STATE YOUR CASE: Which team will win the Super Bowl?
BY JASON BORBA
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers will win Super Bowl XLVII.
The 49ers should make easy work of a Falcons team that had a hard time containing Russell Wilson and the Seahawks running game. Willson had seven carries for 60 yards and a touchdown.
49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is a much bigger and faster player than Wilson, so he should be able to run freely. Having Frank Gore as your running back doesn’t hurt either. The Niners defense will do a good job of slowing Matt Ryan and his receivers, and stopping Michael Turner shouldn’t be difficult for the fourth-ranked run defense after his less-than-stellar season.
After taking care of the Falcons, the 49ers should meet up with the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. Kaepernick and the 49ers defense will be too much for Tom Brady and the Patriots to overcome.
Since being inserted into the starting role, Kaepernick has been nothing short of amazing. He has completed 62 percent of his passes and rushed for 415 yards. The Patriots rank 29th in opponent passing yards per game and 9th in rush defense.
In his first playoff start, Kaepernick only accounted for four total TD’s – 2 passing, 2 rushing – and 444 total yards.
The 49ers defense won’t have to worry about Rob Gronkowski, who is out for the postseason. That narrows down Brady’s passing options to Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez.
This also won’t be the first time these two teams play. They met on week 15 and the 49ers came away with the win 41-34 and led by 28 points at one time.
Niners take it 34-28 with Kaepernick earning the MVP.
– jborba@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @jborba15
BY CURTIS LUNDSTROM
New England Patriots
Four words: Bill Belichick. Tom Brady.
The Patriots will avenge their loss in last year’s Super Bowl with a win this season for those two reasons.
You’ve got the best coach in the NFL combined with one of, if not the, best quarterbacks in the league. Injuries? Please. Rob Gronkowski left last week’s game after re-injuring his arm and the Pats didn’t skip a beat.
Shane Vareen scored three times in his place and New England cruised past the Texans, hence why Belichick is the best coach in the game. He runs a system that the players are committed to, and when one goes down, another fills his place and the team goes on playing to the same tune.
This season is no exception, as Vareen proved last week.
Combine Belichick’s coaching mastery with the natural football mind and talent Tom Brady has and you’ve got an offensive juggernaut that can only beat itself.
But the Belichick-Brady combination isn’t worst news for the Ravens, 49ers and Falcons.
While the Pats have a nearly unstoppable passing attack, they’ve now got a run game to go with it. Good luck stopping them. If anyone can stop them, it’s Ray Lewis and the Ravens defense. But the way I see it, in an offense-driven league, the irresistible force – the Patriots – will overcome the immovable object – the Ravens – and get back to the big game.
Only this time, neither the 49ers or the Falcons will be able to keep pace with the Flying Elvii.
– curtis.lundstrom@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @curtislundstrom