Bleacher Report – 7 Reasons the 49ers are better than the Ravens

1) Colin Kaepernick

Nearly a quarter of a century ago Sports Illustrated tabbed Randall Cunningham as the league's "ultimate weapon," and Kaepernick is the evolutionary Randall Cunningham.

Bill Walsh once said that Cunningham would've been the best quarterback in NFL history if he coached him, and now we're seeing what that hypothetical experiment would have been like in Kaepernick's early career, since he's receiving excellent coaching with Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman.

How can the Ravens (or anyone?) stop this kid?

2) So many weapons

The Packers tried double-teaming Michael Crabtree in man coverage, and offensive coordinator Greg Roman simply called plays where all the receivers went deep and opened up huge running lanes for Kaepernick to scramble through—where spy linebacker Erik Walden had no hope of keeping up with him.

When they switched to a zone, Crabtree found the soft spots in the defense and Kaepernick found him over and over.

During the first two-and-a-half quarters the Packers crashed inside on the zone-read play to take away Frank Gore, and Kaepernick zoomed around the corner for huge gains.

Eventually they adjusted, and Gore exploited a worn-down defense to salt the game away.

The next week, the Falcons game-planned to take Kaepernick's runs away and set their ends outside on the zone read, which enabled Gore to burst through the middle, thanks to bulldozer guards Mike Iupati and Alex Boone.

The Falcons schemed to take Michael Crabtree away early, and it opened up Vernon Davis to go nuts on short crossing routes and the wheel route outside.

Finally, in complete desperation, some defenses (perhaps Baltimore in two weeks) will try jamming everyone and bringing both safeties in the box. That's when Kaepernick will go deep to Randy Moss.

3) Youth on Defense

The Ravens' defense has been hyped forever, but in recent seasons the numbers haven't really warranted that kind of praise, and in reality their offensive has been the main reason they've been so successful.

Sure, they have future Hall of Famers in Ray Lewis, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and safety Ed Reed, and outstanding performers in edge rusher Terrell Suggs, safety Bernard Pollard, linebacker Dannell Ellerbe and (when healthy) corner Lardarius Webb.

But most of those guys are well past their primes (Lewis, Reed and Ngata), playing hurt (Lewis, Ngata and Suggs) or in Webb's case, out for the season with a torn ACL.

Lewis, who will retire after this game, is 37-years-old and playing with a torn triceps. Reed is 34. Ngata just turned 29 and missed two games with a balky knee. Suggs, 30, tore his Achilles in the offseason and still isn't 100-percent.

The Ravens ranked 17th overall in yards allowed during the season and tied for 12th with the New York Giants in points allowed. They were tied for 15th in sacks, 19th in interceptions and forced just 25 turnovers all season long.

Anyway you slice it, it was a mediocre defense.

The 49ers, by contrast, ranked third in the league in total defense and second in points allowed, while finishing with more sacks, more interceptions and just as many takeaways.

Their defense doesn't have the "names" that the Ravens do, but by and large they're younger and healthier.

Patrick Willis, who wears No. 52 in tribute to Lewis, is 27 and has been a Pro Bowler in each of his six seasons as a pro.

Willis' running mate inside, NaVorro Bowman, is already a two-time All-Pro and is three years younger than Ellerbe.

Dashon Goldson is a two-time Pro Bowler and a ball-hawking, physical safety in the Reed mold, and just 28 years old.

Aldon Smith is the team's designated edge rusher and finished second in the league to J.J. Watt with 19.5 sacks. He just turned 23.

The one graybeard on the 49ers defense is tackle Justin Smith, 33, who like Lewis is playing with a torn triceps. Still, Smith is Lewis' polar opposite when it comes to self-promotion, so when he gets named to Pro Bowls and All-Pro teams, you know he gets there on merit rather than hype.

Finally, all of the 49ers corners are completely healthy, unlike the Ravens, including Chris Culliver, their best young corner and every bit the player that Webb is.

4) Consistency on the Offensive Line

The 49ers have started the same five offensive linemen all 18 games this season, with Joe Staley at left tackle, Mike Iupati at left guard, Jonathan Goodwin at center, Alex Boone at right guard and Anthony Davis at right tackle.

The two biggest surprises there in terms of endurance are Staley, who missed half the season with leg injuries in both 2009 and 2010, and Boone, a former undrafted free agent who had been strictly a tackle his whole career, until being thrust into a starting guard job this season and excelling there.

What can't be stressed enough is that the continuity of having the same five guys practicing and playing the whole season has allowed the line to develop chemistry and to get better and better all season long. Four of the five started all 16 games last season too, and that kind of health upfront is ridiculously uncommon in the NFL.

The Ravens, on the other hand, have had all kinds of upheaval along their line. Three guys, center Matt Birk, rookie guard Kelechi Osemele and tackle Michael Oher started all 16 games in the regular season, while the other 32 starts have been split between Pro Bowl guard Marshal Yanda (14), Jah Reid (7), Bobbie Williams (6) and Ramon Harewood (5).

5) Continuity at Coordinator

Both offensive coordinator Greg Roman and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio have been with the 49ers the past two seasons. In fact, Fangio was also on Harbaugh's staff with the Stanford Cardinal in 2010, while Roman's been with Harbaugh since 2009.

It's well-documented, to borrow one of Harbaugh's favorite phrases, that the Cardinal took off from being a middling team in the then-Pac-10 and now Pac-12 once Fangio came aboard to guide the defense.

Roman, meanwhile, is the real brains behind the varied and complex 49ers offense, according to Harbaugh and a bevy of former and current players both with the 49ers and Stanford. It's surprising he hasn't been tabbed for a head coaching job in the league already, but his time will come.

The Ravens, on the other hand, practically need their coordinators to wear name tags. Offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell has been very successful in the early going with Joe Flacco, but he only took over the job on Dec. 10, after coach John Harbaugh fired Cam Cameron.

Dean Pees is also in his first season as the team's defensive coordinator, having been promoted to that position from linebackers coach after the Indianapolis Colts hired Chuck Pagano to be their head coach.

6) No Short Rest this time

It's true that the Ravens beat the 49ers 16-6 the last time the Harbaugh brothers coached against one another—last Thanksgiving, Nov. 24, 2011—but that game didn't exactly take place in ideal circumstances for either team.

Not only were the 49ers on the road in that game, but they were on short rest and they flew cross-country for a Thursday game. Their offensive line had a miserable showing, surrendering nine sacks in that one, and Alex Smith never had a chance.

Adam Snyder, the starting right guard back then, got hurt early in the game, and replacement Chilo Rachal was brutal. Right tackle Anthony Davis also had a poor game and got abused by Terrell Suggs all night long.

But the key play in the game was a clipping call on Frank Gore, which negated a touchdown bomb from Smith to Ted Ginn. Replays showed it was a poor call, and if the Niners scored on that play, it would've completely changed the tone of the game.

7) Jim Harbaugh is insane

Whether it's his colorful way with words, his graceful, dignified reactions to replay calls or the way he enjoys celebrating big wins with his coaching peers, it's clear, beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jim Harbaugh is crazy.

You can't game-plan against crazy.