Are the 49ers a more favorable matchup than Atlanta would've been?

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Originally Posted by blah3

The Ravens would have had much more trouble with the Atlanta receivers, but I think overall could have out physicalled the Falcons.
On the other hand, while the SF receivers well be easier to cover, their lines are much better and can be as physical as any team,

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Yes, I agree with that. Also Atlanta is used to playing indoors and in the Dome, and seems to play us well. They would have brought a huge fan base down here. Its an 7 hour drive.

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Originally Posted by Paintballguy

I don't think the team matters. The Ravens are ready for a fight regardless of who it is.

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This. Weeks ago the Broncos were the best team in the league.
Then it was NE.
Now it's San Fran.

It's the damn superbowl and like Flacco said it will be damn hard for anyone to kick us off the field.

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Originally Posted by Ravenswintitle

matchup wise I think Atlanta would've been much easier.

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I agree. I never believed in the Falcons this year despite their record. Julio Jones would have been scary. Gonzalez is solid. But Gore, Kaepernick, Vernon Davis and their WR are a tougher matchup. Plus, the Niners D plays football the right way -- swarming, ravenous, hungry. The Falcons D doesn't do that as much. I think this is the tougher matchup and I don't know how we are going to do against it. I hope we didn't come this far to falter now.

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Originally Posted by The Excellector

I think we would have kicked Atlanta's ass.

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So do I. The Falcons make big mistakes in games. Their defense seems to vanish at times during games. The 49ers are going to be a lot tougher.

49ers will definitely be a tougher match up. But on neutral turf I think the Ravens have an advantage.

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Originally Posted by goldenelite28

This. Weeks ago the Broncos were the best team in the league.
Then it was NE.
Now it's San Fran.

It's the damn superbowl and like Flacco said it will be damn hard for anyone to kick us off the field.

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It always seems the best team in football is the team getting ready to play the Ravens these days. :cool:

The 49ers are the most complete, most deadly team in the NFC. The only teams near their level are the Seahawks and Broncos. Solid defense, solid run game, great quarterbacking.

They are the best team on the other side of the tournament.

It's what John Harbaugh said: "To be the ultimate champion, you have to beat the best."

Champion of champions.

Its all about the QB in the Super Bowl.

So I think Atlanta would have been tougher.........first of all, Matt Ryan has played us before and beaten us in a Dome. He is patient and a possession passer, and throws a deep out on a rope. With 5 years under his belt he could have been very tough. And they are a dome turf team that plays twice a year in New Orleans.....so it would have been comfortable for them.

San Francisco is a great team and has tremendous weapons in Davis and Gore, but Kaepernick is not a possession passer, he isn't going to methodically move from the 20-40 with shorter passes and then light us up. and he is going to be a high risk and reward player. He may make some amazing throws.....but he may also force huge mistakes and in the SB the mistakes are amplified by ten times the benefit of the big play. The Super Bowl almost always comes down to QB play and I like a 5th year battle tested played over a second year guy who has played in a handfull of playoff games.

Would the game be 30 minutes or 60?

It's atlanta playing in a dome, matter of fact, a dome of their division rival so it's familiar territory for them. Matt Ryan and those receivers can easily gas our D and combine that with a few 3 and outs on Flacco, it could turn into a bad day. Then again, had Matt Ryan converted that 4th down and won the game, he would be in pretty banged up shape...in some ways the ravens are probably better off dealing with San Francisco because Akers isn't always sharp right now, especially compared to Tucker. Let Kaep get his yards, but if they can force them to make field goals (especially long ones in a loud dome), that can put the Ravens in a better position especially if the resulting Ravens drives end up being TDs. As for the "Seattle and St Louis beat them so we should" thing, that doesnt always pan out. Those are SF's division rivals so they are familiar and built to compete with them. Seattle at home is tough for anyone to beat. St louis beat san francisco but got totally creamed at home 45-7 by the patriots which San Francisco was able to beat as an away team. It's sort of how the bengals under carson palmer used to be push-overs for other teams in the league but would give us fits.

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Originally Posted by kojo

It's atlanta playing in a dome, matter of fact, a dome of their division rival so it's familiar territory for them. Matt Ryan and those receivers can easily gas our D and combine that with a few 3 and outs on Flacco, it could turn into a bad day. Then again, had Matt Ryan converted that 4th down and won the game, he would be in pretty banged up shape...in some ways the ravens are probably better off dealing with San Francisco because Akers isn't always sharp right now, especially compared to Tucker. Let Kaep get his yards, but if they can force them to make field goals (especially long ones in a loud dome), that can put the Ravens in a better position especially if the resulting Ravens drives end up being TDs. As for the "Seattle and St Louis beat them so we should" thing, that doesnt always pan out. Those are SF's division rivals so they are familiar and built to compete with them. Seattle at home is tough for anyone to beat. St louis beat san francisco but got totally creamed at home 45-7 by the patriots which San Francisco was able to beat as an away team. It's sort of how the bengals under carson palmer used to be push-overs for other teams in the league but would give us fits.

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we should review the giants spanking in san fran

I would have liked to play the Falcons to finally put this Flacco v Ryan draft question to rest~!