Tasser: Ravens have the intangibles to win Super Bowl

Amid all of the many Las Vegas betting lines, the colorful interviews, the one-millionth use of the term Har-Bowl and the endless clips of Ray Lewis doing his best Tim Tebow impersonation, we must be reminded: There is still a Super Bowl to be played.

This Sunday, following Alicia Keys’ rendition of our national anthem, the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens will actually line up and compete to see which Harbaugh brother will hold the Lombardi Trophy.

Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis and his Psalms 91 T-shirt will walk out of the tunnel for the final time, grab some grass and appear to have a seizure before the game — thankfully, this will be the last time I have to witness that dreadful dance. Unfortunately, we still have many more years of watching 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick repeatedly kissing his biceps in a celebration now known as “Kaepernicking.”

On paper, this appears to be San Francisco’s game to lose (Vegas has the 49ers favored by 3.5 points). They are simply more talented and, in my opinion, Jim Harbaugh is a better head coach than his little bro, John. Jim’s controversial decision to replace incumbent starter Alex Smith with Kaepernick mid-season violated the unwritten rule that a player cannot lose his starting position due to injury — Smith suffered a concussion and, despite a speedy recovery, hasn’t seen the field since — and was met with criticism and doubt. Kaepernick has simultaneously torched defenses and critics alike with his stellar and exciting play, making his head coach look like a genius in the process.

However, the Ravens have seemed like a team of destiny throughout their incredible run to the Super Bowl.

John Harbaugh has had the nerve to make risky decisions, as well; the decision to fire offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and replace him with Jim Caldwell following a week-14 loss to Washington has been such a success that even Cameron is applauding his own dismissal.

Quarterback Joe Flacco has turned in yet another pedestrian regular season in which he relied on other players to get his team to the playoffs. But since reaching the promised land, Flacco hit the phone booth, tore off his office clothes and emerged in a full-body suit with a giant red ‘S’ on his chest. The embattled quarterback has outdueled the likes of Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady — two future Hall of Famers and the quarterback lauded as the second coming of John Elway.

And then there is Lewis. His on-the-field greatness is undisputed, but I, like any self-respecting Steeler fan, despise Ray Lewis. Seriously, how can he get away with all of his religious mumbo-jumbo when others, such as Tim Tebow, get criticized for it? And there is that other thing regarding a bloody knife, a missing suit and a couple of corpses outside a nightclub back in 2000 — but that is neither here nor there, and it is undeniable that his team is playing for their leader, Lewis, who has announced his intention to retire.

Right now, the Ravens just possess this aura — this unexplainable confidence of a team that will win no matter what. The Steelers’ Super Bowl victory for retiring running back Jerome Bettis in Detroit in 2005 was very similar. It just seemed that it was destined to happen and everything that could go right went right for them — whether it was a big play or a costly opponent miscue.

The same has happened for the Baltimore Ravens this season.

Down by a touchdown on their own 30-yard line with no timeouts and just 40 seconds left on the clock against the Broncos, Flacco heaved a ball into the sky and it fell right over out-of-position defender Rahim Moore and into the hands of wide receiver Jacoby Jones, who proceeded to score an improbable 70-yard touchdown to send the game into overtime. The Ravens completed the unlikely victory in double overtime.

Then, like the Steelers did in 2005, the Ravens advanced to the Super Bowl after a dominant performance on the road in the AFC Championship game.

To me, the similarities are too much to ignore.

Here’s my prediction:

Kaepernick plays a great game but is contained just enough by the Lewis-inspired Ravens defense, and Flacco, assisted by a big play or two from stud running back Ray Rice, leads a nearly flawless two-minute drill to win the game at the very end.

Baltimore wins, 31-28.

Confetti falls from the Superdome sky in New Orleans, Lewis thanks God, Flacco goes to Disney World and this Pittsburgh Steelers-supporting sports writer puts his foot through his TV.

Write to Donnie at dft6@pitt.edu.