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Lewis has shown incredible toughness in what will be his final season and run in this league, and he is hungry for a second Super Bowl title. The emotion he displayed after the win over the New England Patriots yesterday would seem like overkill for anyone other than Lewis, but it is all fitting for a legend like Lewis. He’s the linebacker equivalent of Tom Brady at the quarterback position, even though I would naturally take Brady any day as a Patriots blogger.

The San Francisco 49ers come into the game with a first-year starter at quarterback in Colin Kaepernick who has rightfully taken the league by a storm. After shredding the Green Bay Packers porous defense, he launched a big comeback victory over the Atlanta Falcons in the Georgia Dome, showing the kind of pose that is uncanny for a first-year QB in a hostile environment in Atlanta. Alex Smith is a very good quarterback in his own right, but Kaep brings something else to the table in the pistol offense with his running ability and better deep ball.

Veterans of the 49ers organization like Frank Gore have been through it all from the worst of times, to the heartbreaking defeat of lat season, and now to the glory of an NFC Championship in 2013. The 49ers carry the brand of being the favorites in this game and for good reason. With elite talents like Frank Gore, Kaepernick, Justin Smith, NaVorro Bowman, Patrick Willis, and a top secondary, this team has a roster that is the most talented in the NFL. But the Ravens are riding high on emotion and in the win column, as they are piping hot at just the right time. Patriots fans know how much of a challenge it is for even the most talented of teams to face a team on a hot streak (the two New York Giants Super Bowls that I would like to forget come quickly to mind).

Ray Lewis may be front and center, but there is much more to this game than just Lewis. In fact, in terms of actual football X’s and O’s, he’s not one of the first guys on the radar. However, Lewis will be incredibly important against the 49ers ridiculously talented rushing attack, and it will be interesting to see how he handles all the advanced nuances of the 49ers pistol offense.

The battle in the trenches for both teams could be one for the ages, because the 49ers have the best run blockers in the league (even better than the Patriots) and they will need to be at their best against Lewis, Terrell Suggs, and Haloti Ngata. The Ravens and 49ers are coming into this game high on emotion, but emotion isn’t even a tenth of the equation in this game.

My early pick is the 49ers because talent usually wins out. But the keywords are “usually” and “talent”, because some will argue that the Ravens are more talented and have other factors on their side that could transcend talent and matchups.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

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1. QB Colin Kaepernick

I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a quarterback duo as good as this one since Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady and Drew Bledsode, because Colin Kaepernick and Alex Smith are two good starting quarterbacks in this league. Kaepernick brings something different to the table than Smith that is especially threatening to the Patriots, because the Pats secondary can still get burned. The secondary is much better than it was earlier this year and is no longer a weakness, but Kaepernick has upside in this matchup with his deep throw. The Patriots three best corners are all nicked up after the game against the Houston Texans, with all three of them currently listed questionable.

Kaep has completed 67.4% of his passes this season, so he is definitely a QB with a high amount of accuracy in his own right.

2. LT Joe Staley

I don’t have too much to say about Staley, other than this 2012 season has seen Staley re-emerge as one of the best tackles in the game. He had a rough year or two in which he was overrated by several people, but the 49ers LT has found his form again and has been the best tackle in the NFC this season.

3. Frank Gore

Gore is putting together another terrific season, and he is averaging nearly five yards per carry. He put together another strong game last week and currently has over 1,000 rushing yards on the season. He’s still one of the best running backs in the game and has eight combined rushing and receiving touchdowns on the year. The Patriots defense is susceptible to running backs with Gore’s skill-set. He’s like Fred Jackson and Ray Rice, because he is great in all three facets of the game (rushing, receiving, and  blocking) and has plenty of speed.

4. RB LaMichael James

Speaking of speed, how about LaMichael James? He showed a ton of it last week and has finally received a significant role in the offense due to injuries ahead of him on the depth chart. The Oregon Ducks speed demon was one of the best running backs in college football history from a numbers perspective, and it will be interesting to see how many touches the 49ers give him against New England. He could even break off a big gain against NE, and I’ll be keeping an eye on him.

5. TE Vernon Davis

The New England Patriots don’t exactly have the best linebackers in coverage, and I feel like Vernon Davis will eat up Brandon Spikes (even if he has improved in coverage) if given the opportunity. I hope the Pats put rookie Tavon Wilson on the top TE, because Davis is off to another solid season. He’s averaging 9.2 yards per target and has caught nearly 70% of all passes thrown his way. Davis and Michael Crabtree have been huge factors for the 49ers all season long in the passing game, but Davis has the most favorable matchup of the two.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

A few things that should happen today concerning the Patriots.  Most likely the New York Jets will win today over the Denver Broncos.  Unless Brett Favre has a complete melt down, they should roll easily.  So a Patriots win would keep them on pace one game in back of the Jets.  As well as ahead of the Miami Dolphins by a game.  That’s depends on the out come of the Dolphins and the St. Louis Rams contest.  Yes the Rams knocked off “America’s Team” earlier in the season.  But I’m not seeing another win on the Rams horizon this afternoon.  As for the Buffalo Bills who prepare for a meeting with the San Francisco 49ers at home.  The 49ers are a tricky team, as we just never know who’s going to show up.  The explosiveness on offense with Frank Gore pounding the ball and eating up the clock.  Or the turn over prone offense that can’t seem to get out of their own way.  With the weather being cold and wet I have to say it’s going to favor the bills this afternoon.

So wins most likely by the Bills, Dolphins and the Jets.  Means that New England needs a victory to keep pace not only in the division, but also for a wild card spot.  With the Steelers in town it’s not going to be a cake walk by any means.  With or without the services of running back Willie Parker, they still have plenty of weapons at their disposal.  You have Ben Roethlisberger and his gun of an arm, looking for Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes vs a weak Patriots secondary.  It does play well for us with the weather conditions that should become a factor as the game progresses, since Roethlisberger has struggled in the cold, wintry elements throughout his career.

Based upon how quarterback Matt Cassel handles the tough defense of the Steelers, we might be seeing more of Kevin Faulk and Sammy Morris in the offense.  The Patriots need to be able to play their style of football in order to win today.  That means involving Randy Moss and Wes Welker early and often.  Open up the running game by being able to pass the ball will be a major key for the Patriots.  The bottom line is we need a win no matter what the rest of the AFC East does today.  A win and we help control our destiny, let’s not place our destiny in the hands of the rest of the league.  Because we all know how dangerous the Patriots can and will be if given the chance in the playoffs.