Super Bowl XLVII Recap
The Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers played in Super Bowl (47) XLVII, and it was a game for the ages.
Here is a recap of a live cat that took place over 10 hours.
With Jim and John Harbaugh on opposites sides, the game featured Colin Kaepernick and the Pistol Offense against Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and the aging but vaunted Baltimore defense. Win or lose, this was Lewis’s final game.
The 49ers gained 20 yard on their first play of the game but an illegal formation penalty negated it. The 49ers punted and the Ravens took over just shy of midfield. Joe Flacco hit Vonte Leach for 8 and Torrey Smith for 20 more. On 3rd and 9 from the 19 Flacco threw incomplete but offsides game the Ravens another chance. On 3rd and 4 Flacco fired over the middle to Anquon Boldin for the touchdown as the Ravens led 7-0 only 4 1/2 minutes into the game.
After a touchback, Colin Kaepernick hit Michael Crabtree for 19. On 3rd and 1 from their 47, Kaepernick gained 9 and 7. Kaepernick hit Vernon Davis for 24 yards to set up 1st and goal at the 8. On 3rd and goal Kaepernick was sacked as the 49ers settled for a 36 yard David Akers field goal to get within 7-3. Baltimore moved from their own 22 to a 3rd and 13 at the Sn Francisco 37. Flacco was sacked to kill the drive as the first quarter ended.
The 49ers began the second quarter moving quickly from their 20 to the Baltimore 24. James got the carry and fumbled the ball. The Ravens took over at their 25. Bernard Pierce ran for 5, 4, and 3 on 3rd and 1. Flacco hit Dennis Pitta for 9 and Dickson for 23 more. Ray Rice gained 7 and Flacco went to Dickson again for 14 more with a personal foul setting up 1st and goal at the 4. Flacco hit Pitta for a one yard touchdown to make it 14-3 Ravens midway through the second quarter.
On the first play from scrimmage from their own 21, Kaepernick was intercepted by Ed Reed. In 6 Super Bowls, i was the very first interception by a 49ers quarterback in the Super Bowl. The Ravens moved from the Frisco 38 to a 2nd and 9 at the 14. Flacco threw incomplete twice and Justin Tucker came in for a routine 32 yard field goal. John Harbaugh called a fake field goal, and it came up on yard short. With 3 minutes left in the half from their own 6, the 49ers went 3 and out and the Ravens got it back at their 44 with 2:07 left in the half. On 3rd and 10, Flacco went deep to Jacoby Jones. He caught it falling to the ground inside the 10, got up without being touched, and out-juked two defenders to complete the 56 touchdown and put the Ravens up 21-3 with 1:45 left in the half.
Kaepernick excelled in the 2 minute drill, moving the 49ers from their 20 to a 2nd and 2 at the Baltimore 9 yard line with 25 seconds left in the half. In an odd call, a run by Frank Gore went nowhere as the 49ers took their second timeout. On 3rd and 2 Kaepernick scrambled but gained nothing. Akers hit a 27 yard field goal as the 49ers trailed 21-6 at halftime. After a halftime show by Beyonce that had nothing to do with football the real electricity came at the start of the second half. Jacoby Jones took the kickoff 8 yards deep in the end zone, blasted through the crease, and was off to the races 108 yards for a touchdown as the Ravens were cruising in a romp with to a 28-6 lead. Then things got bizarre.
The 49ers took over at their 14 and Kaepernick hit Crabtee for 29 yards. A sack of Kaepernick had the 49ers facing 3rd and 13 from their 40. Then the lights, literally, went out. A power failure inside the stadium was a new Super Bowl first, as for 34 minutes the game was halted while the nation that put a man on the Moon had to figure out how to get the lights back on. When play resumed, Kaepernick completed a pass short of the first down. The 49ers punted, but the Ravens would punt it back as this game took a major momentum shift.
From their own 20, Kaepernick ran for 5 and 15. On 3rd and 8 from their 42, Kaepernick hit Randy Moss for 9, Davis for 18, and deep to Crabtree for a 31 yard touchdown. The 49ers were back in it down 28-13 midway through the third quarter. Baltimore went 3 and out and Ted Ginn returned the punt 32 yards to the Baltimore 20. Kaepernick hit Davis for 14, and Gore ran for the 6 yard touchdown as 2 scores in less than 2 1/2 minutes had the 49ers within 28-20.
The Ravens quickly faced 2nd and 7 from their 23 when Flacco hit Ray Rice for a short completion. Rice fumbled, and the 49ers recovered at the Baltimore 24. 3 plays netted only 3 yards as Kaepernick was incomplete on 3rd and 7, and Akers came in for a 39 yard field goal try. Akers has had a tough year, and this kick was no good. Yet the Ravens got called for a very questionable running into the kicker penalty. Given another chance from 34 yards out, Akers was now 3 for 3 on the day as 17 straight points turned a laugher into a 28-23 49ers deficit with 3 minutes left in the third quarter.
