!!! Last weekend's exciting Divisional Round more than made up for the boring slate of Wild Card Weekend games. High drama in the Seahawks vs. Falcons game kept us on our seats until the very last second. And the Ravens vs. Broncos game had so many twists and turns that it took two overtimes to settle. We are now down to the Final Four: Conference Championship Weekend. Three of the four teams return to the conference finals from last year (Patriots, Ravens, 49ers).  The winners will head to New Orleans to play for the coveted Lombardi trophy.

AFC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP

 

 

Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots (- 8)

The AFC Conference Championship game is a rematch from last year's matchup. The Ravens return to the scene of where their season came to a very disappointing end last year, Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. On their final drive in that game, Baltimore had a chance to beat, and then at the very least, tie the Patriots but a dropped TD pass and a missed chippy field goal sent them home. The Ravens did beat the Patriots earlier this season 31 - 30 at home, but this is definitely the game that they want as their "revenge game". The Patriots are cruising into this matchup after soundly defeating the Texans last week. Although they lost their dynamic TE Rob Gronkowski early in the game (and for the rest of the playoffs), the Pats offense still clicked pretty well. With a good balance of run and pass it is expected that New England will take advantage of a "tired" Ravens defense. I've been hearing all week about how many snaps the Ravens' defense has taken, particularly in the double OT game that they won over the Broncos last week. Baltimore showed a lot of heart in that game and although their defense wasn't stellar, they made plays when they had to. The Ravens' D only gave up 3 of the 5 touchdowns scored by the Broncos (2 of them were made on special teams). The defense also intercepted Peyton Manning twice: one for a "Pick 6" in the first half and one in double OT that set up the game winning field goal. One thing that Denver did offensively that was positive against the Ravens was the "no huddle" offense. For some reason the Broncos went away from it late in the game after having a lot of success with it. I expect QB Tom Brady and the Patriots to do a lot of "no huddle" and even without Gronkowski, they still have a lot of other weapons who can execute. Baltimore's offense must be feeling pretty confident too after having success on the ground and in the air last week. I think another game plan of feeding Ray Rice the ball and Joe Flacco going deep to Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin on play action will serve Baltimore well. They certainly can take advantage of the Pats defense. I think this game is going to be high scoring and close. The Ravens exact AFC Championship revenge on the Patriots and take the Mr. Ray Lewis retirement tour to the Super Bowl. They will obviously cover the points with the win.

NFC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP

 

 

San Francisco 49ers vs. Atlanta Falcons (+4)

The Falcons finally "got the monkey off of their back" when they defeated the Seahawks in the Divisional Round. They were a determined unit and I think it showed by their play on the field. Despite that, they still almost lost the game and they probably would have if it were not for some rare coaching errors by Seattle. As a matter of fact, the Seahawks took the lead with less than a minute to go in the game. But the Falcons did an excellent job led by QB Matt Ryan to get the ball, drive down the field and get into field goal range. K Matt Bryant connected on a 49 yard FG to seal the comeback victory for Atlanta and save them from what would have been increased media scrutiny about their playoff failures. The 49ers had a little drama of their own in the Divisional Round but it was early in the game. A "Pick 6" thrown by QB Colin Kaepernick on the team's opening drive made some folks wonder whether he would be able to handle the playoff pressure. Kaepernick quickly responded by taking the 49ers on their following possession straight down the field on a drive that was capped by a 20 yd touchdown run by the QB. Though Aaron Rodgers and the Packers tangled with San Fran through the first two quarters (they were only down 3 at halftime), Kaepernick and the 49ers imposed their will on them in the second half. The Niners pulled away by scoring 21 unanswered points. Even though the Packers scored a late TD to make it a little close, the game was essentially a blow out. Kaepernick was outstanding, passing for 263 yards (2 TDs) and rushing for 181 yards (2 TDs). When he travels east to face the Falcons, he'll need to bring a little of that great balance with him. Atlanta's defense is good and opportunistic but I feel the 49ers will have the ability to move the ball on them. The Falcons must really feel disrespected being that they are the number 1 seed in the NFC, hosting this championship game but are still underdogs. Ryan & the offense I think will be able to make some plays but not enough against the 49ers stingy D. I don't think Atlanta will be able to run the ball on the 49ers the way they did against Seattle last week. I think the 49ers pass rush will be more effective as well. San Francisco, like Baltimore, had the conference championship slip through their hands last year. This year they will not let that happen. Niners beat the Falcons for the right to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl and they will cover the points.

Well the way I see it, Super Bowl XLVII will be a "family affair". Brothers John Harbaugh (Head Coach of the Ravens) and Jim Harbaugh (Head Coach of the 49ers) will bring pride to their family name and garner a ton of attention on the fact that they are siblings. It should make for a great Super Bowl matchup - but the Patriots and Falcons will be in no mood to help facilitate a Harbaugh family reunion in New Orleans.