San Francisco 49ers vs Baltimore Ravens.
When the Super Bowl matchups were officially announced, the whole of North America was excited. Everyone was looking forward to a good show. The topic was definitely comparable to last year's "Brady VS Manning Jr.", just imagine it in your mind. , I was so excited that I wanted to jump. reason? Apparently there's more than one.
First of all, this is the San Francisco 49ers versus the Baltimore Ravens!
In fact, purely from the perspective of this season's strength rankings, the two teams are not at the same level at all. The San Francisco 49ers undoubtedly have the absolute upper hand.
As for the offensive team, the San Francisco 49ers are third in the league and the Baltimore Ravens are tenth in the league.
As for the defensive team, the San Francisco 49ers are second in the league and the Baltimore Ravens are 12th in the league.
Seed rankings, the San Francisco 49ers are the No. 1 seed in the NFC and the Baltimore Ravens are the No. 4 seed in the AFC.
In other words, from the offensive team to the defensive team, the San Francisco 49ers are leading in all aspects, and the lead is huge. Analyzing from the paper strength, this is bound to be an unequal game. The San Francisco 49ers are the favorites to win, and Baltimore Crows are underdogs who are not favored.
But competitive sports can never be measured purely by numbers. Otherwise, the New York Giants would not have counterattacked all the way to the top last year. Otherwise, the Baltimore Ravens would not have kept a clean sheet against the New England Patriots in the second half of the American League Finals this year.
After all, the data can only be used as a reference, and on-the-spot performance is the most important. There are many cases of the weak defeating the strong. What's more, the grievances between these two teams are far from simple.
In the past two seasons, the rise of the San Francisco 49ers has been truly astonishing. In the 2011 season, they won 13 games, and finally fell in the National League finals; in the 2012 season, they won 16 games and are still undefeated. The two seasons are superimposed. Only lost four games, if the record is absolutely terrifying.
But among the team's four losses, they included their only meeting with the Baltimore Ravens.
It was a humiliating defeat, and the San Francisco 49ers were almost powerless to fight back:
Lu Ke suffered nine sacks, three hasty shots, five pressure passes, and two direct collisions. He almost danced on the wire rope throughout the game; facing the opponent's tough defense that pressed the whole court, the receivers still There were five foul shots, and the team also committed 13 yellow flag fouls and lost 125 yards.
The 49ers who played away from home were completely defeated. Although the final score was only "10:16", which seemed to be just a touchdown difference, they could not find any solution in the whole game and suffered from everything from beginning to end. It was a crushing impact and was at a disadvantage in all aspects. Even the defensive team made repeated mistakes against Joe Flacco's Six-Pulse Excalibur. That defeat was definitely the most painful one since the team's re-emergence.
After the game, for a long, long time, no one on the team was willing to mention this game. It was firmly branded on the wound like a scar of shame. Even now, this is still the case. The more brilliant their achievements are, the uglier the scar of that defeat becomes, like a huge patch that appears on a flawless vase.
Ray Lewis, the soul of the Baltimore Ravens defensive team, did not take Lu Ke seriously at all. In the interview, he said lightly, "The San Francisco 49ers offensive team is not scary at all; and Lu Ke is not as strong as imagined!" Then, as reporters chased him, Lewis said, "He doesn't deserve so much time to discuss."
"He's just a regular quarterback, as good as any quarterback I've sacked before. We got the win, we got nine sacks, that's all, I don't have anything to talk about "." Lewis was obviously unwilling to waste time on "useless topics."
"He doesn't deserve it."
This is Lewis's evaluation of Lu Ke. After that game, players including Richard Sherman and Patrick Peterson took the initiative to challenge Lu Ke during interviews and repeatedly quoted Lewis's evaluation. Coming out is like a mark of shame. Whenever the 49ers are about to forget, someone will bring it up again.
To put it simply, the Baltimore Ravens defense gave the San Francisco 49ers offense a shocking education, which truly allowed Lu Ke, who was still a rookie quarterback at the time, to feel the capabilities of a top defensive team; and became San Francisco's top defensive team in two seasons. The 49ers' worst game.
This is also the only meeting between the two teams in two seasons.
Now, the time for revenge has truly arrived!
But for the San Francisco 49ers, things are definitely not that easy. Just look at the performance of the Baltimore Ravens defense in the AFC Finals against the New England Patriots. Even Bill Belichick and Tom Brady Being helpless, does this mean that the feared defensive team is back on the right track again?
So, how will the San Francisco 49ers offense respond this time?
