2008 was the year it all came together for the Baltimore Ravens. Former Head Coach Brian Billick was fired following the 2007 season after a 5-11 record and they took a gamble on former Eagles Secondary coach John Harbaugh. They traded up in the draft to take Quarterback Joe Flacco with the 18th pick, and made the steal of the draft when they took Ray Rice in the second round, 55th overall out of Rutgers.
This offseason gamble ended up building a Ravens team that could be successful for the next decade. The team has made the playoffs every year since 2008 and has already been to two AFC title games and now earned their first super bowl appearance. Joe Flacco has proved that he can win in the playoffs. So far this postseason his numbers are incredible. Eight touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 116.03. His most impressive performance came against the Denver Broncos in the AFC divisional game. He threw an 80-yard touchdown pass with 31 seconds left in the game, forcing two overtimes before a field goal secured the game for Baltimore.
Baltimore has played well on the road this postseason. They beat the top two teams in the AFC. First the Broncos in the game of the year, before going to Foxborough and absolutely annihilating the Patriots, 28-13 to get revenge for last year’s AFC Championship game loss. As a team that finished 10-6, they were tied for the worst record for a playoff team. However they have one thing that every team not named New England had, experience.
Between the momentum of rattling off three straight playoff wins, and the experience they have, they can easily beat the 49ers. Starting with captain Ray Lewis in his last game. Lewis has already won a Super Bowl (XXXV) and with 17 years experience under his belt, he will know how to rally his troops. Though he is 37, he hasn’t slowed down too much. Through the playoffs, his tackle total have been 13,17 and 14, respectively.
The Ravens are renowned for their defense, but this season, however, it has been less than impressive. They finished the season 17th in the league against the pass and 20th against the run. Those are scary numbers to bet against the 49ers who are arguably the most balanced team in the NFL. The Ravens have Ray Lewis leading the middle, future hall of famer Ed “The Ball Hawk” Reed leading the secondary and Haloti Ngata leading the defensive line. The question in this game will be can the Ravens aging defense hold up against the 49ers explosive offense? Chances are it can.
Connor Anthony can be reached at connor.anthony@spartans.ut.edu.