Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Baltimore Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh just finished his fifth season in the NFL with his first Super Bowl victory, and is already getting a statue built in his honor.  Harbaugh will be inducted into the Cradle of Coaches association at his alma mater Miami (Ohio) University next year. A bronze, life-size statue of Harbaugh will be added to the Cradle of Coaches display on a plaza outside Yager Stadium early next year, joining the statues of Paul Brown, Bo Schembechler, Weeb Ewbank, Ara Parseghian, Earl “Red” Blaik, Carm Cozza, Paul Dietzel and John Pont.

That’s quite a list of coaches to be associated with, though Harbaugh is already well on his way to having a hall-of-fame coaching career, taking the Ravens to five-straight playoff berths in his first five seasons as an NFL head coach.

Nov 11, 2012; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh during the game against the Oakland Raiders at M

The Conference Title games are in the books. We now know who will be facing who in Super Bowl XLVII.

The Baltimore Ravens of the AFC will battle the San Francisco 49ers of the NFC.

Let’s take a look at the X-factors in this intriguing matchup between the two teams.

First, the Baltimore Ravens.

1. Ray Lewis

It is well known that Ray Lewis will be retiring after the season is over. What better way to end his career by winning it all? His teammates have rallied around him this postseason, and the Ravens have played with the heart of a team that really, truly wants it. If the Ravens are to win this game, it may be solely because of this one man.

2. Joe Flacco

The man has his critics. However, he also has his admirers. Flacco showed true leadership in his command of the offense against the New England Patriots, as he has done throughout the playoffs this year. He has played very well on the road, and his experience in pressure situations will come in handy against a fast, strong 49ers defense.

Jan 12, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith (82) catches a pass for a touchdown under pressure from Denver Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey (24) in the second quarter during the AFC divisional round playoff game at Sports Authority Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

3. Torrey Smith

Through the playoffs this year, Flacco has had one thing every offense must have to be successful on the next level. A deep threat. And that’s where Smith comes in. He has developed in leaps and bounds the last two years, having become a danger to defenses with not only his speed, but his ability to catch on the run, with coverage. Expect him to be targeted at least a few times over the top against the San Francisco secondary.

Now, what about the San Francisco 49ers?

Jan 20, 2013; Foxboro, MA, USA; Baltimore Ravens inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (59) celebrates with teammates after intercepting a New England Patriots pass during the fourth quarter of the AFC championship game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Once again, the New England Patriots hosted the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game. But this time the outcome was different, as the Ravens found a way to take advantage of New England’s weaknesses to punch their first ticket to the Super Bowl since they beat the Giants in 2000. Only this time, instead of being the centerpiece, Ray Lewis was not even the best middle linebacker on the team as Dannell Ellerbe stole the show.

Starting off the game with a trick play on a punt, shifting into a formation to run a play after lining up quarterback Ryan Mallett as the personal protector, the Patriots took an early lead on a 31-yard field goal on a five minute drive.

The key to the Patriots’ late-season pass defense, cornerback Aqib Talib, pulled his hamstring while breaking up a pass on a crossing pattern to Aqib Talib. That jump-started the Ravens’ offense and they opened the second quarter with a very long, running-back heavy drive. That led to a Ravens score on a run that saw Ray Rice slip through two tackles on the way to pay dirt, capping a 90-yard drive to take a 7-3 lead.

New England answered on the next possession with a sustained drive of their own, with Tom Brady featuring H-back Aaron Hernandez on passes, screens and even a run. In the red zone the Ravens brought an all-out, Cover 0 blitz which the Patriots beat using a quick pass to Wes Welker in the front of the end zone. Brady, seeing the man coverage, brought Welker in motion behind Hernandez, who served as a rub for Welker’s man as he ran a quick route to the flat.

Baltimore kept running down 10-3, but New England continued to stop it with their physical linebackers. Rob Nikovich finally got to Joe Flacco for a sack, giving the Patriots the ball one more time before the end of the half. New England responded with a two minute drill that resulted in a field goal before the end of the half, although the Patriots could have taken a shot at the end zone with better clock management. They could not line up to spike the ball in the red zone and wasted time before finally calling a time out with four seconds left, taking the field goal to make the score 13-7 at halftime.

When the Ravens received the ball at half, New England finally started to create pressure while their cornerbacks played aggressively. The Patriots got the ball back and started to drive, aided by a Bernard Pollard penalty on a defenseless receiver, but the drive stalled on a Welker drop on third down.

After punting to the Ravens, Baltimore began to wear down the Patriots defense by continuing their methodical, grinding offensive attack peppered in with a more aggressive passing game. They started attacking the outside more, taking advantage of a Talib-less secondary. Tight end Dennis Pitta got hot, proving to be too fast for the Patriots’ lumbering linebackers and too big for their safeties. Combined with a Rice screen, Pitta led the team downfield on slants, scoring a touchdown to take a 14-13 Baltimore lead.

The Patriots’ offense sputtered again on the next possession, and the Ravens passed their way down the field again. That drive culminated on a touchdown pass to Anquan Boldin, who continued to be heavily involved in the Ravens offense this postseason. Flacco hit Boldin on a three-yard touchdown pass in which Boldin ran a slant past a linebacker and Flacco threw the ball up high, letting Boldin high-point the ball over the linebacker.

New England responded with a long drive, but Pollard again stung New England by knocking running back Stevan Ridley out cold, causing a fumble that the Ravens’ Arthur Jones. Baltimore again exerted their will on offense, and Flacco hit Boldin for another touchdown reception. This time Boldin ran a fade route and Flacco again put the ball up high, allowing Boldin to reach up and pluck the ball out of the air for another physical touchdown to make the score 28-13 with 21 unanswered points.