Who’s got it better than us? Nobody! After an incredible comeback by the San Francisco 49ers against the Flacons in Atlanta, our boys in the red and gold are headed to Super Bowl XLVII to face the Baltimore Ravens. This will be the 49ers sixth Super Bowl appearance in their storied franchise history, and hope to maintain their perfect record on football’s biggest stage intact. Whether it’s their brick wall defense, smash mouth running game, or surgical precision throwing the ball, rarely do you see a team with so many weapons, and who can beat you in so many ways. Led by the phenomenal 2nd year quarterback Colin Kaepernick and headstrong head coach Jim Harbaugh, the Niners seem to be on an unstoppable path towards victory and football glory.
Standing in their way are the Baltimore Ravens, who seem to have just as much, if not more magic and determination on their side. Considered to be the underdogs in their wins against the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots, the Ravens have pulled off two “miracle” victories in a row. Much of their playoff success is due to the emotion behind future hall of fame linebacker Ray Lewis’ “last ride” before retirement, and the solid foundation built by long-time head coach John Harbaugh, brother of 49ers coach Jim. This will be another historical event for this NFL postseason, as two brothers have never coached against each other in a Super Bowl.
All of us here at Lake Appliance Repair are rabid football fans, but not all of us are ecstatic about seeing the Niners in yet another championship. Almost half of our staff supports that other team from the Bay Area, football’s bad boys in silver and black, the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders, who finished the regular season this year with an abysmal 4-12 record, have not been to the playoffs since the 2002 season, when they lost Super Bowl XXXVII to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but not all of their history is mired in failure. Under the direction of legendary head coach John Madden, the most notorious team in NFL history won the Super Bowl in 1976, and again in 1980 and 1983. But don’t let the current position of our two Bay Area teams fool you. In the history of the two franchises, the Raiders and 49ers have played each other 12 times in the “Battle of the Bay”, amazingly splitting the series at six games each.
So it would seem, our favorite teams here at Lake Appliance Repair are evenly matched over the course of time, but as of this moment it’s the 49ers’ time to shine once more. Super Bowl XLVII is gearing up to be one of the best matchups in recent memory, and as for San Francisco fans, it’s been a long time coming. Regardless of who we’re rooting for, we can’t wait!