BUFFONE: Super Pick

by John Buffone

I enter Super Bowl weekend sporting an 8-2 playoff prediction record and I fully expect to end the season at 9-2. The “Har-Bowl”, as it has been titled, will be a battle between head coach Jim Harbaugh’s 49ers and older brother (by 15 months) John’s Ravens. I picked San Francisco to win the Super Bowl back in August and I sticking with them now. That being said, the Ravens are a great story and I wouldn’t mind seeing Ray Lewis end his career with a Super Bowl win. Baltimore wasn’t supposed to defeat Denver in the divisional round; they certainly weren’t supposed to knock off Tom Brady in the Patriots in the championship game and they’re once again underdogs in the big game. The Ravens’ unlikely run and inspired play isn’t enough to sway my decision though. The 49ers defense has looked somewhat looked vulnerable in the playoffs, but they gave up only 10 second-half points to explosive Green Bay and no second-half points to no. 1 seeded Atlanta. Throw in the dynamic play of quarterback Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers will just be too much for Baltimore to handle. I do believe Baltimore will cover the 3.5 points spread and the game will come down to a late game field goal. But in the end, I think “Six-burgh” will have to move over and make room for “San-Fran-six-co”.