The Baltimore Ravens reclaimed the greatest prize in North American sports after a dramatic, nail-biting 34-31 Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
Inspired by their power-packed quarterback Joe
Flacco, the Ravens survived a ferocious comeback from the 49ers and a
bizarre power outage that stopped the game for more than half an hour to
win their second Super Bowl.
John
Harbaugh, the head coach of the Ravens, won the most anticipated sibling
rivalry in American team sports against his younger brother Jim, who
holds the equivalent job with the 49ers.
And
Ray Lewis, the combative 37-year-old Ravens linebacker destined for the
Hall of Fame, ended his 17 season career with a second Super Bowl
title, 12 years after he won his first.
"What better way to go out?" said Lewis. "We did it! We did it!"
The
game, at the Superdome in New Orleans, was preceded by one of the most
poignant moments ever witnessed in the 47 editions of the Super Bowl
when a choir from Sandy Hook Elementary School joined Jennifer Hudson in
a stirring rendition of "America the Beautiful".
The
70,000 spectators rose to their feet, many with tears in their eyes, as
the children sang, nearly two months after the deadly shooting rampage
at their Connecticut school.
"Our
wish is to demonstrate to America and the world that, "We are Sandy Hook
and we choose love," the school said in a statement.
The
action on the field was as wild as the parties that have taken place in
Bourbon St in the days leading up to the game as the Ravens opened up a
commanding lead.
With Flacco, who
was named Most Valuable Player, calling the shots and wide receiver
Jacoby Jones scoring two of the most spectacular touchdowns seen in a
Super Bowl, the Ravens looked to be cruising to victory when they led
28-6 early in the third quarter.
Flacco
made a great start, orchestrating a six-play, 51-yard drive on his
team's first possession that culminated with a 13-yard touchdown pass to
wide receiver Anquan Boldin.
In
the second quarter, he threw a one-yard scoring pass to tight end Dennis
Pitta, then a spectacular 56-yard scoring strike to Jones.
The
Ravens led 21-6 when Beyonce came out to perform a stunning halftime
show then opened the second half with a Super Bowl-record 108-yard
kickoff return for a touchdown from Jones that will be shown on
highlight reels for generations to come.
BLACK OUT
But
just when it seemed the result was a foregone conclusion, a section of
the lights at the Superdome, hosting the Super Bowl for the first time
since Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005, blacked out.
Play
was stopped for 35 minutes while red-faced officials and technicians
restored power. When it came back on, the game instantly took on a
completely different complexion.
With
Colin 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 five-team 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.
"Five
yards short, all the work we did in the offseason, the whole entire
season, everything came down to five yards and we weren't able to get it
done," said dejected 49ers tackle Joe Staley.
Both
team played down the impact of the power outage, saying it was the same
for both teams, while the Harbaugh brothers embraced each other as
confetti rained down from the roof after one of the most emotional
nights in American sport.
"I just love him obviously. I think anybody out there who has a brother can understand what that is all about," John said.
"The
meeting with Jim in the middle was probably the most difficult thing I
have ever been associated with in my life. I am proud of him."
