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With the Packers eliminated and the Super Bowl participants locked in, you have a choice. You can cheer for the NFC representative, the San Francisco 49ers, or the AFC champion Baltimore Ravens. Neither one of those choices is all that appealing, as we certainly have many reasons to dislike both teams. Since being a fan of Team Meteor isn't really an option, we break down why you should cheer for one team over the other.
Conference Pride
Obviously, the 49ers get this one as the NFC representative. Many of you may remember back to the 1980s and '90s when the NFC had an unprecedented 13 straight Super Bowl wins from XIX through XXXI, only to be snapped by John Horse-teeth Elway and the Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII (I'm not bitter, I swear). Back then, that was a mark of pride that the NFC representative was always on the winning side. Maybe you still think that conference pride matters, and in that case, be a 49ers fan for a day.
Edge: 49ers
Coaching Staff
It's a fascinating matchup, with John Harbaugh pitted against his brother Jim. Unlike John and Jim Belushi, both Harbaughs are excellent at what they do; very much like the Belushis, one is annoying and unlikable. Vote John.
Edge: Ravens
Quarterback
Colin Kaepernick certainly left a bad impression on me after his performance in the Divisional Round. Joe Flacco may look like Sam the Eagle, but I don't really have any strong feelings about him one way or the other.
Edge: Ravens
Skill Position Players
Two words: Randy Moss. Moving on.
Edge: Ravens
Defense
I really like Patrick Willis and Navorro Bowman, and I would kill for a dynamic 3-4 lineman like Justin Smith. That's an impressive front seven, and not one with any characters I can't stand (like a Jared Allen, for example). For Baltimore, there's of course the interesting Ray Lewis angle, but things like this never truly go away.
Edge: 49ers
Packers' History
Jerry Rice fumbled. Also, recent wounds tend to hurt the most, and that game nine days ago still stings badly. The Ravens have only beaten Green Bay once in four games.
Edge: Ravens
X-Factor
For the 49ers, I think the one thing that sticks out in my mind is the Alex Smith situation. I think it would be totally hilarious for Smith to win a ring after being benched mid-season. Then again, that would mean he would have the same number of Super Bowl rings as Aaron Rodgers, and while he wouldn't have started the game or earned the MVP (unless some ridiculous turn of events takes place), he could still argue that he had a major part in earning that ring.
As for the Ravens, I think that Ed Reed deserves a Super Bowl ring. He's been probably the best ball-hawking safety of his generation for over a decade, and I'd like to see him win.
Edge: Ravens, thanks to my desire to keep Alex Smith from getting a ring.
As we total it all up, I have a count of 5-2 in favor of the Baltimore Ravens. Now you know, ladies and gentlemen of the Packer persuasion: go forth in purple and black and become Ravens fans, if only for one day.