By Tommy Liljedahl
John Harbaugh’s gritty, savvy Baltimore Ravens knocked off the New England Patriots 28-13, at Gillette Stadium, hours after Jim Harbaugh’s tenacious, upstart San Francisco 49ers rallied to defeat the Atlanta Falcons 28-24, in the Georgia Dome. Both teams won on the road against a higher seeded opponent, both teams rallied in the second half despite trailing at the intermission, both teams are led by a Harbaugh brother at the helm, and both teams will represent the NFL in Super Bowl XLVII, February 3rd in New Orleans’ Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Flashback one year prior, when the New York Giants, having defeated the 49ers, and the New England Patriots, having defeated the Ravens, set up their second Super Bowl showdown in four years. Whether it be the rematch hype, media day, or Patriots’ tight end Rob Gronkowski’s propensity for partying, Connecticut was abuzz, captivated by Super Bowl XLVI. No surprise, as New Britain, Connecticut serves as a medium between Foxboro, home of the Pats, and East Rutherford, home of the G-Men, located approximately 100 miles from both. Naturally, this left our state torn, with shortages of neither fan base. New England fans yearned for Tom Brady to capture his elusive fourth Super Bowl, first since 2004, while New York fans remained convinced that their smothering pass rush would be his kryptonite, similarly to 2008. Nothing wrong with some friendly competition, right? The result was the most watched television event in U.S. history, and a 21-17 New York Giants victory.
Where are the Giants now? Loafing around, witnessing the games like the rest of us, after finishing the season 9-7 and missing the playoffs, despite a promising 6-2 start. The Patriots? Licking their wounds after another playoff letdown, a round earlier than last year’s. The New York Jets? In shambles due to poor personnel decisions, the debacle that was Tim Tebow, and the steady regression of quarterback Mark Sanchez. The Philadelphia Eagles? At a crossroads, fresh off of firing Andy Reid, the winningest head coach in franchise history, and hiring Oregon’s Chip Kelly. One similarity between these teams, and the other 24 for that matter, is that like you, their eyes will be glued to the television come 6:30 PM, two Sundays from now, when the Ravens and 49ers kick it off for the Lombardi Trophy.
The matchup begs the question: Why do we care? With our most popular teams sent packing, what is a Connecticut sports fan’s inclination to tune into what has been dubbed “The Harbaugh Bowl”? Some will watch merely for the commercials, others to indulge in food, and passionate fans may even use Super Bowl Sunday as a justification for binge drinking, drowning their sorrows from a lost season. I, interested in all the preceding, am most engrossed by the football. A sports junkie, pledging loyalty to the game before a specific team, find myself enthralled by Super Bowl XLVII and the matchup it presents. After all, if impartial, we want the two best teams in the final game, right? Through this wacky NFL postseason (the most impeccable playoff system in sports), this is precisely what we are left with.
The Baltimore Ravens, still haunted by a Lee Evans drop and a Billy Cundiff missed field goal, returned to the site of their downfall last season to settle the score with the New England Patriots. Undaunted, they stumped Tom Brady and the NFL’s highest scoring team (34.8 PPG). Baltimore has consistently shut down Tom Terrific, holding him to one touchdown and four interceptions in their last two playoff meetings. Yes, the same quarterback with three Super Bowl Rings, five Super Bowl appearances, two MVPs, and a previously unblemished 67-0 record when leading at halftime at home.
The formerly prolific Ravens defense has been revitalized, sparked by legendary middle linebacker Ray Lewis’ announcement of his retirement at the conclusion of this season. Lewis, the seventeen year veteran and twelve time Pro Bowler, has 57 tackles over these three playoff victories, after missing most of the season with a torn triceps. Ladarius Webb, Terrell Suggs, and Haloti Ngata, also missed significant time due to injury. Finally healthy, this inspired unit took down two of the greatest QBs in NFL history on their home fields, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. To call the Ravens underdogs is asinine.
A team that has won a playoff game in each of its five years under John Harbaugh before suffering devastating defeats, this was their turn. As Tom Brady said after the game, “You’ve got to earn it. We didn’t earn it, they earned it”. Truer words were never spoken, as the Ravens physically dominated the Patriots, making every crucial play, capitalizing on every mistake, before eventually pulling away. A defense anchored by legends, and an offense brimming with emerging stars Joe Flacco and Ray Rice, there couldn’t be a more deserving team to represent the AFC.
As for the NFC, The San Fransisco 49ers went into Atlanta as road favorites, teeming with confidence after thrashing the Green Bay Packers, 31-45. Similarly to the Ravens, the Niners strength is their defense and physicality, but they were forced to score in bunches after Atlanta jumped out to a 17-0 lead. No problem for second year quarterback Colin Kaepernick. After taking over for an injured Alex Smith in week 6 of the regular season, Kaepernick has been “that dude”, exploiting both his break away speed and prolific arm in San Francisco’s read option offense.
He ran for an unprecedented 181 yards against the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round, an NFL record for a quarterback. Not a postseason record; not a 49ers record; the most rushing yards in a single game by a QB, period. Kaepernick can sling it a bit too, finishing the NFC title game with a 127.7 QB rating, as San Francisco shutout Atlanta in the second half, en route to a 28-24 victory. Tight end Vernon Davis, who had been relatively quiet, exploded for 106 yards and a touchdown.
Running back Frank Gore punched in two critical second half TDs, and stud linebacker Patrick Willis led the team with 12 tackles. Coming from behind on the road, the 49ers take on the crazed personality of their passionate, intense coach, Jim Harbaugh. In both of his two seasons as San Fransisco’s head coach, Harbaugh has brought the 49ers to the NFC title game, and now to Super Bowl XLVII.
So now we have Baltimore vs. San Francisco: The Harbaugh Bowl. Two resilient, tenacious football teams led by two tremendous coaches from one successful family. Ray Lewis’ inspired, stout collection of veterans, versus the confident, talented crew of youngsters. No Patriots, no Giants, no Jets. Yet, the Knicks thrive early in the NBA season, the Yankees and Red Sox always have high expectations as spring training approaches, and the Rangers and Bruins are finally playing hockey again.
Life goes on for Connecticut sports fans. Though regional interest in this game wanes, I will be watching, you will be watching, and damn near all of America will be watching. Whatever one’s reasoning, it is simply what we do on Super Bowl Sunday. As Connecticut sports fans, we always have next year to look forward to, but should take a moment to savor and appreciate Super Bowl XLVII. It’s going to be a good one.
