Super Bowl Sunday is finally here and the long-awaited game is only hours away. The game pits the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 47 and the game will be televised nationally on CBS with an official start time of 6:30 p.m. Currently the odds for the game have the 49ers favored by 4 points. Below is a Super Bowl 47 Preview.
Super Bowl XLVII will feature brothers Jim and John Harbaugh matching wits for the second time in their NFL coaching careers. CBS certainly is loving the fact that the New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots aren't in this game because we have two big markets and loyal fans. In addition to that, we have a game here where most of the country will be interested, even if they don't have a rooting interest. The Brother Bowl. The Har-Bowl. The Super-Baugh. Call it whatever you want. The first meeting between the two siblings saw the Ravens knock off the Niners 16-6 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore last November. Expect the same style of game in this contest today as we have two solid defenses and two offenses that can be boring at times, but do move the football and score some points.
Ray Lewis is a Super Bowl MVP once and tonight will be his final game in the NFL. There's no doubt that it will be an emotional contest and he'll certainly play his hardest in this game. He'll look to guide a Baltimore defense that was pretty average statistically in the regular season. But at the same time, look at who the Ravens beat in order to get to this Super Bowl — Indy, Denver and New England. Even though they gave up 35 to the Broncos, Baltimore's defense surrendered an average of only 19 points i those three wins.
San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick came out of nowhere (well, Nevada technically) this season after Alex Smith went down with a concussion. That's certainly been a major payout for the 49ers. Kaepernick has been one of the hardest QBs to stop in the league since he took over and his pistol-style offensive attack that can move it successfully on the ground or hit the pass through the air to targets like Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis. Both will test the Ravens defense in this game.
With Kaepernick under center, the 49ers won seven of nine games overall and averaged over 28 points per game during that span.
The Ravens join the 2001 New England Patriots as the only two teams to reach the Super Bowl after ranking worse than 15th in the league in both total defense (17th) and total offense (16th). In 2001, the Patriots reached and won Super Bowl XXXVI despite ranking 24th in defense and 19th in offense. Football can certainly be strange sometimes.
The 49ers obviously want to get Frank Gore the football. He's a load to take down on the ground and will be looking to avoid tackles and find that end zone. Likewise, the Ravens will get the ball to Ray Rice quite a bit. He can be lethal out of the backfield and if it wasn't for a 4th and 29 conversion against San Diego late in the season, Baltimore probably wouldn't even be in this game.
We like the Ravens in this game. They're boring, they're vanilla, but they play hard and they win games the ugly way. Joe Flacco has been impressive in the post season and look for him to get his team down the field consistently and into the end zone. The points in this game are evident of who oddsmakers believe is the best overall team, but we really like the matchups Baltimore has in this one.
Over the last 20 years, only one team won the Super Bowl with a starting QB that did not make the Pro Bowl at some point in his career — Brad Johnson of Tampa Bay. That number will grow as neither Kaepernick or Flacco went to the Pro Bowl. Kaepernick is averaging 9.5 yards per PASS attempt, highest mark in the postseason. Kaepernick averages 11.2 yards per RUSH attempt, also the highest mark in the postseason.
We'll take the underdog and the team that many think shouldn't be in this game. Doubters want to see San Francisco win and that's completely fine, but we're going to take Rice and Flacco's ability in this game as Baltimore wins outright.
Free Pick: Baltimore 23, San Francisco 21
2013 Super Bowl Odds:
Baltimore Ravens +4 (-110), Over 47.5 (-110), +165 (Moneyline)
San Francisco 49ers -4 (-110), Under 47.5 (-110), -175 (Moneyline)
Don't forget to check out what Pregame.com Professional bettors think about this game! Below are five videos of some of the best professional bettors in Las Vegas and their thoughts on the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl 47: Ravens vs. 49ers Props Betting Preview
What NFL bettors need to know about betting props in the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday (2/03/13) -- free picks by Pregame.com's Marco D'Angelo, with Tony George.
NFL Free Picks: Baltimore vs San Francisco (Best Bet)
What NFL bettors need to know about Baltimore Ravens vs San Francisco 49ers on Sunday (2/03/13) -- a best bet by Pregame.com's, Tony George, with host Marco D'Angelo.
Baltimore vs San Francisco: Super Bowl Props Betting
What NFL bettors need to know about betting props in the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday (2/03/13) -- free picks by Pregame.com's, Tony George, with host Marco D'Angelo.
Super Bowl XLVII: Baltimore vs. San Francisco Betting
Everything you need to know about betting the Side, Total and Props in Super Bowl 47 between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday (2/03/13) -- with free picks by Pregame.com's Steve Fezzik, Vegas Runner and Bryan Leonard.
Super Bowl 47: Ravens vs. 49ers Betting Preview
What pro football bettors need to know about Baltimore Ravens vs San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 47 on Sunday (2/03/13)- a betting preview with Vegas Runner and host Scott Spreitzer.