Super Bowl XLVII By The Numbers
The 49ers are trying to become the first team in NFL history to win a Super Bowl without winning at least three games in a row during the regular season, unlike the Ravens, who had two four-game winning streaks this year.
• Video: "Inside PressBox" Super Bowl Preview |
Harbaughs Have Rare Joint Talk
At the first-ever joint media session between competing Super Bowl head coaches, the Ravens' John Harbaugh was resplendent in a dark suit and seemed relaxed, while the 49ers' Jim Harbaugh wore sideline attire and seemed guarded. |
Super Bowl Predictions:
Will The Ravens Beat The 49ers?
PressBox experts and friends, from Gov. Martin O'Malley and Josh Charles to Tom Matte and Gary Stein, weigh in with their picks for Sunday's Super Bowl matchup between the Ravens and the 49ers.
• Disgruntled Steelers Fan Pulling For Ravens |
Stan The Fan's Super Bowl Pick
Stan "The Fan" Charles thinks the Ravens' experience and power will help make Ray Lewis' last dance a winning one ... and he's even found proof that Baltimore will win the Super Bowl. |
Super Bowl XLVII Preview:
Ravens vs. 49ers
The Feb. 3 Baltimore-San Francisco matchup is the first Super Bowl between teams that lost the previous year's conference title games since Pittsburgh and Dallas squared off 17 years ago. |
Who Has The Special Teams Edge?
Baltimore is an overwhelming winner in the kicking matchup, what with Justin Tucker's 30-for-33 regular-season field-goal numbers and his toughness in the clutch during the postseason. |
Five Biggest Super Bowl Storylines
Joe Platania checks in from New Orleans as he highlights the five biggest storylines of Super Bowl week ... so far. And the Har-Bowl isn't even No. 1.
• BSO's "Hail To The Ravens" |
Who Has The Super Bowl Edge? -- Defensive Backs
The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers have a pair of secondaries that can either bend or break. This is where playerssuch as the Ravens' Corey Graham come in.
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Rob Burnett's Super Bowl Prediction
Former Ravens defensive end Rob Burnett thinks Sunday's Super Bowl will come down to a late-game field goal. Check out his full prediction. |
Super Bowl Preview Part II: 49ers
San Francisco's appearance in Sunday's game will be its first Super Bowl in 18 years, the fourth-longest drought among NFC teams. |
Torrey Smith Takes Top Off Defenses
Torrey Smith led the Ravens in receiving TDs this year and averaged 17 yards per reception. On Sunday, 49ers safety Donte Whitner will be charged with the task of making sure the Ravens' newfound deep-passing game doesn't have the same success. |
Who Has The Edge? -- Linebackers?
Whereas Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis has played for 17 stellar seasons, the San Francisco starting quartet of linebackers NaVorro Bowman, Patrick Willis, Aldon Smith and Ahmad Brooks has combined for 18 years' worth of service. Who wins in the battle of experience vs. youth and speed? |
Super Bowl Preview: The Ravens
The Ravens scored a team-record 398 points this year, but the team's true impact on the scoreboard has come during the playoffs, where it has outscored the opposition during the second half by a 49-17 margin. |
Police Taking Precautions To Ensure Safety Of Super Bowl Celebrations
As most Baltimoreans will be doing Sunday, the 3,200 officers of the city's police department will be rooting hard for the Ravens. But several hundred of those officers will also have the responsibility of keeping the excitement of Super Bowl Sunday safely within the law. |
Media Day Craziness Makes Flacco Shrug, Lewis Defensive
Even Super Bowl Media Day, that annual raucous, bizarre world of silly costumes and even dumber questions, couldn't really rattle Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco -- but Ray Lewis did get a bit defensive.
• Former NFL TE Jean Fugett On Media Day |
Who Has The Super Bowl Edge? -- Defensive Line
Like the offensive line matchup, the defensive line is another case where the Ravens have talent that has performed inconsistently, while the 'Niners have been more stable, consistent and effective. |
A Super Bowl Message From New Orleans: We've Missed You, World
New Orleans resident Christopher Freeman has a Super Bowl message from his city: "We've missed you, world."
• Sports Business: Las Vegas Also Offers Attractive Options For Watching The Super Bowl |
For Lewis, It's About Being A Leader
Just hours after arriving in New Orleans, Ray Lewis told reporters: "I've put [the fact that it's the last game] out of my mind. I promise you, it's the last thing on my mind. The most important thing is to be the best leader I can be." |
Ravens Doing More Than Winning Games For One Fan
After the death of her husband in 2008, Mary Kryglik turned away from the Ravens, the team they had both loved. But the magic of the 2012 season has pulled her back in, and she's even made the trip down to New Orleans to take it all in. |
Super Bowl Prop Bets
Which will be greater: Alex Ovechkin's points against the Penguins on Feb. 3 or the total number of Ravens' Super Bowl XLVII rushing touchdowns? That's just one of this year's Super Bowl prop bets.
