Now that the Super Bowl matchup is set, I thought I’d start the two-week period with some Super Bow history. The table below lists some information from each of the first 46 Super Bowls. With Joe Flacco and Colin Kaepernick facing off, that ends five-year streak where at least one of the two quarterbacks in the Super Bowl had previously won (or been in) a Super Bowl:
And some more unconventional information. I’m adding this year’s game to the list, and since San Francisco is the favorite, I’m putting them in the winner column. The table below shows how many points above (or below) average each team’s offense and defense was during the season, adjusted for strength of schedule. The “Diff” column represents the SRS difference between the two teams, and the final four columns show information relevant for those who like to place a friendly wager on the game. The table is viewed from the perspective of the winning team with the exception of the “covered” column, which is from the perspective of the favorite entering the game.
Favorites are 24-20-2 against the spread, while the over/under has been perfectly split, 23-23. There are many storylines that will be beaten to death this week. Here are a few that you can expect to dominate the headlines along with some more obscure ones:
- Does anyone know who coaches these teams? Yes, the Jim Harbaugh/John Harbaugh storyline will never go away.
- Expect Ray Lewis’ last ride to rival Jerome Bettis in Detroit.
- Is Joe Flacco elite?
- Ed Reed, Haloti Ngata, and Terrell Suggs finally reach a Super Bowl — how much will a win help their HOF cases?
- Will Randy Moss join Lance Alworth as all-time great wide receivers to win a Super Bowl with another team?
- Patrick Willis vs. Ray Lewis, the changing of the guard at inside linebacker (and at #52)
- Frank Gore went to the University of Miami, does anyone know if any Ravens went there?
- Is Joe Flacco elite?
- What the heck is the Pistol offense? Is Colin Kaepernick vs. Joe Flacco a battle between new and old?
- The best placekicker in the league (Justin Tucker) against the worst (David Akers)?
- Is Joe Flacco elite?
- Will Alex Smith join John Elway, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Terry Bradshaw, Troy Aikman, Jim Plunkett and Steve Young (USFL supplemental) as former #1 overall draft pick quarterbacks to win the Super Bowl? Perhaps he can sit next to Drew Bledsoe at the reunion.
References
↑1 | Co-MVP with Harvey Martin |
---|