Super Bowl 2012: Why Ravens, Not Packers, Are True Favorites to Win It All

The Green Bay Packers' list of accomplishments is quite impressive. Not only are they the defending Super Bowl champions, but they rolled to a 15-1 regular-season record this year. Despite that, the Baltimore Ravens should be touted as the true Super Bowl favorites.

I fully understand that the Packers have arguably the best quarterback in football in Aaron Rodgers. However, while that certainly gives them a distinct advantage over other teams, it is the Ravens' balance that makes them the most dangerous team in the league.

Due to the fact that the NFL has developed into a pass-first league, well-rounded teams like Baltimore have begun to get overlooked. Instead, teams with high-powered passing offenses like the Packers, New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints are regarded as the best in the league, despite their deficiencies in other areas.

The Ravens can't match up with the Packers when it comes to the passing game. That's a fact that really can't be argued. At the same time, though, I believe that Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is sorely underrated due to the fact that he isn't asked to pass as regularly as the likes of Rodgers, Tom Brady and Drew Brees.

Flacco put up very respectable numbers this season with 3,610 passing yards and 20 touchdowns. He could have been more accurate with a completion percentage of 57.6 percent, but at the same time he protected the ball fairly well while throwing just 12 interceptions.

While he hasn't had many chances to prove himself in big situations, Flacco proved that he can put the team on his back and win a game with his arm. Several weeks ago against the Pittsburgh Steelers' first-ranked pass defense, Flacco led a two-minute, 92-yard touchdown drive to win the game.

With all of that in mind, though, Baltimore's true strengths are on defense and in an excellent running game. As good as the Packers may be when it comes to passing the ball on offense, their running game was 27th in the league, their pass defense was dead-last and their run defense was only middle of the pack.

On the flip side, the Ravens were 10th in rushing offense, second in rushing defense and fourth in defending the pass. None of those aspects are as sexy or talked about as passing offense, but they're all of equal importance.

If the Ravens and Packers were to meet in the Super Bowl, I would certainly give Baltimore the advantage. The Ravens' defense is full of playmakers. The Kansas City Chiefs proved in their win over the Packers a few weeks ago that, with the right game plan, Rodgers and the Green Bay offense can be contained to some degree.

No defense has been as consistently good as the Ravens for the past decade. If any team is capable of keeping Rodgers in check, it's them. On top of that, the Ravens have one of the best running backs in the game in Ray Rice.

Not only is the diminutive Rice a strong runner as evidenced by his 1,364 yards, 12 touchdowns and 4.7 yards-per-carry average in the regular season, but he is also a vital part of the passing offense. He ranked first on the team in catches with 76 and totaled 704 yards to boot.

The Packers' running back tandem of Ryan Grant and James Starks has its moments, but there simply isn't anything spectacular about them. There is reason to believe that Rice could run all over the Packers on hand offs and screen passes. That would give Baltimore a big advantage, especially since it would keep Rodgers off the field.

While we may never truly know which team is better unless they meet in the Super Bowl, I firmly believe that the Ravens have all the tools to beat the Packers. Green Bay will undoubtedly be favored if these two teams meet in Indianapolis on Feb. 5, but the result will prove it should be the other way around.