Why the Ravens will win the Super Bowl

Will Flacco be this happy come Sunday night?

A tough defense rallying around its retiring general. A quarterback who appears to have made the leap into greatness. An offense flying high on its tough, quick receivers. These are what the Baltimoree Ravens can rely on on their way to a Super Bowl victory.

The obvious story is that of Ray Lewis. Long the fierce face of the Ravens' defense, he has declared this his last season in the NFL. When he tore his triceps early in the season, many thought he would go out without even getting to play again. But he's back, and his fellow players want the trophy for him as much, if not more, than for themselves. His injury hasn't slowed him down at all; in the playoffs, he leads his team with 44 tackles (25 solo). This defense shut down Andrew Luck and Tom Brady and withstood the brilliance of Peyton Manning. They're coming into Sunday as prepared and amped up as they could possibly be, and it's easy to see Lewis as the reason for that.

As important as Lewis and the defense are to Baltimore, its the offense that has brought them this far. Ray Rice had his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season along with nine ground scores. He's proven that he can be the mainstay of Baltimore's offense and is a huge reason for their recent success. He didn't quite have the same numbers as his previous seasons, however, and that's because of the improved passing game. Looking at sophomore speedster Torrey Smith and veteran Anquan Boldin's numbers, they're not much better than before. But consider that neither gained over 1,000 yards, and that tight end Dennis Pitta has emerged as another threat with 669 yards and seven scores, and that quarterback Joe Flacco achieved his career-highest passing yardage total with 3,817, and you'll see how this offense has blossomed. The real difference, however, has been in the playoffs. Last year, in which one field goal kept the Ravens out of the Super Bowl, Flacco averaged 241 passing yards (over two games), with four touchdowns and one interception. The offense gained 20 points in each game. In this season's playoffs, Flacco has 284.3 yards per game with eight touchdowns and no interceptions. The Ravens scored 24, 38, and 28 points. Boldin, Smith, and Pitta each have over 100 yards and two touchdowns (Boldin has 3). Ray Rice and rookie Bernard Pierce have combined for 416 rushing yards. This offense has exploded in the playoffs, and it should prove too much to handle even for San Francisco's staunch defense.

Baltimore has long been known for its tough defense. But with a high-powered offense to match, the Ravens are a complete team. They're ready to take the Lombardi Trophy.