• MGM Oddsmaker: Most Bettors Pick 49ers |
The Joys (And Pressures) Of Baltimore's Great Fan Support
Retired Ravens defensive end Rob Burnett talks about what the Baltimore fan support meant to 2000 Ravens. |
Burnett Compares Billick, Harbaugh
Retired Ravens defensive end Rob Burnett thinks head coach John Harbaugh will be tougher both in practice and with his demands than Brian Billick was with Burnett's Super Bowl team -- but he also thinks Harbaugh has proven to be the right man for the job. |
Reed To Coach? Newsome Reflects
When it comes to announcing a 2013 return or drawing a $10,000 fine on Tom Brady, Ravens free safety Ed Reed never fails to make headlines. |
Better Tackling During Postseason
Five of the Ravens' top eight postseason tacklers play in the front seven, and Ray Lewis' return and the rejuvenated Terrell Suggs have had a lot to do with that. |
SB Marketing Not What It Used To Be
When the Ravens played in Super Bowl XXXV, the team had more than a dozen billboards in Tampa, but don't expect a similar scene in New Orleans. |
Super Bowl Cocktails
There's no shortage of suggestions for what to serve at a Super Bowl party, but the folks at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City have a couple of interesting cocktails that work particularly well for the occasion. And they're sharing the recipes. |
Baltimore Media Extend Ravens Coverage For Super Bowl Week
Local media outlets are stepping up their coverage as the Ravens make the trip to the Super Bowl, and many will feature a week-long series of specials, starting Jan. 28 and leading up to the game.
• ABC2 Recruits Fans To Rebuild Homes In N.O. |
Who Has The Super Bowl Edge? -- Offensive Line
This could have been one of the biggest mismatches of Super Bowl XLVII were it not for the Ravens' late-season adjustments. |
Rob Burnett: Three Keys To Preparing For The Super Bowl
Retired Ravens defensive end Rob Burnett shares his three keys to preparing for the Super Bowl and his advice for this year's team. |
The Harbaugh Story: Family Knows It's Inevitable
Few Super Bowl plotlines have contained the combination of pride and angst as that of the Harbaugh family, and the family has resigned itself to the fact that such repetitive mention of the matchup is inevitable. |
Ellerbe Only Raven Out Of Practice
Linebacker Dannell Ellerbe's myriad injuries this year haven't stopped him from being a key part of the Ravens' defense, but his recent ankle and back problems made him the only player missing from Thursday's indoor practice. |
Niners News: SF's Akers Led NFL In Misses This Season
The David Akers is a six-time Pro Bowl kicker and 14-year NFL veteran, but the 49ers' kicker led the league in misses during the 2012 regular season with 13. |
Who Has Super Bowl Edge? -- WRs
The receiving targets that will be featured during this year's Super Bowl are talented on paper, but, for various reasons, haven't really blossomed into the kinds of scary downfield corps that were anticipated. |
Who Has Super Bowl Edge? -- RBs
San Francisco's Frank Gore is just one inch taller than the Ravens' Ray Rice, but Gore's 28 receptions pale in comparison with Rice's 61. |
Ray Lewis' Last Dance Comes Against His First Sack
Stan "The Fan" Charles was struck by the delicious irony when he read that the first quarterback Ray Lewis ever sacked was 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, then the Indianapolis Colts' quarterback. |
Who Has Super Bowl Edge? -- QBs
Super Bowl quarterbacks Joe Flacco and Colin Kaepernick offer a contrast in styles as well as resumes. Kaepernick's nine starts for the 49ers are the third fewest by any Super Bowl starter, while Flacco has been the Ravens' starter nearly from the moment he was drafted in 2008. |
2000 Ravens: Where Are They Now?
It's been 12 years since the Ravens were last in the Super Bowl, and most of the players on that 2000 squad have retired and are pursuing new professional careers. Here's a look at what the starters during that year are up to now. |
Baltimore Sports On A Super Run
The highs and lows of being a Baltimore sports fan never really end, but Stan "The Fan" Charles thinks we may look back on 2012 and 2013 as a special moment during that rich history. |
Baltimore vs. San Francisco =
The Wire vs. Full House
Saturday Night Live head writer Seth Meyers may have been the first to call Ravens-49ers Super Bowl "The Wire" vs. "Full House," but we took it a step further (too far?) and cast both shows. |
Preliminary Notes About Ravens-49ers Super Bowl Odds
The 49ers are four-point favorites in the Big Game being played in New Orleans on Feb. 3. And that's already down from the odds that were being posted as the Ravens were passing around the Lamar Hunt trophy after defeating New England. |
Baltimore And San Fran's Playoff History & Super Bowl Records
Baltimore and San Francisco have each won six conference championships through their cities' football past. Here's a look back.
• All-Time Super Bowl Results
• Super Bowl Records |
Ravens Top Patriots, 28-13,
Earn Trip To Super Bowl
The Ravens defeated the Patriots, 28-13, to advance to Super Bowl XLVII. Joe Flacco threw for 240 yards and three touchdowns, and the Ravens outscored the Patriots, 21-0, during the second half to earn the win. |
