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BALTIMORE RAVENS SUPER BOWL XLVII CHAMPIONS
So, like everybody else, when the power went out with the Baltimore Ravens up 28-6, and seemingly dominating every facet of the game, I thought, essentially, that it was all over.
Boy, was I ever wrong, huh?
This game really was a story of two halves, although even that is not quite right. It was the story of one part of the game, which lasted throughout the first half, and a couple of minutes into the second, when the Baltimore Ravens were dictating play, and taking advantage of numerous mistakes by San Francisco. Flacco was impeccable, and the Ravens looked unstoppable.
The second part of the game was when the 49ers began to dictate the tempo of the game, and the Baltimore Ravens started making more mistakes. The Ravens defense looked tired towards the end, and even when the 49ers fell short in certain situations, they seemed to own all of the momentum, until that fateful fourth down, when the outcome seemed to become inevitable.
Still, San Francisco was playing from behind the whole game. That was a tough position to play from, and although they have done it all season, and overcame a 17-point deficit in the NFC Championship to beat Atlanta on the road, it proved just a bit too much today. If they had played just a little better prior to the power shortage, maybe their furious comeback rally could have won the game for them. Just a few less mistakes, such as all of those dropped passes. Or the turnovers. Or the mental mistakes that seemed to be killing them, time and again.
Yet, their comeback was so good, it was almost enough to overcome all of that and win it for them anyway.
It was a real chess match towards the end, especially after the final San Francisco drive stalled deep in Baltimore territory. Fittingly, Ray Lewis goes out with a Super Bowl title after the defense that he led for all of those years had one of the most key goal line stands in history, ultimately clinching the title.
Perhaps the play that impressed me the most was on special teams, when the Baltimore punter, Sam Koch, managed to keep stalling, and kept the play alive for just about eight seconds. Prior to the play, there were only eleven or so seconds left on the clock, and afterwards, there were only four seconds, which ultimately prevented Kaepernick from getting another chance to come in the game. Ironically, the 49ers clinched defeat on a play where they actually scored points. That is part of the strategic element to the game that makes this so interesting, even fascinating. Koch did not have an excellent day punting the ball, but his patience on that heads up play, burning out so much time off the clock, was brilliantly executed by both the Baltimore blockers, as well as by Koch himself. Just what the Ravens needed, and the final play was a mere formality following that.
Still, San Francisco was playing from behind the whole game. That was a tough position to play from, and although they have done it all season, and overcame a 17-point deficit in the NFC Championship to beat Atlanta on the road, it proved just a bit too much today. If they had played just a little better prior to the power shortage, maybe their furious comeback rally could have won the game for them. Just a few less mistakes, such as all of those dropped passes. Or the turnovers. Or the mental mistakes that seemed to be killing them, time and again.
Yet, their comeback was so good, it was almost enough to overcome all of that and win it for them anyway.
It was a real chess match towards the end, especially after the final San Francisco drive stalled deep in Baltimore territory. Fittingly, Ray Lewis goes out with a Super Bowl title after the defense that he led for all of those years had one of the most key goal line stands in history, ultimately clinching the title.
Perhaps the play that impressed me the most was on special teams, when the Baltimore punter, Sam Koch, managed to keep stalling, and kept the play alive for just about eight seconds. Prior to the play, there were only eleven or so seconds left on the clock, and afterwards, there were only four seconds, which ultimately prevented Kaepernick from getting another chance to come in the game. Ironically, the 49ers clinched defeat on a play where they actually scored points. That is part of the strategic element to the game that makes this so interesting, even fascinating. Koch did not have an excellent day punting the ball, but his patience on that heads up play, burning out so much time off the clock, was brilliantly executed by both the Baltimore blockers, as well as by Koch himself. Just what the Ravens needed, and the final play was a mere formality following that.
