Jan 27, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; General view of Super Bowl XLVIII logo at the media center in the Convention Center prior to Super Bowl XLVII. The Baltimore Ravens will play the San Francisco 49ers on February 3, 2013 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

  When you have Peyton Manning running things on the field and John Elway running things inside the building, it’s never too early to start thinking Super Bowl XLVIII.

  Denver Bronco fans picked up good vibes last season and are hungry for more – even though the games that really matter won’t start until after that last Christmas present is unwrapped.

  The Broncos’ 13-3 record in Manning’s first season at the controls would be the reason Denver is one of the favorites to win it all next time around – the stunning loss to Baltimore in the playoffs be damned.

  According to a variety of oddsmakers, there are four teams rated far in front of all the others:  Denver, New England, San Francisco and Seattle.

  The oddsmakers are right on.  It’ll be Denver against San Francisco in the Super Bowl and Denver will win it, 33-24.

  Here’s the script more than six months early:

  First, San Francisco, a defense-oriented  team that features a tough running game with the occasional land or air explosion from young quarterback Colin Kaepernick, will earn home-field advantage in the NFC and defeat Atlanta, then Seattle to earn its Super Bowl spot.

 San Francisco and Seattle will both be better than they were last season.  Green Bay will be an offensive force thanks to QB Aaron Rogers, but won’t have the defense to handle either the Seahawks or 49ers.  Ditto Atlanta.

  Other possible darkhorse challengers from the NFC?  Chicago, possibly Detroit, maybe the Giants.  Minnesota and Washington, playoff teams last year, will regress.  The Cowboys will still be the Cowboys.

  Now comes the easy part of the equation, the AFC.

  Denver will romp through the AFC West despite a big improvement from Kansas City.  The Chiefs have a new coach in Andy Reid, a new QB in Alex Smith and a running game second to none.  They will hop over the Chargers and Raiders, but the Broncos will still win the West by at least two games.

  The Patriots will win the East, but won’t be nearly the team we have seen recently because QB Tom Brady’s security blanket Wes Welker is now in Denver and both tight ends, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, will not stay healthy over the entire season.

  Pittsburgh safety Ryan Clark hit it on the head recently, saying, “I think what’s really underestimated is Wes Welker’s importance to not only the New England Patriots, but Tom Brady.  Losing him is huge. … Even when guys aren’t around (Brady), even when he’s not about to be sacked, when his clock goes off in his head that the ball should be out, we’ll see him duck, we’ll see him flinch. When you get Tom Brady doing that, the whole New England Patriots mystique goes away.”

  That Patriot mystique took a big hit last year when Baltimore physically pounded them in the playoffs.

  It will take a bigger hit this season.

  As for Baltimore, the Ravens have re-signed QB Joe Flacco and have stud running back Ray Rice, but lost wide receiver Anquan Boldin and virtually its entire defense.  Case closed.

  Perennial  power Pittsburgh will put up a fight each week, but isn’t what it was two seasons ago.

  Cincinnati is the team on the rise in the division and has added free agent and draft talent to both sides of the ball.

  In the South, Houston and upstart Indy are the teams to watch.

  The AFC playoffs will see Denver and Houston again having byes in the first round, with Denver then beating Indy at home and surprising Cincinnati – which will oust the Patriots – in the AFC Title Game.

  Then it will be two long weeks of Super hype, Manning interviews, Elway interviews … and a third Super Bowl title as Manning, Welker & Co. simply have too much for the 49ers to stop.

  There you have it:  The next NFL season in a nutshell, literally.  

Feb 1, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; A general view of the Vince Lombardi Trophy and the helmets for the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers at the commissioner

Well it seems as if everybody else has made a prediction for Super Bowl XLVII, so why not me? So for the sake of this article, call me “The Swami”. No, really! Seriously. STOP LAUGHING!!!!

I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that the winning coach’s last name will be Harbaugh. OK so it’s more like a popsicle stick than a limb.

