For the first time in sports history, two brothers will fight from the sidelines for the most treasured prize in the NFL: the Vince Lombardi Trophy. John Harbaugh of the Ravens will look to have his old but good defense lead the show while Jim Harbaugh of the 49er’s will look to his run-and-gun offense, led by rookie Colin Kaepernick, for a spark.
The “Harbowl” will mark the first time that these two teams will play in the Super Bowl against each other, each with its own inspiration. The Ravens will look to end legendary Linebacker Ray Lewis’ career with a win. The 49er’s are looking for their 6th Super Bowl, which would tie the Steelers for the most Super Bowl wins all time.
When talking about the his own brother being on the opposing sideline, Jim Harbaugh said, “It doesn’t matter who the coach is, what relationship you have with the person on the other side,” from the Associated Press article “Jim, John Harbaugh Ready for Rematch at Super Bowl.” And yet, I have a feeling that it will mean more than that to him.
When asked about the novelty of having brothers compete as Super Bowl coaches, John Harbaugh modestly said in the same article, “[It’s] a blessing because that is my brother’s team . . . but the curse part would be the talk of two brothers playing in the Super Bowl and what that takes away from the players that are in the game. Every moment that you’re talking about myself or John, that’s less time that the players are going to be talked about.”
While both teams are sure to respect each other, that respect won’t transition onto the field, as this should be a hard-hitting contest. This game is going to be a mostly defensive battle, with both quarterbacks struggling. I think that the Ravens will get to Kaepernick early, and the Ravens just ride the game out from there with a slim lead. Ravens end up winning, 17-13.
This Super Bowl is going to mean a lot more than just any old game between two brothers. This is supposed to be the best game of the season and you know for sure that these brothers’ teams will butt heads more than once. I’m sure that we will be in for a treat! The Super Bowl airs February 3rd on CBS.
