Super Bowl Time

It's been a long two weeks but the Super Bowl is nearly here. In a shock to most it is the San Francisco 49ers against the Baltimore Ravens. That's right... No Tom Brady. No Peyton Manning. No Aaron Rodgers. No Eli Manning. It's Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh, Flacco against Kaepernick, and defense against defense. It's going to be hard fought, bloody, dirty, messy, and a whole lot of fun. And even though most say this game is a coin flip, Greg and I have made our picks below. Here is an updated look at our overall standings for the year:

Pick Standings:

Andrew – 1488 Points (169-96-1)

Greg – 1477 Points (166-99-1) – Winner of Conference Championships

NOTE: The Super Bowl is worth 30 points in the Standings.

Greg's Pick:

The moment that the AFC Championship game finished I knew what my Super Bowl pick would be. I have not wavered, I have not faltered, I have not second guessed (for the most part, though I am picking this game with my gut feeling rather than my brain which tends to be a poor decision making process for me). I have done everything in my power to confuse Andrew and make him second guess his pick over and over and over again in hopes that I can take the Super Bowl victory and make it a clean football season sweep in points for me (College and Pro).

The matchup this week is great. Two great defenses. Two great middle linebackers. Ray Lewis finishing his career in a Super Bowl. Two brothers coach against each other in the Super Bowl for the first time ever. Two emerging quarterbacks whose styles could not be more contrasting. East Coast vs West Coast. I love this game, and this matchup, but my initial feeling will be my final pick. I say the magic and mystique of Ray Lewis' retirement announcement carries the Ravens to a Super Bowl victory in a tight, well played football game. Anquan Boldin will take home Super Bowl MVP honors with 3 TD catches and the Ravens blemish the Niners' super bowl record (5-0) for the first time. 

Baltimore Ravens 27, San Francisco 49ers 23

Andrew's Pick:

Picking this game has made me sick. I have actually picked against both of these teams in every playoff game each has played. I admitted on this blog last week that I was wrong about Kaepernick. And I was clearly wrong about Baltimore too because I was convinced Denver would be playing in this game. But it shouldn't be all that shocking considering we had Baltimore and San Francisco near or at the top of our Power Rankings earlier in the year. Nonetheless, I am struggling with this pick because the teams are similar.

They are both well coached teams that throw the ball okay, run the ball good, and play defense great. They are led by big hitting linebackers on defense, and quarterbacks trying to prove something on offense. Both teams are also undefeated in Super Bowl play (49ers 5-0, Ravens 1-0) and both play away from home very well. So how can I decide?

I came to my final decision based upon their postseason performance and who I trust more at quarterback. Baltimore took out the two Super Bowl favorites (in my opinion) on the road in their last two games. Those teams had two of the best QB's of all-time on them and it didn't faze them. The defense they displayed against the Patriots was shockingly good. Joe Flacco has been terrific and is backing up his statements that he is elite. He has always been good in the playoffs and is doing it once again. And even though I was wrong about Kaepernick, I still don't trust him as a rookie over Joe Flacco. Ray Lewis will go out as a champ, but Flacco will be the MVP of this game.

Baltimore Ravens 27, San Francisco 49ers 24

By: The Sports Guys