From their 28, Pierce gained 4 and 3. On 3rd and 3 from their 35, Flacco hit Boldin, who took a short pas 30 yards. On 3rd and 1, Pierce gained 8 yards as the fourth quarter began with the Ravens at the Frisco 18. Flacco hit Boldin for 9 and Rice gained 4 to set up 2nd and goal at the one. Rice got the carry again and got stopped. On 3rd and goal from the one Flacco rolled out and barely avoided a sack before throwing incomplete. On 4th and goal at the one John Harbaugh decided not to gamble. Tucker hit the 19 yarder as the Ravens were up 31-23 with 13 minutes left in regulation.
The 49ers quickly came back. On 2nd and 5 form their 29, Kaepernick went deep to Randy Moss for a 32 yard gain. Gore gained 21 more, and Kaepernick scrambled for a 15 yard touchdown. A 22 point deficit had been cut to 2 points. With 10 minuts left in regulation, it was time for the tying 2 point conversion try. The Ravens brought the house and Kaepernick fired incomplete. The 49ers were still down 31-29. The Ravens were malfunctioning on offense and exhausted on defense. They needed a drive. From their own 21, they got one.
On 3rd and 9 from their 22 with 8 1/2 minutes left, Flacco threw incomplete. Yet defensive pass interference on Culliver meant 1st and 10 Ravens from their 36. On 3rd and 1 from their 45, John Harbaugh and Jim Caldwell called a pass play and Flacco hit Boldin for 15 yards. Rice gained 12, 2, and 1. After the defense jumped offsides, it came down to 3rd and 2 from the Frisco 20. A touchdown could ice the game. Yet Flacco threw incomplete. Justin Tucker hit the 38 yard field goal to give the Ravens a 34-29 lead. Yet for the second time in 3 years a team fell behind 21-3 yet had a chance to win the Super Bowl. The 49ers took over at their 20 with 4:19 to play.
Gore and Kaepernick each had 8 yard gains. Kaepernick hit Crabtree for 24 yards and from the Baltimore 40, Gore got free an was racing to the end zone to give the 49ers their first lead of the game. Gore was finally caught by Ed Reed at the 7 yard line. 2:39 remained and the 49ers had 1st and goal at the 7. Joe Montana once led the 49ers 92 yards in 3 minutes. Kaepernick only had to go 80 yards in almost 4 1/2 minutes, and now he had all the time in the world and 4 chances to get the last 7 yards. The Ravens were out of gas.
James go t the carry and gained 2 yards. In a very curious decision, despite having all 3 timeouts, John Harbaugh decided not to take them on defense. This made very little sense, since if the 49ers scored the Ravens would now have less than 2 minutes left. At the 2 minute warning, Kaepernick threw incomplete. Then the play clock almost ran out on them as Jim Harbaugh had to burn the second 49ers timeout with 1:55 left to avoid a delay of game penalty. It may have been better to keep the timeout and move back 5 yards. On 3rd and goal Kaepernick rolled out and threw incomplete. With 4th and goal at the 5 and 1:50 to play, the Super Bowl came down to one play.
The Ravens had been getting almost no pressure with their front line. Haloti Ngata was out of the game, having been injured earlier. The defense was spent. Yet for the second time in the fourth quarter, they brought as many people as possible. They sent the house, forcing Kaepernick to throw high and out of the end zone. Jim Harbaugh screamed for a defensive penalty, but it was a good non-call. The Ravens took over with 1:46 left.
John Harbaugh played it very safe. Rice got the carry and 2 yards as the 49ers took their last timeout. Burning the other timeouts killed them as 2 more safe runs left only 12 seconds left in the Super Bowl. The Ravens were at their own 8 yard line, and did not want to risk a punt block on 4th and 7. John Harbaugh smartly took an intentional safety as punter Koch ran around and went out of the end zone with only 4 seconds remaining.
The free kick would also be by punter Koch. The 49ers had the right to a fair catch, which would set up a possible Hail Mary. Yet Koch hit such a deep kick that it went 60 yards. Ted Ginn had no choice but to try and return it. He got to midfield before being tackled. The Ravens had bent but not broken, as the furious 49ers rally came up just short.
The 49ers lost their 1st Super Bowl after winning their first five while the Ravens won it all for the second time. The Harbaugh brothers met on the field for the postgame handshake. The 49ers outgained the Ravens buy 100 yards with nearly 500 yards of offense. Yet neither the Pistol offense, a far too lengthy halftime show, or a stadium blackout perhaps caused by Beyonce could deny the Ravens.
The Ravens dedicated the win to OJ Brigance, a player from their 2000 championship team who now has ALS. Terrell Suggs praised the late Art Modell. Ed Reed finally got his ring. Ray Lewis, just like John Elway 14 years earlier, ended a 17 year career with one team as king of the mountain. It was fitting that the aging Ravens defense won it with a goal line stand at the end. Joe Flacco was 22 of 33 for 287 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. He tied Joe Montana for the best postseason with 11 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. A strong case could have been made for Jacoby Jones, but Flacco is now the leader of this team with Lewis retiring. Steve Biscotti was a minority owner when the Ravens won 12 years ago, but this time he won as the head sled.
Super Bowl XLVII and the 2012 NFL Season are now in the books. The 2013 NFL Draft is in late April, and the Kansas City Chiefs are now on the clock. The Ravens are world champs. 34-31 Ravens
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