It’s that time of the year again! Here are 10 facts you can whip out at a Super Bowl party that will be sure to impress. It will be like you paid attention all season long!
1. John Harbaugh, head coach of the Baltimore Ravens and Jim Harbaugh, head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, are brothers! This is an overplayed storyline, but it is also a wonderful narrative. These two shared a room growing up and now they are going to be competing for the most illustrious title in the world of American sports.
2. The Super Bowl will only be 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick’s 10th starting game. Midseason he replaced starter Alex Smith who took the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game in 2012. Colin has been kissing his tattoos (Kaeperniking) ever since.
3. There are at a minimum 3 first ballot Hall of Famers in this game: Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and Randy Moss. Randy Moss and Ed Reed will both be going for their first Super Bowls, hoping to add to their legacy.
4. Ray Lewis will be playing his last NFL game. If he wins it will be his 2nd Super Bowl ring. The Ravens won the Super Bowl in 2000 and Ray was the MVP of the game.
5. Deer antler spray. Ray Lewis was accused of using this performance-enhancing drug during the Super Bowl Media Week. The press has been asking him about this issue ever since. Much more will unfold in the coming weeks surrounding this line of inquiry, but for this game, it could be a distraction.
6. San Francisco runs the Read Option. This is a type of offense where the quarterback is in the pistol formation, and has the choice to run it himself or hand it off to the runningback. Other teams such as the Redskins and Panthers have used this offensive scheme, which has had decent success this year. Many people have thought this offense would be a gimmick, but the 49ers winning this game could mean this offense will be in the NFL for the foreseeable future.
7. The 49ers are a 3.5-point favorite. Betters in Vegas believe the 49ers will win by over a field goal. If you are betting, be sure to keep that spread in mind.
8. Ravens quarterback, Joe Flacco is in a contract year. If he wins this game he could be due a lot of money in the off-season. Rumors speculate that he could be asking upwards of 20 million, which would make him the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.
9. Defense wins championships! This is an old adage in football and the Ravens and 49ers have some great 3-4 scheme defenses and hard-hitting safeties. Let’s see if any of these defenses play up to their elite status and shut down the opposing offense.
10. Beyonce! She sang the National Anthem during the press conference on Thursday and proved the haters wrong! I can’t wait to see her do it again on Sunday! Anyone else excited for the highly-anticipated Destiny’s Child reunion?
I believe the score will be 27-24, Ravens.