NFL Mocks » Super Bowl XLVII

Winners, Losers of Super Bowl XLVII

Sam Tastad — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 22:06:30 +0000

Super Bowl XLVII was a classic. Big brother beat little brother, Joe Flacco finally won the big game, Ray Lewis went out on top, Beyonce was so good she made the lights go out (allegedly, not 100% positive), and Colin Kaepernick nearly pulled off the greatest Super Bowl comeback ever.

Neither the Baltimore Ravens or San Francisco 49ers had ever lost a Super Bowl game, but one had to lose, and destiny won out. The Ravens were the better team, and won the Super Bowl despite losing four out of their last five regular season games.

Winners:

Baltimore Ravens:

The Baltimore Ravens won their second Super Bowl title in franchise history, and became the third straight Wild Card team to win the big game. The Ravens finally overcame the New England Patriots and in the AFC Championship. The Ravens started the Super Bowl like they were meant to be there by building a 22-point lead, and ended the Super Bowl by stopping the San Francisco four times inside their own 10 yard line.

The Ravens played Super Bowl XLVII as a complete team, dominating on offense, defense and special teams. Flacco dominated on offense, Jacoby Jones shined as he ran back a 108 kickoff return, and the defense forced more turnovers, and a made one final stop inside the redzone to clinch the Vince Lombardi trophy.

Joe Flacco:

Flacco was brilliant in the postseason and spectacular last night in New Orleans. The former University of Delaware quarterback never threw an interception in the postseason, and deserved his Super Bowl MVP trophy. Flacco was 22 of 33 for 287 yards and three touchdowns with a quarterback rating of 124.2 last night against the 49ers. In the postseason, he threw 1,140 yards, 11 touchdowns, no interceptions, completed 57.9% of his passes, and had a 86.3 quarterback rating.

Jacoby Jones

Jones could have been the Super Bowl MVP, too. Jones had the game changing play in the Super Bowl with his 108-yard kickoff return to start the second half before the power went out. Jones also caught a 56-yard touchdown pass for a touchdown from Flacco.

Ed Reed

The Super Bowl was suppose to be all about Ray Lewis’ last ride, but Reed stole the show. Reed most likely played his last game as Baltimore Ravens safety, and shined. Reed picked off Colin Kaepernick, and had five solo tackles. Reed also said he finished the Super Bowl on two sprained MCLs after injuring them in the big game.

Ray Lewis

Lewis was relevantly quiet in the big game last night, but still had seven tackles, and helped produce one final stop against the 49ers that clinched the Super Bowl title. Lewis won his second Super Bowl and hoisted the Vince Lombardi trophy one final time that felt like a movie script directed by Steven Spielberg.

Lewis had 51 tackles in the postseason, and that came after missing the final 10 regular season games with a torn triceps.

John Harbaugh

John, the big brother, beat his little brother and has bragging rights for family gatherings. I can’t imagine how awkward Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas will be at the Harbaugh’s in the coming year.

John was more gutsy, and the better coach Sunday as his team jumped out to a 22-point lead that Jim’s 49ers couldn’t overcome.

Ravens offensive line

The Ravens offensive line protected Flacco, as he was sacked twice and kept the Smiths’ off of him. The Smiths’ had 5 total tackles in the game.

Sam Koch

The Ravens punter from Seward, Nebraska may have been the unsung hero of the football game when he tackled 49ers punt returner Ted Ginn, Jr. in the third quarter when Ginn returned it 32 yards into Ravens territory. Koch also was smart by taking a safety in the closing seconds to not give Kaepernick a chance to throw a hail mary to win the game for the 49ers.

Colin Kaepernick

America got to witness the legend of Kaepernick grow and he almost did the impossible: overcome the largest Super Bowl deficit in Super Bowl history. His biggest mistake was a interception in the first half. However, he showed his short memory, and kept his cool. Every time the camera panned to him on the sideline, he looked like nothing could faze him.

In the Super Bowl, Kaepernick, who made just his 10th NFL start, threw for 302 yards, one touchdown, one interception and had a 91.7 quarterback rating. He also ran for 62 yards and a 15-yard score that was the largest in Super Bowl history.

It will be fun to watch the second-year quarterback out of Nevada in the future in red and gold.

Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys was a girl on fire singing the National Anthem in acapella and on the piano.

Beyonce

Beyonce shut the lights out for 34 minutes (allegedly, not 100% positive) at the Superdome and turned in a Super Bowl halftime show performance for the ages. Beyonce was reunited with her girls from Destiny’s Child on the stage that blew the crowd away with her dancing, and singing. Beyonce’s performance generated 24.1 million tweets, and during the conclusion of the show, people tweeted 268,000 times per minute.

The only thing missing from her performance was Jay-Z and a duet of “Crazy in Love.”

Losers:

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers lost their first Super Bowl in franchise history, but almost made history. The 49ers punted on their first possession, and let then let the Ravens march down the field and steal the momentum.

The blackout may have been the best thing for the 49ers because it gave them a chance to regroup. Especially, after the Ravens had just taken the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown. After all, the 49ers won in 2011 on Monday Night Football when they shut off the lights (literally) on the Pittsburgh Steelers at Candlestick Park.

