Lights out: Ravens win electrifying Super Bowl

Joe Flacco threw three touchdowns and Jacoby Jones returned a kick 108 yards as the Baltimore Ravens held on to beat the San Francisco 49ers, 34-31, in a bizarre Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome Sunday night. Flacco finished 22-of-33 for 287 yards and three touchdowns in earning Super Bowl MVP honors.

Colin Kaepernick was on the verge of engineering the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history when it appeared the Ravens committed a blatant defensive holding by Jimmy Smith on Michael Crabtree in the end zone on fourth-and-goal from the Ravens 5 with just over a minute left. No call was made and the Ravens took possession at their 5 and killed off most of the clock.

The game ended when the Ravens took a safety on a punt with four seconds left, and then punted away to Ted Ginn. The 49ers specialist returned it 31 yards to midfield but was tackled as time ran out.

The game marked the first loss in six Super Bowls for the 49ers while the Ravens won for the second time in as many trips to the big game, winning Super Bowl XXXV in Tampa.

In a game that featured an electrifying halftime show by Beyonce and a 34-minute power outage minutes later in the third quarter, Kaepernick led his team from a 28-6 hole in the third quarter back to 31-29, passing for a score and running for another, as San Francisco scored 23 points in just over 12 minutes, cutting the deficit to 31-29, but the Niners could not convert the two-point conversion.

The Ravens jumped out to a 21-6 halftime lead thanks in large part to the sensational play of Flacco, as he threw three first half touchdowns. Ed Reed picked off Kaepernick and the Ravens gambled on fourth-and-9 but kicker Justin Tucker was tackled a yard short on a fake field goal. But on the next drive, Flacco hit Jones for a 56-yard touchdown pass, putting Baltimore up, 21-3.

Jacoby Jones opened the second half by taking the kick eight yards deep in the end zone and racing up the middle for the longest kickoff return in Super Bowl history.

Moments later, as San Francisco was facing third-and-13 in its own territory, the lights and power went out through most parts of the Superdome. The game was delayed 34 minutes as NFL officials and stadium administrators went into a frenzy trying to restore order and power.

Once the lights came back on, the Niners were forced to punt. But on their next drive, they began a furious comeback. Michael Crabtree caught a 31-yard TD pass. Frank Gore, who finished with 110 yards on 19 carried, ran around the right side for a six-yard score after a Ted Ginn punt return.

David Akers converted a field goal that cut the lead to 28-23. The Ravens added a field goal early in the fourth quarter, making it, 31-23. The Niners came down and scored on a Kaepernick 15-yard run. With a chance to tie the game, the Niners could not convert a two-point conversion. Reed appeared to be offsides on the corner blitz but no call was made and the Ravens held to a 31-29 lead.

After another Ravens field goal, Kaepernick got the ball back with a chance to win. The Niners drove to the Ravens 7. But with four chances, the Niners couldn’t punch it in.