Super Bowl XLVII champions rank 30th
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The Baltimore Ravens survived a momentum-killing 34-minute power outage to emerge as the 47th winner of the Super Bowl. Joe Flacco earned the game’s Most Valuable Player award by passing for 287 yards and three touchdowns. It capped off an elite playoff performance in which he compiled 1,140 yards and 11 touchdowns, while throwing no interceptions. His 11 touchdowns tied a single-postseason record shared by Joe Montana (1989-90 San Francisco 49ers) and Kurt Warner (2008-09 Arizona Cardinals). Flacco is now one of six quarterbacks to throw eight or more touchdowns without an interception en route to a Super Bowl championship. He joins Montana's 1989-90 postseason, Steve Young (nine for the 1994-95 49ers), Phil Simms (eight for the 1986-87 New York Giants), Troy Aikman (eight for the 1992-93 Dallas Cowboys) and Drew Brees (eight for the 2009-10 New Orleans Saints).
But how would Flacco and the 2012 Ravens fair against their Super Bowl counterparts, the 2000 Ravens? Using our NFL simulation engine, we "played" a head-to-head matchup between the two championship teams:
Ravens Super Bowl Teams Head-to-Head: 1,001 Simulations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Matchup | Win% | Avg. Score | WIS Interactive |
| 2000 Baltimore Ravens | 46.3 | 21.6 | Simulate Game |
| vs. 2012 Baltimore Ravens | 53.7 | 23.0 | Add to Dream Team |
Ray Lewis lined up for both squads in our simulated matchup. His fearsome defensive unit from the 2000 season is considered one of the best in NFL history, and it proved a hindrance for Flacco and Ray Rice. However, a Trent Dilfer-led offense was unable to provide the offensive firepower needed to knock off the 2012 Ravens.
We also utilized our NFL simulation engine to play a round-robin tournament in which the 2012 Ravens and each of the prior 46 Super Bowl champions "played" 101 games against every opponent, generating the win percentage and average score from those games. The 2012 Ravens won 47.7 percent of the time, ranking 30th among the 47 champions. Their 24.9 points per game ranked 17th in offensive output, while their defense yielded the eighth-most points in the simulation.
All-Time Super Bowl Power Rankings | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Win% | Avg. PPG | Avg. PPA | Vs. Ravens | |
| 1 | 1999 St. Louis Rams | 81.3 | 33 | 21.5 | SimMatchup > |
| 2 | 1989 San Francisco 49ers | 69 | 28.8 | 22.5 | SimMatchup > |
| 3 | 1991 Washington Redskins | 65.9 | 27.3 | 22 | SimMatchup > |
| 4 | 1984 San Francisco 49ers | 64.3 | 28.6 | 23.7 | SimMatchup > |
| 5 | 2009 New Orleans Saints | 63.3 | 30.9 | 26.6 | SimMatchup > |
| 6 | 1996 Green Bay Packers | 63.2 | 25.6 | 21.4 | SimMatchup > |
| 7 | 1985 Chicago Bears | 61.7 | 24.1 | 20.2 | SimMatchup > |
| 8 | 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 61.3 | 22.8 | 19.3 | SimMatchup > |
| 9 | 1993 Dallas Cowboys | 60.6 | 27.8 | 24.4 | SimMatchup > |
| 10 | 1994 San Francisco 49ers | 58.5 | 25.8 | 23.2 | SimMatchup > |