In all seriousness, the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers are almost mirror images of each other. So much so that this sets up to be one of the most physical Super Bowls ever played. Both teams get after the QB and are very opportunistic when it comes to creating turnovers (and there is no way I’m going to give you the cliche’ line about winning the turnover battle…DUH!). Both defenses have the ability to get to the QB with just their front four; leaving more helmets underneath for pass coverage. Lastly, neither are particularly consistent in stopping the run but get stingy when it matters most. Both offenses have a big, athletic, physical front which are able to protect the QBs and open up holes in the running game. That said, both teams have been able to run the ball with a measure of success.

“What is going to be the difference in this game?” you ask. Good question! Aside from the aforementioned turnover battle, I think this game is going to be decided by the “French” Quarterbacks (see what I did there?) and special teams.

Quarterbacks: The styles of the two signal callers, Joe Flacco and Colin Kaepernick are stark. Flacco is a big, strong, upright pocket passer with a big arm who is able to keep plays alive by shrugging off would-be tacklers. Kaepernick, also pretty big and strong can beat you from the pocket or pulling the ball down and taking off with it. Flacco has not thrown an interception since Week 15 against the Denver Broncos. New offensive coordinator, Jim Caldwell has taken the chains off and has allowed him to use that big arm to unleash a dangerous vertical passing game. In three playoff games, Flacco has 8 TD passes and no INTs. That kind of ball protection will force the 49ers to make the most of their offensive possessions. Kaepernick led the Niners to wins in their two playoff games in two different fashions. Against the Green Bay Packers, he rushed for a QB playoff record 181 yards and 2 TDs. The following week agains the Atlanta Falcons, he stayed in the pocket and threw for 233 yds with 1 TD. I think both have the physical traits to lead their respective teams to the championship. Thus, whichever QB handles the big moment with more poise probably wins this thing.

Special Teams: This is where Harbaugh paved his path to a head coaching job…oh yeah, John Harbaugh that is. Despite giving up a record 256 return yards and 2 TDs to Denver’s Trindan Holliday in the divisional round, the Ravens’ special teams are usually very reliable. There are many times when they are down-right explosive. Jacoby Jones is arguably the best KR/PR in the NFL and is always a threat to break one for a quick score. If this game comes down to a field goal, Justin Tucker has shown that he is one of the most accurate kickers in this, his rookie season. As for the Niners, they have a game-breaking return man of their own in Ted Ginn, Jr. As you may recall it was a serious case of Fumblitis by the PRs in the 2011 NFC title game that kept San Fran out of Super Bowl XLVI. One would think that this will not enter the minds of Ginn and/or Delanie Walker, but the mind can reek havoc. As for the kicking game, the once reliable David Akers has mysteriously come down with a case of Cundiff-itis.

So in my final analysis I think the 49ers are a more attractive pick on paper; an opinion which is supported by the Las Vegas oddsmakers. However as we painfully found out on January 12th, this game is not played on paper. As the Maryland locals and media like to proclaim, the Ravens do seem like they are a “Team of Destiny”. That said: Baltimore 27, San Francisco 24

Bonus prediction: MVP – Joe Flacco

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Jan 20, 2013; Foxboro, MA, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis (52) reacts after the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. The Ravens defeated the Patriots 28-13. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

It’s the final countdown to Super Bowl Sunday where two of the league’s best compete for a chance to hoist the coveted Vince Lombardi trophy. The two teams in this year’s Super Bowl are competitive, strong, and hungry for the chance to call themselves the champions. The San Francisco 49ers are looking to add a 6^th ring since their last championship win in 1995 against the Dallas Cowboys. The Baltimore Ravens are looking to add their 2^nd ring since 2001’s win against the New York Giants.

Honestly, if you were to ask me who would be representing their division in Super Bowl 2013, the last two teams in my mind would be the Ravens and the 49ers. With San Francisco struggling so long with their starting quarterback situation and the Baltimore Raven’s missing their key linebacker, Ray Lewis, for most of the season due to injury, this was the reason for my raised eyebrow. Still, they have managed to work their way to the crème de la crème of games, each with their own story and legacy.

