The Ravens and 49ers have traveled an arduous path to Super Bowl XLVII.
The Ravens, who are chasing the second Super Bowl
title in franchise history, battled through a spate of defensive
injuries while the offense forged an explosive identity under new
coordinator Jim Caldwell. Eventually, Baltimore emerged as the AFC's premier team.
The 49ers will be making their sixth Super Bowl
appearance after dealing with the growing pains of a second-year
quarterback who was thrust into action in the middle of the season.
Switching from Alex Smith to Colin Kaepernick
could have ruined the team's chemistry and offensive continuity down
the stretch, but to their credit, the Niners' locker room didn't seem to
be adversely affected. Kaepernick, meanwhile, has made them nearly
unstoppable.
We have slightly less than two weeks to scrutinize and analyze every
aspect of each squad. Here's an initial preview of what it will take for
the Ravens or 49ers to win the elusive brass ring on Feb. 3:
Flacco will need to be at his best to move the ball against a talented 49ers defense that throttles opponents with its collective speed, quickness and physicality. Flacco must pepper San Francisco with a variety of short and intermediate passes before taking a few vertical shots to Smith on the outside against Tarell Brown or Chris Culliver. If Flacco can maintain his poise and patience within the pocket, he could make enough plays to deliver the Lombardi Trophy to Baltimore.
The 49ers will utilize a combination of zone-read running and play-action passing against a Ravens defense that struggled to contain a similar offensive attack run by Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins in Week 14. With two weeks to copy some of the concepts that worked for the Redskins in that game, the 49ers should put together a plan that's chock full of zone-read runs and passes that can keep the Ravens in a state of confusion. If Kaepernick can simply execute without hesitation, the 49ers' new-aged offense could help Jim Harbaugh secure the franchise's sixth Super Bowl title.
