There really is no such thing as a dull Super Bowl. Despite a dominant first half by the Baltimore Ravens, things got very dramatic late in “The Big Game.” And though the San Francisco 49ers had a genuine shot at taking the win in the fourth quarter, the Ravens proved victorious with a 34-31 lead.
Super Bowl XLVII marks Baltimore’s second trophy, with their first win back in 2000. And the second that final buzzer rang, you could tell the team and coach John Harbaugh were thrilled.
“The end of the game was the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced,” an emotional Harbaugh told reporters during the trophy presentation. And the win was especially poignant for John, as his rival 49ers coach was his brother Jim.
“I told [Jim] I loved him,” John added. “And he said congratulations.”
Baltimore QB Joe Flacco earned the night’s MVP title, with 22 out of 32 passes completed. To his credit, he threw zero interceptions and helped the team score three touchdowns. Other stars of the Bowl included Ravens kicker Jacoby Jones, who tied an NFL record by knocking out a 108-yard return.
But the Ravens’ plays were hardly the highlights of the night. Undoubtedly the most newsworthy event happened when the Mercedes Benz Superdome lost power in the third quarter. Out of nowhere, the overhead lights went out for over 30 minutes.
Amazingly, that mishap seemed to light up the 49ers, who staged a 23-point comeback in the second half of the game. Ultimately though, San Francisco couldn’t seal the deal, turning over the ball at the Ravens’ goal line late in the fourth quarter.
With just moments left, Baltimore gave up a safety bringing the game within three points. That left the 49ers with the impossible feat of scoring an additional touchdown with only seconds on the clock. Hard as they tried, San Francisco couldn’t secure that record-breaking comeback (though they earned plenty of praise for their noble attempt).
And as always, football wasn’t the only thing that stirred up headlines at the Mercedes Benz Superdome. In a very touching moment, children who survived the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre welcomed the teams by singing “America, The Beautiful.” Alicia Keyes followed shortly thereafter with a moving rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner.” Beyonce’s halftime show more than lived up to its expectations too. Parading in tight black leather across a neon stage, the pop diva wowed the crowd with fiery versions of her classic hits. And as expected, her former Destiny’s Child bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams dropped in too, to perform “Single Ladies” and “Bootylicious.”
Clearly the hundreds of millions who watched the Bowl last night were not disappointed.