Even though it has been a few weeks since the Denver Broncos’ heartbreaking loss to the Ravens, I am still a little raw. However, when Baltimore defeated the New England Patriots to advance to the Super Bowl, I was comforted in the fact that the team that took us out at least advanced to the Super Bowl. Looking on the bright side, if the Baltimore Ravens win this Sunday, I can at least say that the only team to stop the Broncos was the Super Bowl champions. My hopes are purely off emotion, but emotion only gets one so far before the facts have to play a role as well.

As I am torn on who will be the victor Sunday, I thought it would be interesting to compare the overall rankings from both the regular season and postseason for these two teams. In analyzing the teams, I looked at offensive, defensive, passing, and rushing yards. Some rankings are not surprising. Others will be interesting to watch how the team develops against each opponent.

REGULAR SEASON RANKINGS

Total Offense:

• 11^th–San Francisco 49ers
• 16^th–Baltimore Ravens

Total Defense:

• 3^rd–San Francisco 49ers
• 17^th–Baltimore Ravens

Total Offensive Passing:

• 15^th–Baltimore Ravens
• 23^rd–San Francisco 49ers

Total Defensive Passing:

• 4^th–San Francisco 49ers
• 17^th–Baltimore Ravens

Total Offensive Rushing:

• 4^th–San Francisco 49ers
• 11^th–Baltimore Ravens

Total Defensive Rushing:

• 4^th–San Francisco 49ers
• 20^th–Baltimore Ravens

Among the 6 areas and where each team ranked, San Francisco averaged 8^th, Baltimore’s average ranking was 16^th. Overall, not too impressive, but this is regular season football in comparison with 32 other teams. All that counts are wins and it was enough for each team to advance to the playoffs and succeed. Overall, offense and offensive passing yards, neither team is very impressive and there are some things to work on for both teams. Let’s see how they did in the postseason rankings.

POSTSEASON RANKINGS

Total Offense:

• 1^st–San Francisco 49ers
• 5^th–Baltimore Ravens

Total Defense:

• 6^th–San Francisco 49ers
• 7^th–Baltimore Ravens

Total Offensive Passing:

• 4^th–Baltimore Ravens
• 9^th–San Francisco 49ers

Total Defensive Passing:

• 9^th–Baltimore Ravens
• 11^th–San Francisco 49ers

Total Offensive Rushing:

• 1^st–San Francisco 49ers
• 5^th–Baltimore Ravens

Total Defensive Rushing:

• 2^nd–San Francisco 49ers
• 5^th–Baltimore Ravens

From this snapshot, San Francisco’s overall average ranking is 5^th out of 12, and what really hurt them was their offensive and defensive passing rankings at 9^th (O) and 11^th (D). Baltimore’s overall average ranking was also 5^th, almost 6^th (5.83 to be exact). In comparing the postseason on offensive passing, Baltimore ranked 4^th of 12 over San Francisco’s 9^th of 12. That being said, on defensive passing San Francisco ranked 11^th out of 12, Baltimore ranked 9^th out of 12.

Both these team’s postseason averages are too close to call (only off by a small margin), but I would say that they are an even match for Sunday. San Francisco’s main weapons in Frank Gore and Vernon Davis will have their work cut out for them against Baltimore’s lethal linebackers Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs. If San Francisco plans to rush yards against the bad boys of Baltimore, they need to act quick to find an open lane and push hard for a down conversion and/or touchdown. (Hey diddle diddle, send.. Frank Gore up the middle?.. nah, just doesn’t sound the same). If San Francisco cannot convert the 3^rd down, they need to be close enough to let kicker David Akers pick up the slack and get as many points on the board as possible.

I think this will be a close scoring game for a good majority of the day, but I want it to be by at the bare minimum 7 points to the winning team. *insert playful sarcasm here* I don’t know why, but a team winning by only a field goal would rub me a little raw. I cannot make any predictions as I know as well as any fan that Super Bowl football is a whole different animal than regular season or postseason football. Almost 18 years to the day (1/29/1995) since San Francisco’s last championship win, they are hungry for another. With the retirement of titan Ray Lewis, what better way to go out with a bang than a Super Bowl win? Both teams have something to fight for and it will be a nail-bitter for Ravens and 49ers fans.

Whoever you decide to root for, rest assured that this will be an epic game on Sunday.

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