CBS Sports Super Bowl Picks 2013
By Josh Hill
The Super Bowl is mere hours away from kicking off, but as we’re all waking up this morning, the question on all our minds is just who do the experts think will go to bed tonight with the Lombardi Trophy on their night stand. The 49ers are currently the Vegas favorites to win the big game, but the guys over at CBS Sports are telling a much different story.
Boomer Esiason: San Francisco 49ers (No Score)
Comment: “[The 49ers] are young, they’re hungry, they’ve got an athletic quarterback, they can run the ball, they can throw the ball. They’ve got a great tight end, they’ve got great wide receivers, two of the best safeties in football, four collectively four of the best linebackers in football. Aldon Smith is one of the best defensive pass rushers, I like the San Francisco 49ers. I’ve been wrong before but maybe this time I’ll be right.”
Pete Prisco: Ravens 27, 49ers 24
Comment: “I still have problems seeing a running quarterback winning a Super Bowl. Yes, Colin Kaepernick has been great in the playoffs, but he has just nine total starts. That concerns me. Joe Flacco is playing at an elite level, even if he’s not considered elite. The 49ers are vulnerable to the pass when they get spread out, which I think the Ravens will do. The physical defenses all had good games against the 49ers’ offense. One more thing: I will take a pocket passer all day long over a running quarterback. Read option? Not for my Super pick.”
Mike Freeman: Ravens 22, 49ers 17
Comment: “You might be tired of Ray Lewis. You might not like Ray Lewis. You might never want to hear about deer antler spray ever again. But the Ravens will use the Lewis controversy as motivation and fuel because, well, this is what the Ravens do. Us versus the Planet Earth gets them the win.”
Jason La Canfora: Ravens 27, 49ers 24
Comment: “Too much Joe Flacco, not enough San Francisco pass rush, and Baltimore has a big edge in the kicking game. I’m buying the team of destiny thing with them.”
Gregg Doyle: Ravens 24, 49ers 21
Comment: “This game has to be close. It just has to. The teams are evenly matched, the defenses ferocious, the coaches unflinching. The mistakes should be at a minimum, and it’s going to be close — so close, it will come down to a final kick. Know which team has the better kicker? The Ravens. So the pick here is Baltimore 24, San Francisco 21.”
Clark Judge: Ravens 24, 49ers 20
Comment: “Running back Ray Rice calls the Ravens “a team of destiny,” and I believe. I believe in fourth-and-29. I believe in Rahim Moore. And I believe in a Super Bowl upset. I don’t know what’s driving this team — if it’s Ray Lewis, the memory of Art Modell or the play of Joe Flacco — but what I know is I believe in teams with momentum. And the Ravens have it.”
Basically, nobody at the network that’s hosting the Super Bowl thinks the 49ers stand a chance against the Ravens. Not on writer for CBSSports.com chose the 49ers to win the game, and it’s likely that the studio analysts during the pregame show lean the same way.
Stay tuned to Fansided.com all Sunday long for the best and most honest Super Bowl coverage available.