Thursday, January 31, 2013

Super Bowl XLVII Pick: Baltimore Ravens vs. San Francisco 49ers

We are down to the final game of the 2012 NFL season and as excited as I am for this Sunday's Super Bowl, I cannot help but have that empty feeling that comes with knowing that opening day for next season is over seven months away.

Winning a Super Bowl is the ultimate prize for all 32 NFL teams and their fans but the harsh reality is that only one team will come away with the Vince Lombardi Trophy and only one city will be able to bask in the glory of having their team referred to as Super Bowl Champions. As a die-hard Eagles' fan this reality has been even harder to accept given the fact that Philadelphia is one of the handful of NFL cities that has never had the opportunity know what it feels like to actually win a Super Bowl. I was not even born in 1960 when the team won the NFL Championship and as I get older, the memory of being at the Vet when Wilbert Montgomery ran all over the Cowboys on the way to Super Bowl XV has already began to fade.

It is a new era in Philadelphia and maybe Chip Kelly is the guy that is finally going to lead our beloved Birds to the Promised Land of Super Bowl glory, but right now I have focused all my energy on dissecting this Sunday's matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers. History will be made when the Harbaugh brothers square off against one another on the sidelines in what should be a great game. John Harbaugh has some strong connections to Philadelphia as a former Eagles assistant coach under Andy Reid before getting his big break with Baltimore, so I guess that is as good as any reason to root for the Ravens. I never really liked Jim Harbaugh when he played in the NFL for Chicago, but you cannot help but admire the job he has done in just two years at the helm in San Francisco. Hopefully, Kelly can follow in his footsteps and become another Pac-12 coach to mirror their success at the collegiate level in the NFL.

The bottom line is that this is going to be a close, hard-fought battle that has 'instant classic' written all over it. Since I see this as a three-point game either way I am inclined to take Baltimore and the 3.5 points. However, as the money keeps pouring in on the Ravens this line could easily dip to three points by the time kick-off rolls around.

For my complete preview and prediction for Super Bowl XLVII as previously posted on Bang the Book just click the link below.

Super Bowl XLVII Pick: Baltimore Ravens vs. San Francisco 49ers




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