The Superbowl matchups.

You can say Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are statue QBs, but it's not like they are just Drew Bledsoe out there.  You're talking about 2 of the best QBs EVER in the NFL.  I don't care if they had 1 arm and 1 leg if you play at the highest levels.  Any Ravens fan worth his/her salt would tell you that they are infinitely more scared of playing Peyton Manning than any other QB in the league period over the past decade.

With the Falcons, my opinion of that team is that they have been a bit overrated.  You can't even really hang your hat too much on the big comeback because the Falcons allowed the exact same thing to happen with the Seahawks the week before.  Heck if Matt Ryan didn't get injured in the game, he very well may have closed out the 49ers like he did the Seahawks with a last second score.

I don't typically get into actual game score predictions because anything can happen on a Sunday.  I do think the Ravens have already been tested by the best QBs out there and some of the best defenses over this season.  Win or lose, the 49ers just don't have anything substantially better than what they have faced over the year already.

SF has played better defenses just by being in the NFC west where all 4 Ds finished top 12. SF has also played a gauntlet of top QBs & won nearly every one of those games. Brady, Eli, RodgersX2, Cutler, Wilson, Stafford, ect. As for RG3 preparing BAL for CK7 I'm not so sure. RG3 doesn't have the receivers SF has on their best day & I think Garcon was out for that one as well. Nor does WASH have our level of O-line. CK7 goes deep about 12 times/game from the pistol so if your secondary doesn't hold up it won't matter if you contain CK7s scrambles. 

Personally I hope SF doesn't get cute & put to much on the young QB. I think our O-line is capable of blowing BAL off the ball & running it at will like Dallas did. O-line is the teams #1 strength so I say put the game on their back & lets roll. 

 

The 49ers can beat the Ravens without a doubt, it's still 50/50 to me, but I seriously doubt it'll be Kaepernick's legs that win this game.  If it's not Gore, it'll have to be Kaep's arm.

It's not just about how many yards the QB rushes for, it's at what  cost? Look at the Atlanta game. They held Kaepernick to, I believe, 2 rushes for 21 yards, but that left Vernon Davis one-on-one with a LB most of the time. Gore and James ran for 3 TD's. And Kaepernick is capable of beating you from the pocket. But if the Ravens have the pistol figured out, that's great, teams can all copy the game plan. There's a team up in Seattle who runs a similar offense I'd like to use it on.

I totally agree it's a 50/50 game. Don't really know what to expect, but a great game. One of the biggest matchups of the game hasn't been talked about much on here. John against Jim. I know it's a huge storyline, but in this case it should be. I have an older brother and we know exactly how each other think. Both coaches are great with an extra week of prep. It's going to be interesting to see what they come up with. 

With the Falcons, my opinion of that team is that they have been a bit overrated.  You can't even really hang your hat too much on the big comeback because the Falcons allowed the exact same thing to happen with the Seahawks the week before.  Heck if Matt Ryan didn't get injured in the game, he very well may have closed out the 49ers like he did the Seahawks with a last second score.

You can blow off the Falcons game if you want, but for a guy with 8 starts playing in his first road playoff game to do what Kaepernick did is impressive. What ifs are fun, but Ryan did get hurt because Ahmad Brooks crushed him, and he couldn't pull off a victory.

 the 49ers will be the best opponent we've seen in the playoffs, however the Broncos would be a very close second, in terms of the quality of their front seven. I think we thought the Broncos secondary was going to be better than it was.

It's arguable at best.  They're both good, but I think that Denver is the better overall D - so many playmakers and they're all still very young.  I think that Denver thought its secondary was better than it was.  It seemes that Caldwell and Harbs new that Torrey could beat Chump Bailey and gave Joe the option to go deep when necessary.  It was Denver'd coaching that didn;t account for this suddenly explosive baltimore offense.  That is something that SF will need to solve

 Peyton Manning<span style="color: #333333; font-style: italic;"> or Colin Keapernick?
<span style="color: #333333; font-style: italic;">Give me Kaepernick, his running ability gives him an edge. Also, he doesn't have a losing record in the playoffs like Manning.

<span style="color: #333333;">Colin is good, but he's not even close to Peyton Manning yet.  The man has a losing record in the play-offs but he's had 20 play-off games.  No comparison.  His running makes him dynamic, but also susceptible to injury and turnovers.  The Ravens D, now with all of its front 7 starting, is built to contain the run and that Pistol formation will be dismantled.  The read option has a weakness and that is that its one option - throw or run.  Look for the Ravens to take away the run and force the young player into bad throws.<span style="color: #333333; font-style: italic;">
 

That's not true with Kaepernick, they've never faced him before. I think that gives him an edge. I'm not saying they can't stop him, but we won't really know until they play

The Ravens played pretty well against RG3.  In fact, the running QB got hurt in that game because that's what happens to QBs that try running on the Ravens.  The Ravens also have two running QBs on the squad with Tyrod Taylor and Dennis Dixon that can run those option plays and help the defense prepare.  I'm sure Keapernick will get a few yards running and hit a few passes.  The Ravens simply need to contain him in the pocket and make him get rid of the ball quickly.  It's not how many yards he gets, it's how many points are scored.  Suggs was able to beat Staley consistently last time they played, but he'll keep to his assignment to keep the QB in the pocket. The Ravens were able to confuse a couple of old pros in Manning and Brady, and I'm sure they'll mix it up, disguise the coverage, and be a challenge for the young QB.  I agree that we won't know how it will play out until Sunday night, but I like the Raven's chances of containing Keapernick.