In the end, the best news for the 49ers is the development and growth of Kaepernick. The former Nevada quarterback showed his poise, calmness, and ability to almost lead the 49ers to a World Championship.

Jim Harbaugh

Jim, the younger brother, didn’t outlast his older brother, John, but nearly beat him. Jim was foaming at the mouth at an apparent pass interference on the final drive of the game, but didn’t get the call from the referees that nearly changed the game.

Aldon Smith and Justin Smith

The Smith’ were virtually nonexistent during the Super Bowl and rarely had their name called during the big game. Aldon Smith had just two tackles, and Justin Smith had three tackles against the Ravens.

Blackouts

A 34-minute blackout was the best marketing strategy for CBS and it was the biggest momentum switch for the San Francisco 49ers.

For now, the Ravens are the 2013 NFL World Champions and are going to Disney World. Football will have to wait to return until September when a new team will look to hoist the Vince Lombardi trophy. While you wait, go try and have some fun with the old people at the nursing home.

Super Bowl Preview of the Harbowl: Top Match-ups to Watch

Sam Tastad — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 06:10:27 +0000

Tomorrow’s Super Bowl is the first time brothers will coach against each other in the big game. The Super Bowl has been referenced as the HarBowl, Bro Bowl, or even the Jimmy John’s Bowl.

These story lines have dominated Super Bowl XLVII:

Ray Lewis’ last ride of his 17-year NFL career, and allegations using deer antler spray as a performance-enhancing drug.
Is this Ed Reed’s last game in a Baltimore Ravens uniform?
Colin Kaepernick is making his Super Bowl debut in only his tenth NFL start.
Is Joe Flacco finally a elite quarterback?

However, it all comes down to Sunday when the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens square off after two weeks of preparation and speculation. Let’s take a look at the game’s biggest match-ups, and what to watch for on the NFL’s biggest stage.

Jim Harbaugh vs. John Harbaugh

Which brother can outwit each other and motivate his team to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy? John Harbaugh is 54-26 and 8-4 in the postseason as Ravens coach. Jim Harbaugh is 24-7-1 and 3-1 in the postseason as 49ers coach.

Colin Kaepernick vs. Ravens Defense

The Ravens have to stop the 49ers’ pistol read option to win the game’s most coveted trophy. They faced Robert Griffin III earlier this year, and took Griffin out of the game with a knee injury, but still lost. Griffin had 242 passing yards and touchdown, and 34 rushing yards on seven carries against the Ravens.

The Ravens also allowed Alfred Morris to run against them (122 yards and a touchdown), which means that the Ravens can be run on, and Kaepernick isn’t the only runner to game plan for. Frank Gore has rushed for 209 yards and three scores this postseason for the 49ers.

The Falcons limited Kaepernick to two carries on 21 yards, but made the second-year quarterback comfortable in the pocket. He passed for 233 yards and a score.

The Ravens must make the early adjustments and set the tone early to try to get Kaepernick and his offense uncomfortable.

Joe Flacco vs. 49ers Secondary

Joe Flacco has finally grown up and got past the New England Patriots two weeks ago to send the Ravens to the Super Bowl. The Falcons exploited the 49ers secondary for 396 touchdowns and three touchdowns, and was the reason the 49ers played from behind in the NFC championship game.

The Ravens have three deep threats, Torrey Smith (17.1 yards per catch on 99 career receptions), Anquan Boldin, and Jacoby Jones (burned Denver on a 70 yard score to send game to overtime).

Flacco, meanwhile, has thrown eight touchdowns, and no interceptions this postseason, and the 49ers live for turnovers. Perhaps none was bigger last week when Chris Culliver intercepted Matt Ryan in the second half two weeks ago and shift the momentum for the 49ers.

The craziest stat of all is Flacco has thrown the ball 101 times for 21 or more yards and hasn’t been intercepted.

Offensive Lines vs. Defensive Lines

The biggest battle of the Super Bowl may be in the trenches. The 49ers Mike Iupati and Joe Staley will have their hands full against Haloti Ngata, who has the most tackles of all the Ravens defensive lineman. It will also be interesting to see how the 49ers cover the Ravens linebackers Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis (44 tackles in 3 postseason games).

The 49ers offensive line also must establish itself early in the game for the pistol read option and run game to work, or else the Ravens will figure them out.

On the flip side, the 49ers have two dominant pass rushers, and a dominant middle linebacker, as well. Aldon Smith and Justin Smith have combined for 22.5 sacks on the year, Aldon Smith has a 20 quarter sack drought, and Justin Smith is still trying to get over his torn triceps. The two Smiths’ will be key to put pressure on Flacco to make mistakes and not hit his wide receivers deep for long plays.

The 49ers also have Ray Rice to worry about. Rice has ran for 247 yards and two scores in the postseason.

Super Bowl XLVII should be exciting and it appears balanced between the 49ers and Ravens which will provide for great entertainment. Neither the 49ers and Ravens have ever lost a Super Bowl and one will for the first time. It all comes down to Sunday for the Vince Lombardi trophy.

(I published this article on Friday at ESPN991.com, and be sure to check out my other articles here: http://espn991.com/author/samtastad/)