Super Bowl Predictions 2012: Road to Harbaugh Bowl Perilous for 49ers and Ravens

Remember Harbaugh Bowl I? If you were one of the few feasters unfazed by a tryptophan-induced coma on Thanksgiving, you probably do.

Not that the Baltimore Ravens' 16-6 victory over the San Francisco 49ers was particularly interesting, other than the fact that it marked the first time in NFL history that two brothers faced off as head coaches on opposing sidelines.

The bigger question at play was, will John Harbaugh and Jim Harbaugh reprise their sibling rivalry at the Super Bowl in Indianapolis?

We'll have a better idea as to what the answer is either way after this weekend's divisional round games.

Both Harbaugh brothers' sport teams predicated on strong defenses, physical running games and quarterbacks who need only manage games and take care of the ball to ensure victory. Both will also enjoy the comforts of playing at home on account of winning their respective divisions and nabbing the No. 2 seeds in their conferences.

Quote These Ravens

That's about where the similarities end for these two teams, at least as far as the tasks at hand are concerned. The Ravens will be up against a Houston Texans team that they demolished earlier this season, 29-14, behind 161 total yards from Ray Rice and five field goals by Billy Cundiff.

That was back when Houston still had a healthy Matt Schaub. Now, it'll be up to rookie TJ Yates to go into Baltimore and not get bowled over like a deer in the headlights by the likes of Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Haloti Ngata and Terrell Suggs.

Should the Ravens prevail a second time over Gary Kubiak's club, they'll likely have to travel up the coast to take on a New England Patriots squad that struggled against another team from the AFC North that prides itself on playing smash-mouth football.

When The Saints Come Marchin' In

As for Jim Harbaugh's boys up in the Bay, they've been playing the "Nobody believes in us" card like it's going out of style. You can bet they'll feed off of it once again on Saturday when the favored New Orleans Saints come to town.

San Fran has all the ingredients to slow down Drew Brees and company—some of the fastest linebackers in football, a top-notch run defense, an underrated pass rush and secondary and a ground game that can control the clock and keep the Saints' explosive offense off the field.

Easier said than done, but if there's any team that can pull it off, it's the Niners.

As for the possible game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field that would follow, the Niners may actually be better suited to success in the Frozen Tundra than are Aaron Rodgers and his merry band of football players. Of course, that's hardly enough to guarantee victory when A-Rod's involved.

Clearly, then, the road to the Harbaugh Bowl is paved with pitfalls and prolific offenses. John and Jim Harbaugh, old-school coaching minds as they are, would appear to be up to the task of taking on the NFL's aerial hierarchy with their hard-nosed teams.

Surely, Jack and Jackie Harbaugh will be pulling for them, as agonizing as the thought of watching their sons go head-to-head in Indianapolis may be.

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