On one side is the San Francisco 49ers, an offensive team that has been invincible and invincible in the past two seasons. Now they are once again facing the only powerful opponent they have suffered a heavy defeat. Will they continue their strength and successfully revenge? Or are you haunted by nightmares and repeating the same mistakes?
On one side is the Baltimore Ravens, who have suffered a serious decline in their regular season form this season, but have climbed all the way in the playoffs and have regained their peak form. Once again facing the opponents they once beat, can they continue their good form and reach the top in one fell swoop?
Did the San Francisco 49ers succeed in revenge? Or will the Baltimore Ravens continue to crush them?
How can people not be excited when facing such warring opponents?
Secondly, this is a matchup between two teams with a 100% winning record in the Super Bowl!
The San Francisco 49ers have entered the Super Bowl finals five times in history, in 1981, 1984, 1988, 1989, and 1994. They have won all five games and won five Super Bowl championship trophies. Currently, they have the second most wins. Six times with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Baltimore Ravens cannot count the record achieved by its predecessor, the Cleveland Browns, but start counting from 1996 when it officially moved to Baltimore. 2000 was the only time the team stood on the Super Bowl stage and they successfully won the championship.
In other words, both teams have a 100% success rate in winning the Super Bowl! Now, the two teams are about to meet on the Super Bowl stage, which also means that in the confrontation between the two armies, one side will definitely break its perfect winning rate. It depends on which team regrets losing.
Again, Hubble Bowl!
This is the first time in NFL history that a team coached by two brothers has reached the Super Bowl final stage!
Although the two brothers are only one year apart, they have many differences in their career paths and styles.
John Harper, the older brother, started out as a defender. He is mature, sophisticated, steady, cunning, and resourceful. His athletic talent is mediocre. He served as an assistant coach for the team in college. After graduating from college in 1984, he directly turned into a coach and spent fourteen years in the NCAA. After that, he became the special teams coach and defensive second-line coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1998. After staying with this team for ten years, he became the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens in 2008, where he remains today.
Jim Harper, the younger brother, started his career as an offensive player. He was passionate, unconstrained, and bold. Before officially becoming a coach, he had a 13-year career as a professional player and served as a quarterback. After announcing his retirement in 2001, he served as a quarterback the following year. He became the quarterback coach of the Oakland Raiders, but due to his bad temper, he left to coach in the NCAA. It was not until 2011 that he was invited by the San Francisco 49ers to become the head coach and rose to prominence.
These are two completely different brothers, like natural enemies. However, their coaching talent is unquestionable.
After John Harper joined the Baltimore Ravens, he made it to the playoffs for five consecutive years, and his worst results were in the divisional round. In the past four years, he lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers twice and Indianapolis in the playoffs. The Colts once and the New England Patriots once. To put it simply, they were blocked by three strong passing teams.
After Jim Harper took over the San Francisco 49ers, he entered the National League Finals for two consecutive years. He only lost four games in two seasons. This season he even created a brilliant record of victory. Although he is young and energetic, he successfully moved the ball. The team's vitality and youth are fully demonstrated, and there is no doubt that it has become a powerful team in the league.
Now, the first brother-coaches showdown in the history of the Super Bowl is about to take place, and it is still a battle of contradictions. So, which one is the stronger brother's shield? Or is the younger brother's spear sharper?
Peyton Manning and Eli Manning didn't have a Super Bowl sibling showdown, and now the Hubble brothers have taken the lead. Even the league officials used the title "Hubble Bowl" to promote it in all aspects!
In all aspects, inside and out, this Super Bowl is full of countless topics. Just thinking about it can't help but start to get excited. This is definitely the most anticipated game of the season.
It may not be as exciting as "Luke VS Brady" or "Lu Ke VS Manning", but the head-to-head confrontation of "offense VS defense" will undoubtedly make the game more exciting, which for neutral fans , is undoubtedly good news.
This game will be the Huashan Swordsmanship of the 2012 season! Who rules the martial arts world! Showdown!
However, if you want to find a core highlight of this game, more than 99% of fans will give one answer in unison:
It's not "Hubble Bowl" or "49ers VS Ravens", but "Lu Ke VS Raytheon".
Finally, "Thor" Ray Lewis.
Lewis, who is 37 years old this year, has booked a Hall of Fame seat early before retiring. He is also recognized as one of the greatest linebackers in history. His powerful dominance on the field has reached Phenomenal level, with the ability to reverse the outcome of a game!
But after suffering from injuries this season, Lewis officially announced before the start of the playoffs that he would retire after the season.
In other words, the Super Bowl is his farewell game!