New England and Denver ranked 1 and 2 in total points scored and the Ravens pretty much shut them down.  I'm cautiously optomistic the Ravens can clamp down on the 49er offense and hold them to around 20 points or less.  This game could come down to field position, penalties and turnovers.

One of the biggest matchups of the game hasn't been talked about much on here. John against Jim. I know it's a huge storyline, but in this case it should be. I have an older brother and we know exactly how each other think

I would think this hurts Jim more than John.  Jim is an actual playcaller, if I'm not mistaken, so if John knows his tendencies then it helps the Ravens.  John doesn't do any playcalling on our end.

I agree with the 49ers fan that Vernon Davis is a big x-factor in this game.  He has the speed of a WR and the size of a TE.  I just don't know who the Ravens put on him in man coverage that can handle him.  It certainly can't be a LB. 

If they play alot of zone coverage, as #3 is suggesting they might to keep an eye on Kaepernick, then that plays right into Davis' ability.  Davis up the seam or crossing in front of the LBs is a nightmare for the Ravens in zone coverage.

I don't think you can call Vernon Davis, with his talent and ability, to be an X-factor.  He will a huge part of the game plan down the seam if the 49ers O-coordinator has been watching any film of Baltimore this year.  He is faster than any of the Ravens LB's and safeties, and he will run over a CB. 

New England and Denver ranked 1 and 2 in total points scored and the Ravens pretty much shut them down.  I'm cautiously optomistic the Ravens can clamp down on the 49er offense and hold them to around 20 points or less.  This game could come down to field position, penalties and turnovers.

Turnovers and penalties will shift the game in a hurry.  In order to win, both teams have to eliminate, or minimize, turnovers; particularly in their own end of the field.

New England and Denver are different than the 49ers in one huge respect:  Both of those teams have drop-back QB's who aren't known for their running.

One big plus I see for the Ravens is (1) 2 weeks to prepare and (2) they did a pretty good job with RG3 and the Redskins pistol, so they've at least had some game experience with it.

I'm hoping for a close, well played game. 

they did a pretty good job with RG3 and the Redskins pistol, so they've at least had some game experience with it.

I keep hearing this on here. Courtousy of ESPN:

"The Ravens faced 15 option runs this season, all against Washington in Week 14. The Redskins finished that game with 93 yards and a 6.2-yard average on those plays."

So giving up 6.2 yards per play is doing a pretty good job? You don't have much experience against it, and you don't do well against it.  




    

I keep hearing this on here. Courtousy of ESPN:

"The Ravens faced 15 option runs this season, all against Washington in Week 14. The Redskins finished that game with 93 yards and a 6.2-yard average on those plays."

So giving up 6.2 yards per play is doing a pretty good job? You don't have much experience against it, and you don't do well against it.  

And yet the Ravens were in position to win that game until RG3 was injured and Kirk Cousins, a more classic drop-back type QB, bailed them out

And yet the Ravens were in position to win that game until RG3 was injured and Kirk Cousins, a more classic drop-back type QB, bailed them out

And that was before the defense got healthier

I don't care if the Ravens give up 500 yards of offense they've given up a lot before because they tend to give up long drives into the red zone but not allow a TD so I don't care if Kaepernick drives it from their 1 to our 1 as long as they're kicking a field goal. Yards don't matter TD's do

The Ravens did a "good job" against RGIII and still lost................Hmmmm, I kinda like hearing that being a 49ers fan  .

I think we are all in for a great game tonight!!

 

The Ravens did a "good job" against RGIII and still lost................Hmmmm, I kinda like hearing that being a 49ers fan

 
Except it wasn't RG3 that beat them.  Kirk Cousins, more of a prototypical QB, came in after RG3 was injured and won the game in OT.

Except it wasn't RG3 that beat them.  Kirk Cousins, more of a prototypical QB, came in after RG3 was injured and won the game in OT.

So I guess you better hope you don't hurt Kaepernick or else Alex Smith will light you up.

"The [Ravens] faced 15 option runs this season, all against Washington in Week 14. The Redskins finished that game with 93 yards and a 6.2-yard average on those plays."

So giving up 6.2 yards per play is doing a pretty good job? You don't have much experience against it, and you don't do well against it.

First, my point was that the limited the QB on the pistol.  Morris was able to run wild against a very injured defense.  Even defenders that were playing, Ngata for instance, weren't playing nearly as well as they are now.

I don't think Kaepernick beats us with his legs but it's always possible.  And using what happened against a beat up defense doesn't carry over to this game.  Ask Denver about week 15 and the divisional round. 

Congrats to the Ravens. That was a great game, well, after the power went out. Ravens were the better team on the field yesterday, well earned victory.

I still think Crabtree >> Boldin :-p but good trade.  You guys needed to move him to make room for young talent at the WR position (btw, no one called that Jones would be the best WR in the SB) and Boldin fits nicely with what we do.

Btw, I never said congrats on the Super Bowl.  You Ravens fans are good fans and you deserve it after being so good over the last 5 years or so.   

I still think Crabtree > > Boldin :-p but good trade

Well, you have an entire season to find out now.  Congrats on the good trade.  Baltimore had to cut him anyway so getting a 6th beats nothing.