Joe Flacco looked like one of the elite quarterbacks of all time throughout these playoffs, and in this game, as well. That was particularly true in the first half, where he was cool, calm, and collected, throwing three touchdown passes to put the Ravens up, 21-6. Overall, Flacco was 22 of 33, for 287 yards and three touchdowns. Overall, he matched Joe Montana's postseason record of 12 touchdowns with no interceptions during one playoff season. Very stellar. Not bad at all, and it will surely earn him some financial rewards in the future as a result.
Kaepernick, by contrast, completed 16 of 28 passes, for 302 yards and 1 touchdown. he also threw an interception, the first (and for now, the only) interception ever thrown in the Super Bowl by a 49er quarterback. He also showed strength in his mobility, rushing 7 times for 62 yards and a touchdown. At one point, fairly deep in the game, he was the leading 49ers rusher in the game, although Frank Gore stepped up to make the San Francisco running game.
Although the statistics, as well as the highlight reels, will show that Kaepernick had an excellent game, which in many respects he did, there were nonetheless some costly mistakes that he committed which contributed greatly to the 49ers winding up on the short end of this one. Yes, he threw a bad interception, no question. But he also showed some questionable decision making, such as when he called that timeout in the second half - a timeout that they really could have used later on. He showed some nervousness as well, particularly on the three consecutive passes he threw on the final 49ers possession. I am still wondering who he was throwing it to on the fourth down play, which ended up being the final offensive play for the 49ers this season. Considering it was for the highest stakes possible, I just expected more, ten starts or not. If nothing is there for you, then find something else. Run. Try to do something. it looked an awful lot like he was throwing it away, but that's impossible, right? It's fourth down on your final possession in the Super Bowl, and you're down. Obviously, you're not throwing it away, right? RIGHT?
Yes, he was getting pressured. But I just expected something more out of him, I guess.
Still, give the 49ers credit. They played a very good game, and recovered nicely after being down 22 points in the second half, to make it a very interesting game. They scored 31 points total, which tied them with the 1978 Dallas Cowboys for the most points scored by the losing Super Bowl team.
Kaepernick, by contrast, completed 16 of 28 passes, for 302 yards and 1 touchdown. he also threw an interception, the first (and for now, the only) interception ever thrown in the Super Bowl by a 49er quarterback. He also showed strength in his mobility, rushing 7 times for 62 yards and a touchdown. At one point, fairly deep in the game, he was the leading 49ers rusher in the game, although Frank Gore stepped up to make the San Francisco running game.
Although the statistics, as well as the highlight reels, will show that Kaepernick had an excellent game, which in many respects he did, there were nonetheless some costly mistakes that he committed which contributed greatly to the 49ers winding up on the short end of this one. Yes, he threw a bad interception, no question. But he also showed some questionable decision making, such as when he called that timeout in the second half - a timeout that they really could have used later on. He showed some nervousness as well, particularly on the three consecutive passes he threw on the final 49ers possession. I am still wondering who he was throwing it to on the fourth down play, which ended up being the final offensive play for the 49ers this season. Considering it was for the highest stakes possible, I just expected more, ten starts or not. If nothing is there for you, then find something else. Run. Try to do something. it looked an awful lot like he was throwing it away, but that's impossible, right? It's fourth down on your final possession in the Super Bowl, and you're down. Obviously, you're not throwing it away, right? RIGHT?
Yes, he was getting pressured. But I just expected something more out of him, I guess.
Still, give the 49ers credit. They played a very good game, and recovered nicely after being down 22 points in the second half, to make it a very interesting game. They scored 31 points total, which tied them with the 1978 Dallas Cowboys for the most points scored by the losing Super Bowl team.
Ultimately, either the 49ers were going to walk out of the Superdome in New Orleans with their sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy, or the Baltimore Ravens would walk out of there with their second. As it turned out, the Ravens won the title, and became the twelfth franchise to have won multiple Super Bowls. In the process, they denied the 49ers what would have been a record tying sixth Super Bowl championship, which at least for the time being still belongs solely to the Steelers, bitter division rivals to the Ravens. The Ravens added very nicely to their burgeoning legacy and lore around the league.
