NEW ORLEANS (WTVA/AP) - The Baltimore Ravens won their second Super Bowl in 12 years by holding off the favored San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl 47 at the New Orleans Superdome.
In the end, it was older brother John Harbaugh and his Baltimore Ravens who came out on top, hanging on for a win over Jim Harbaugh and his San Francisco 49ers. After the game, John Harbaugh said it was hard to compete against his brother.
The brothers met at midfield and John said, "I told him I loved him. He said, 'Congratulations.'"
Former Ole Miss Rebel Michael Oher and the Baltimore offensive line that helped the Ravens throw for 274 yards and rush for 93 more. Baltimore did give up two sacks.
Former Mississippi State Bulldog Pernell McPhee and the Ravens defense held the 49ers offense in check in the first half, and did not break in the second when San Francisco mounted a near-monumental comeback. McPhee did not register a tackle in the game.
On the losing end of the Super Bowl are former Rebel Patrick Willis and former Bulldog Anthony Dixon. Willis posted a game-high 10 tackles (8 solo) for the 49er defense while Anthony Dixon recorded a tackle playing special teams.
Joe Flacco tossed three touchdown passes in the first half as the Ravens opened a 21-6 halftime edge, including a 56-yarder to Jacoby Jones just before halftime. Jones opened the second half with an electrifying 109-yard touchdown record, the longest kickoff return in Super Bowl history.
Then a power outage delayed play for 35 minutes, which seemed to breathe life into the Niners. Trailing 28-6 when the power went out, San Francisco came to life with 17 points over a 4:14 stretch of the third quarter to make it 28-23.
After Baltimore took a 31-23 lead, the Niners scored a touchdown to cut it to 31-29. San Francisco's two-point conversion failed. Baltimore added a late field goal and then in the final seconds took an intentional safety to make the final margin 34-31.
Flacco was named the Super Bowl MVP. He went 22 of 33 for 287 yards and the three scores. He's the sixth QB in 47 Super Bowls to throw for that many TDs in a single half.
The unassuming guy who played his college football at Delaware finished Baltimore's four-game run to the title with 11 TD passes and zero interceptions. It was an impressive run that included road victories against two of the game's best QBs, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.
Colin Kaepernick got tripped up and tossed down, then still nearly led the greatest Super Bowl comeback in just his 10th career NFL start.
Rarely rattled on an impressive path to the Super Bowl, San Francisco's second-year quarterback finally showed some inexperience on football's big stage. Not to mention some guts.
After a remarkable postseason run - with those speedy legs - by the tattooed play-caller, the Baltimore Ravens exposed plenty of flaws in handing Kaepernick and Co. a 34-31 loss Sunday despite San Francisco's second-half rally.
No team has come from more than 10 points down to win a Super Bowl, and Kaepernick had a chance to make it happen less than three months after becoming San Francisco's starter.
Ray Lewis began his final night on the football field with a motivational speech to his teammates. Baltimore's standout middle linebacker ended it looking upward into a shower of silver streamers and purple confetti.
Lewis put a lovely bow on his 17th NFL season by earning his second Super Bowl ring - 12 years after the first.
Lewis was the MVP of the Super Bowl when Baltimore beat the Giants in 2001.