| 11 | 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers | 58.2 | 25.3 | 22.5 | SimMatchup > |
| 12 | 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers | 57.3 | 24.1 | 21.6 | SimMatchup > |
| 13 | 1972 Miami Dolphins | 56.8 | 25.9 | 23.1 | SimMatchup > |
| 14 | 1971 Dallas Cowboys | 56.4 | 24 | 21.6 | SimMatchup > |
| 15 | 1998 Denver Broncos | 56.2 | 26.8 | 24.6 | SimMatchup > |
| 16 | 1992 Dallas Cowboys | 54.7 | 24.3 | 22.7 | SimMatchup > |
| 17 | 1969 Kansas City Chiefs | 53.6 | 23.2 | 22 | SimMatchup > |
| 18 | 1975 Pittsburgh Steelers | 52.2 | 23.2 | 22.3 | SimMatchup > |
| 19 | 1995 Dallas Cowboys | 52 | 25.7 | 24.9 | SimMatchup > |
| 20 | 2004 New England Patriots | 50.7 | 24.7 | 24.7 | SimMatchup > |
| 21 | 2010 Green Bay Packers | 50.6 | 23.9 | 23.7 | SimMatchup > |
| 22 | 1976 Oakland Raiders | 50.5 | 25.8 | 25.6 | SimMatchup > |
| 23 | 2011 New York Giants | 50.4 | 26.9 | 27.1 | SimMatchup > |
| 24 | 1973 Miami Dolphins | 49.9 | 22.5 | 22.1 | SimMatchup > |
| 25 | 2003 New England Patriots | 49.3 | 21.2 | 21.4 | SimMatchup > |
| 26 | 1988 San Francisco 49ers | 49.3 | 23.9 | 24.2 | SimMatchup > |
| 27 | 1977 Dallas Cowboys | 48.9 | 21.2 | 21.4 | SimMatchup > |
| 28 | 1987 Washington Redskins | 48.8 | 24.8 | 25.3 | SimMatchup > |
| 29 | 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers | 48.3 | 19.7 | 20.5 | SimMatchup > |
| 30 | 2012 Baltimore Ravens | 47.7 | 24.9 | 25.9 | SimMatchup > |
| 31 | 1968 New York Jets | 47.5 | 22.4 | 23.2 | SimMatchup > |
| 32 | 1997 Denver Broncos | 46.9 | 25.3 | 26.3 | SimMatchup > |
| 33 | 2006 Indianapolis Colts | 46.9 | 28.6 | 29.9 | SimMatchup > |
| 34 | 2000 Baltimore Ravens | 43.9 | 19.7 | 22.1 | SimMatchup > |
| 35 | 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers | 42.7 | 20.1 | 22.1 | SimMatchup > |
| 36 | 1966 Green Bay Packers | 42.7 | 20.7 | 22.4 | SimMatchup > |
| 37 | 1983 Los Angeles Raiders | 41.6 | 21.8 | 24.5 | SimMatchup > |
| 38 | 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers | 41.5 | 19.3 | 21.9 | SimMatchup > |
| 39 | 1990 New York Giants | 41.2 | 20.3 | 23.4 | SimMatchup > |
| 40 | 1986 New York Giants | 40.5 | 20.7 | 24.1 | SimMatchup > |
| 41 | 1982 Washington Redskins | 39.8 | 20.4 | 23.9 | SimMatchup > |
| 42 | 2007 New York Giants | 36 | 21 | 26 | SimMatchup > |
| 43 | 1981 San Francisco 49ers | 35.6 | 20.1 | 24.8 | SimMatchup > |
| 44 | 1967 Green Bay Packers | 33.4 | 19.9 | 25.2 | SimMatchup > |
| 45 | 1980 Oakland Raiders | 28.9 | 17.7 | 25.1 | SimMatchup > |
| 46 | 1970 Baltimore Colts | 25.4 | 17.8 | 26 | SimMatchup > |
| 47 | 2001 New England Patriots | 24.5 | 18 | 27.5 | SimMatchup > |
With Super Bowl XLVII being your last taste of football for the next seven months, WhatIfSports.com is here with your daily fix. Create your ultimate Super Bowl roster using our Dream Team feature. Take that roster and simulate it against ANY TEAM IN NFL HISTORY using our NFL SimMatchup tool.
Jake Westrich is the Digital Content Coordinator for WhatIfSports.com. He can be reached at jwestrich@whatifsports.com.
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