That's a good thing for them, too, because they are an older team, and will more in transition than San Francisco. This team will have some question marks, with an aging defense and some key departures (most notably, Ray Lewis). The 49ers will simply reload, and try again next season. It was a tough loss for them, but they very well may be back.
That's a good thing for them, too, because they are an older team, and will more in transition than San Francisco. This team will have some question marks, with an aging defense and some key departures (most notably, Ray Lewis). The 49ers will simply reload, and try again next season. It was a tough loss for them, but they very well may be back.
For Baltimore, this further establishes the Ravens as the NFL team for this city. Some people simply refused to warm to them, and felt that the Colts would always be Baltimore's team. But the Colts are in Indianapolis, and have been for over a quarter of a century, now. Time to move on. It helped matters a lot when the Ravens won their first Super Bowl in 2000, and that with a record shattering defense, probably the best ever that the league has ever seen, before or since. But now, this Ravens team has cemented the franchise's status further, by winning it again.
This time, it was much more unexpected. This also marks the third consecutive season that a team which played in the Wild Card weekend, and had to play at least two of their conference playoff games on the road, wound up winning the Super Bowl.
In truth, the Ravens have been knocking on the door for a long time. They not only are the only franchise in the NFL to have made it to the playoffs each of the last five seasons, but they are the only franchise to have won at least one playoff game in each of those five seasons. They qualified for the AFC Championship Game three times during that span, and finally won it this time around. This was likely to be the last time they had a chance at a championship with this particular lineup, since they will need to retool a bit in the future. So, they had to make it count.
And make it count they did.
And make it count they did.
"Greatest Super Bowl Ever?"
Terrell Suggs suggested that this was the best Super Bowl ever. I don't agree. Too many mistakes, questionable coaching decisions and poor execution at times from both teams. Plus, the end was just weird, rather than majestic. It was, as MVP Joe Flacco called it, "ugly". That's the right word for it. There were some elements of a chess match to it. But that certainly does not mean it was the best Super Bowl ever. Suggs probably thinks so, because he was a played on the winning team, and the 49ers certainly made the Ravens sweat. Suggs even suggests as much. Here's a quote from the Yahoo! article by Martin Rogers:
"It was the greatest [Super Bowl] ever," Suggs told Yahoo! Sports. "It was everything you could ask for. If you are the champion, you're going to think it is the greatest no matter what.
But there were Super Bowls that were better played by both teams, from beginning to end. There were also very memorable Super Bowls with better, far more thrilling endings, and with more beautiful plays that will live on in football eternity. What was this Super Bowl most memorable for? A power dip that lasted thirty five or so minutes.
Every time we get a decent, competitive Super Bowl, some will suggest that it was the greatest Super Bowl of all time. But they can't all be the best, and to be frank, this one just cannot compete with some of the other, truly great Super Bowls that we have seen in the past.
A good Super Bowl, and one that was amazingly interesting, considering the Ravens held a 28-6 lead in the second half at one point? For sure. The best ever. Not even close.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl--greatest-super-bowl-ever--terrell-suggs-thinks-so-063439186.html
Super Bowl Losers
I know that 49ers fans will not want to read this part, but Super Bowl losers have not traditionally fared well after losing the big game. The only two team in my lifetime to have lost a Super Bowl, and then went back to win it relatively shortly thereafter, were the Dallas Cowboys (lost Super Bowl X, won Super Bowl XII two years later), and the Washington Redskins (lost Super Bowl XVIII, won Super Bowl XXII four seasons later - although it should be noted that they had also won Super Bowl XVII the year before they lost Super Bowl XVIII to the Raiders).
