San Francisco vs Baltimore Betting?
Super Bowl XLVII – Bro-Bowl Promises Plenty of Intrigue
Super Bowl XLVII is less than a week away and it certainly has its share of storylines – all of which will be beaten into your heads between now and game time. There’s the Harbaugh boys, there’s the two QBs hoping to take the step toward elitism, there’s the Ray Lewis angle and there’s the two immensely talented defenses playing in this game. .
Baltimore Ravens (10-6) vs. San Francisco 49ers (11-4-1)
Date/Time: Sunday, February 3, 6:30 PM ET
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Broadcast: CBS
Ravens vs. 49ers Betting Lines from Bovada
Baltimore Ravens +3½ -110 +150 Ov 47½ -110
San Francisco 49ers -3½ -110 -170 Un 47½ -110
ATS Matchup Stats | Gambling Insight!
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The matchup of storylines off the field will likely end up a tie – the game on the field thankfully won’t!
The Baltimore Ravens entered the season as one of the favorites to be in this very game but unflattering play at various times during the season allowed this team to escape the Super Bowl radar. The offense struggled at times and the defense definitely took a step backward this year. But in the playoffs this team has put it all together and has peaked at precisely the right time!
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Baltimore’s passing game was a pedestrian 15th during the regular season gaining 233.69 yards per game through the air and the running game was 11th averaging 118.81 yards per game. Baltimore was the 10th best scoring team in the NFL this season – 24.88 points per game. So why has this offense emerged in the post season?
Joe Flacco has turned it on this postseason, throwing eight touchdowns and no interceptions. Anquan Boldin has also stepped up catching two TDs vs. the Patriots and Torrey Smith has also been dangerous. Dennis Pitta has caught two touchdowns in the post season to boot! Everything has clicked in the passing game and then there is Ray Rice!
When the Ravens struggled this season, they forgot about Rice who is one of the best pass catchers in the NFL and is an effective runner between the tackles. He will need to be a bog part Sunday if the Ravens are to have a chance at victory. The emergence of change-of-pace-guy Bernard Pierce has also been a difference for this team. When Cam Cameron was fired as Offensive Coordinator, the Ravens turned the corner – Jim Caldwell brought the best out of everyone on this team and the strengths of each and every player was emphasized to the fullest.
Defensively, there is some reason for concern for Baltimore fans – the Ravens were 17th against the pass this season and 20th against the run. But this unit led by Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, who is rumoured to be on his way out of Baltimore after this season, is peaking at precisely the right time – just like the offense. Need Proof? They held the best offense in the NFL – the Patriots in check for 60 minutes in the AFC Championship game.
Now for the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners made a switch at QB in Week 11 and this team has flourished and has become one of the more dangerous and unpredictable offenses in the NFL since – a far cry from the vanilla offense they possessed with Alex Smith at the helm. San Francisco ended the season with the league’s 4th best rushing offense and the 23rd ranked passing offense – – up from 30th when Alex Smith was at the helm. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Colin Kaepernick instantly added some juice to the offense, not only as a runner but also as a thrower. His fastball is as good as any quarterback’s in the league, and Kaepernick’s accuracy has been better than expected. In his 10 starts to date, Kaepernick has completed at least 62 percent of his passes in six of them and more than 70 percent (16-for-21 completions) in the NFC title game.
But the 49ers are, first and foremost, a running team. RBs Frank Gore (4.8) and LaMichael James (6.9) are averaging five yards per carry in the postseason. Gore has been sensational all season long – he is a handful for any team he faces and the emergence of James makes the Niners that much more dangerous on offense. Kaepernick has proven to be an incredible rushing threat as well – he set the record earlier this season for rushing yards by a QB in an NFL game!
Defensively, San Francisco has been plain scary all season long – 4th against the run and 4th against the pass. This unit allowed just 17.06 points per game – good for 2nd in the NFL. The Smith boys are stellar and the 49ers own the best linebacking corp. in the NFL. The defense has been a difference maker all season long for San Francisco and this Sunday should be no different.
So who wins?
Betting Prediction: A few trends to consider:
• Baltimore is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Baltimore’s last 5 games
• Baltimore is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing San Francisco
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Baltimore’s last 6 games when playing San Francisco
• The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Francisco’s last 5 games
• San Francisco is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Francisco’s last 6 games when playing Baltimore
• San Francisco is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Baltimore
Everybody seems to be on the 49ers ahead of this game and rightfully so. But I am taking the Ravens – they just seem to be a team of destiny with some mystical force driving them through the playoffs. The 49ers defense looked a tad vulnerable against Atlanta in the NFC Championship game and with an extra week to prepare, I have faith in the Baltimore coaching staff’s abilities to devise a game plan similar to that of the Falcons. Add in the clear momentum that the Ravens have obviously developed and it all adds up to a Baltimore win. – In Ray Lewis’s last game, he will go out a winner – cue the Kevin Garnett type victory speech!
Pick: Baltimore Ravens + 3 1/2
