Who's the real underdog in this game?

Yes, the books have us as the favorite in Vegas but over the last 10 days most of the nation media/experts are predicting Baltimore to win this game. The ravens played the underdog (nobody's giving us respect) card well with wins over NE and Denver.

My question here is, do any of you buy baltimore being able to play with the same chip on their shoulder come Super Sunday since many claim they'll win? Also, any chance Harbaugh uses the disrespect from the prognosticators as a motivational tool?

Most of Espn has us winning this game.

LINK

i guess you could say we're the sentimental underdog?

Originally posted by mutant-man49:
Yes, the books have us as the favorite in Vegas but over the last 10 days most of the nation media/experts are predicting Baltimore to win this game. The ravens played the underdog (nobody's giving us respect) card well with wins over NE and Denver.

My question here is, do any of you buy baltimore being able to play with the same chip on their shoulder come Super Sunday since many claim they'll win? Also, any chance Harbaugh uses the disrespect from the prognosticators as a motivational tool?

Not sure where you're looking, but I see most of the media picking the 49ers to win.

Sure are a lot of "experts" picking the Ravens as well.

Let them talk. When we beat them by 10, they will be kissing our ass!!

The 49ers were picked by most "analysts" to win the NFC Championship, which I was worried about as a harbinger of bad things to come. I thought Atlanta would operate under the notion they are slighted and have a chip on their shoulder. Fortunately, we held up as the favorite.

I was watching Sound FX on NFL Network, and something jumped out at me. Before the game, some guy (McClure) I think quoted Abraham Lincoln in a weird way to get his team up for the game. After that, Patrick Willis basically told the team that if everyone does their job, the 49ers will win the game. I'm confident our boys just go out and do our jobs for the greater good. It's truly impressive. Ultimately, our team believes if they play to the best of their ability, they will win the game.


I imagine Ray Lewis will have some random speech for his guys referencing something intense (probably battle or war), our boys will come out and get motivated by humble confidence, and we'll take care of business. It's the same story, different chapter. God's MLB, or not.

The media has to talk up the game as 50/50 affair, otherwise no one would watch the pregame chatter and general interest in the Super Bowl would wane. Everyone would still watch the game itself, but there'd be a bit more of a malaise over the affair if everyone predicted the Niners to win by three scores. But, let's not kid ourselves: all the advanced stats and the team's track records favor the Niners. We can still lose, but if the team plays their best we shouldn't. We should be touchdown favorites, in my opinion, but Vegas values the Ravens' "hot" quality, because it's playing things like that up that make Vegas rich. Especially since the line has moved to 3.5, most of the Vegas wiseguys think the real value is on the Niners at this point. I will be surprised if it is a close game for much of the final quarter.

I say we have the better overall team but, they have a little more potential to be explosive.. We should be favorites but they are capable of being us.

i think jim wants payback for the beating we took last year, i say niners come out on top, ravens should be the underdogs but with all the talking they doing you would think we were.

Screw you accuscore!

Some analysts are using this scenario about who will win; if it's within 3-4 points close, Ravens have the edge to win. If the Niners are up 4-8 points we have the percentages to win.. Hopefully the Niners will blow out a couple TDs so the rush will get better and hit Flacco..I don't like the close game either. Our secondary has been giving up big yards in that scenario. Like..without Navaro knocking the ball down at the 10yrd line in the Champ game, who knows what would have happened..

Go Niners!!!

Before kick-off it's a pick-em game. After the 49ers score first Raven backers bettor try and get even with the over-under on wardrobe malfunctions and other exotic wagers. For all you non-Webzone regulars bettor is supposed to be a pun.

Anyone who thinks emotions have a big effect on play-off games are nuts. Explain to me what NFL football player isn't prepared to give 100% mentally and physically for what everyone wants, a Super Bowl win. Regular season is a different story. The reason I believe this is picking a few games a week during the regular season the last 10 years I am barely over 50% against the spread, during the same period I am around 75% in the play-offs picking every game, using the same criteria to pick the games. I just use hard stats and don't think about emotion, which burns me in the regular season, but doesn't factor in to play-off games.

If Niners come out strong in the beginning of the game, no one's going to be stopping them.