Going back earlier in Super Bowl history, there are more examples of teams that did lose the Super Bowl, then came back shortly thereafter to win it. The Kansas City Chiefs lost the first ever Super Bowl, but won Super Bowl IV. The Baltimore Colts lost a devastating Super Bowl, the biggest upset in history, to the Jets. But two seasons later, they beat the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys themselves came back to win the next Super Bowl after their loss to Baltimore. And the team that they beat to do it, the Miami Dolphins, not only overcame that horrible loss to the Cowboys, but they went undefeated to win the next Super Bowl in historic fashion, and it was the first of back-to-back titles for them.
So, it can be done. But it seems very difficult. So difficult, that it really has not been done in a very, very long time.
It's almost surprising, really. You think of some of the excellent teams that recently have lost Super Bowls, and that they never came back to win it again (at least not yet). The New England Patriots, who went undefeated in 2007, only to lose probably the most devastating Super Bowl loss in history. They almost won it last year, but lost another heartbreaker, and to the same team, again. The 2009 Colts, who almost won the Super Bowl. The 2010 Pittsburgh Steelers. All of those teams had won Super Bowls in recent years before that. Yet, the Super Bowl loss proved to be a death sentence to each of those teams, seemingly.
There must be something about coming so close, only to fall short.
But that said, I am not making any predictions that the 49ers won't break out of that funk. You have to go back a while, but as I stated before, there have been teams who lost the Super Bowl, and come back immediately the next season to not only go back to the Super Bowl, but to win it, too. San Francisco is young, and tremendously talented, and there's nothing saying that they cannot bounce back from this to reach the Super Bowl again, and perhaps win it, this time.
Obviously, the 49ers have their work cut out for them. It will be interesting to see whether they can overcome this to win the Super Bowl in the near future.
Time will tell.
Super Bowl Losers
I know that 49ers fans will not want to read this part, but Super Bowl losers have not traditionally fared well after losing the big game. The only two team in my lifetime to have lost a Super Bowl, and then went back to win it relatively shortly thereafter, were the Dallas Cowboys (lost Super Bowl X, won Super Bowl XII two years later), and the Washington Redskins (lost Super Bowl XVIII, won Super Bowl XXII four seasons later - although it should be noted that they had also won Super Bowl XVII the year before they lost Super Bowl XVIII to the Raiders).
Going back earlier in Super Bowl history, there are more examples of teams that did lose the Super Bowl, then came back shortly thereafter to win it. The Kansas City Chiefs lost the first ever Super Bowl, but won Super Bowl IV. The Baltimore Colts lost a devastating Super Bowl, the biggest upset in history, to the Jets. But two seasons later, they beat the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys themselves came back to win the next Super Bowl after their loss to Baltimore. And the team that they beat to do it, the Miami Dolphins, not only overcame that horrible loss to the Cowboys, but they went undefeated to win the next Super Bowl in historic fashion, and it was the first of back-to-back titles for them.
So, it can be done. But it seems very difficult. So difficult, that it really has not been done in a very, very long time.
It's almost surprising, really. You think of some of the excellent teams that recently have lost Super Bowls, and that they never came back to win it again (at least not yet). The New England Patriots, who went undefeated in 2007, only to lose probably the most devastating Super Bowl loss in history. They almost won it last year, but lost another heartbreaker, and to the same team, again. The 2009 Colts, who almost won the Super Bowl. The 2010 Pittsburgh Steelers. All of those teams had won Super Bowls in recent years before that. Yet, the Super Bowl loss proved to be a death sentence to each of those teams, seemingly.
There must be something about coming so close, only to fall short.
But that said, I am not making any predictions that the 49ers won't break out of that funk. You have to go back a while, but as I stated before, there have been teams who lost the Super Bowl, and come back immediately the next season to not only go back to the Super Bowl, but to win it, too. San Francisco is young, and tremendously talented, and there's nothing saying that they cannot bounce back from this to reach the Super Bowl again, and perhaps win it, this time.
Obviously, the 49ers have their work cut out for them. It will be interesting to see whether they can overcome this to win the Super Bowl in the near future.
Time will tell.
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