NEW ORLEANS – The journey to this Super Bowl wound through bounties and replacement refs, eventually bringing the big game back to the Big Easy – with a replacement quarterback, a sibling rivalry and a grand exit for one of the NFL’s greatest players, clouded by the obscure healing powers of deer-antler spray.

It is a Super Bowl of comebacks, of firsts and lasts, and – if San Francisco wins – the best.

A win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday gives the 49ers six championships, matching Pittsburgh’s titles in the Super Bowl era. Unlike the Steelers, the Niners have never lost one.