Home » Sports » American Football
Ravens light up Bowl, 49ers come up short
February 5, 2013, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
FOR a Super Bowl with so many story lines, this game came up with quite a twist.
Try a blackout that turned a blowout into a shootout - capped by a brilliant defensive stand.
The Baltimore Ravens survived a frenzied comeback by the San Francisco 49ers following a 34-minute delay in the third quarter for a power outage, winning their second championship 34-31 in New Orleans on Sunday.
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco threw three first-half touchdown passes, Jacoby Jones ran back the second-half kickoff a record 108 yards for a score, and linebacker Ray Lewis' last play fittingly was part of a defensive effort that saved the victory.
"To me, that was one of the most amazing goal-line stands I've ever been a part of in my career," said Lewis, who announced a month ago he would retire when the Ravens were done playing.
They are done now, with another championship trophy headed for the display case. "What better way to do it," Lewis said, "than on the Super Bowl stage?"
That stage already was loaded with plots:
-- The coaching Harbaughs sibling rivalry, won by older brother John, who said the postgame greeting with Jim was "painful".
- Flacco's emergence as a top-level quarterback and Super Bowl MVP, and his impending free agency.
- Colin Kaepernick's rapid rise in the last two months as 49ers QB.
But when the Superdome lost power, well, that wasn't in anyone's scenario.
Flacco and the Ravens were turning the game into a rout, leading 28-6 when, without even a flicker of warning, several banks of lights and the scoreboards went dark. Players from both sides stretched and chatted with each other in a bizarre scene. "The bad part was we started talking about it," said safety Ed Reed, who had the game's only interception. "That was mentioned. It was like they were trying to kill our momentum."
After power was restored, the 49ers began playing lights out.
San Francisco, in search of its sixth Super Bowl title in as many tries, got back in the game almost immediately.
With Kaepernick finally finding his targets and making inroads with the football in hand, San Francisco piled on 17 unanswered points.
When Kaepernick rushed for a touchdown himself with just 10 minutes to go in the final quarter, the margin was down to just two points and momentum was on their side. But Justin Tucker kicked a 38-yard field goal to give his team a five-point lead and the 49ers failed to score the touchdown they needed to win, getting only a two-point safety, as the Ravens defended their line for dear life.
"I think it speaks to our resolve, speaks to our determination, speaks to our mental toughness," John Harbaugh said. "That is what wins and loses games."
Try a blackout that turned a blowout into a shootout - capped by a brilliant defensive stand.
The Baltimore Ravens survived a frenzied comeback by the San Francisco 49ers following a 34-minute delay in the third quarter for a power outage, winning their second championship 34-31 in New Orleans on Sunday.
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco threw three first-half touchdown passes, Jacoby Jones ran back the second-half kickoff a record 108 yards for a score, and linebacker Ray Lewis' last play fittingly was part of a defensive effort that saved the victory.
"To me, that was one of the most amazing goal-line stands I've ever been a part of in my career," said Lewis, who announced a month ago he would retire when the Ravens were done playing.
They are done now, with another championship trophy headed for the display case. "What better way to do it," Lewis said, "than on the Super Bowl stage?"
That stage already was loaded with plots:
-- The coaching Harbaughs sibling rivalry, won by older brother John, who said the postgame greeting with Jim was "painful".
- Flacco's emergence as a top-level quarterback and Super Bowl MVP, and his impending free agency.
- Colin Kaepernick's rapid rise in the last two months as 49ers QB.
But when the Superdome lost power, well, that wasn't in anyone's scenario.
Flacco and the Ravens were turning the game into a rout, leading 28-6 when, without even a flicker of warning, several banks of lights and the scoreboards went dark. Players from both sides stretched and chatted with each other in a bizarre scene. "The bad part was we started talking about it," said safety Ed Reed, who had the game's only interception. "That was mentioned. It was like they were trying to kill our momentum."
After power was restored, the 49ers began playing lights out.
San Francisco, in search of its sixth Super Bowl title in as many tries, got back in the game almost immediately.
With Kaepernick finally finding his targets and making inroads with the football in hand, San Francisco piled on 17 unanswered points.
When Kaepernick rushed for a touchdown himself with just 10 minutes to go in the final quarter, the margin was down to just two points and momentum was on their side. But Justin Tucker kicked a 38-yard field goal to give his team a five-point lead and the 49ers failed to score the touchdown they needed to win, getting only a two-point safety, as the Ravens defended their line for dear life.
"I think it speaks to our resolve, speaks to our determination, speaks to our mental toughness," John Harbaugh said. "That is what wins and loses games."
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
