The Blackout Bowl

Super Bowl XLVII will go down in history, as one of the most intriguing/bizarre games in SB history. Drama is an understatement for this game. Ray Lewis' career ended on a high, but often strange note. In the beginning, the Ravens brutalized the 49ers in the first half, 28-6. Baltimore's momentum was at a fever pitch, because of their motivation to play their heart out for their fearless leader #52. San Francisco came out flat during the first half. Then again, the first half itself felt pretty lethargic for me. The Ravens D held the Niners in a corner. The Blitz was very strong for the Ravens. However, things became even crazier during halftime. When Beyonce comes to perform, the stage is designed just like her face, and her performance has the usual pyrotechnics. That is only to cover up the worst Halftime Show of recent memory, and one of the worst in SB history. For a concert that was promoted more than the game, it completely bombed in every sense of the word. She was blasted all over Twitter, FB, and even Instagram for it. SpongeBob Squarepants put on a better show than that. It felt like pure torture. Now, after that debacle, let's get back to the game. Wait, it gets even more humiliating. The game was delayed, due to a power outage. There were plenty of theories as to how the power was lost:

1. Beyonce drained the power with her awful concert
2. Jay-Z pulled the plug backstage, because he was not on stage
3. Joe Montana pulled the plug, because when he won his last SB in New Orleans, the Niners won 55-10.(SB XXIV vs. Denver)

Talk about a major embarrassment for not only New Orleans, but the NFL itself. This was a major blackeye for the league. JB, Dan Marino, Coach Cowher, and the rest of the CBS crew killed time, by talking about the first half, and how the Ravens dominated. When the light finally came, the Niners came strong for a comeback, and destroyed Baltimore's steam. (Let There Be Light!) San Fran was grilling Baltimore numbers wise in this half. This game became a tale of two halves. San Francisco transformed into an entirely new team. The Niners Defense raised their game in the second half, and weapons like Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree caught key passes. However, the Niners were going too far with Crabtree, instead of throwing to Davis more. San Francisco should have used the opportunity to exploit the mismatch between Vernon Davis and Ray Lewis. The key would have been for Vernon Davis to torch Ray Lewis, with his speed combined with strength. Ray would have really looked like a senior citizen covering Davis. Veteran Wide Receiver Randy Moss caught some vital passes. He could have bailed Michael Crabtree out, when the ball bounced off of Crabtree's hands and came his way in the endzone. Sadly, the pass missed him. The Niners caused Ray Rice to fumble, only to not finish with a score. The Ravens were left standing on pins and needles. Unfortunately for San Fran, they could not close out that amazing comeback, and the Ravens capitalized on the mistakes that they made down the stretch. The Offensive Line was another great factor for the Ravens, because of how they protected Joe Flacco. Flacco was named SB MVP, (22/33, 287 yards, 3 TD's, 0 INT's). That is correct: ZERO!! When you have weapons like Anquan Boldin, Torrey Smith, and Jacoby Jones, it also makes you look that much better. Boldin was the primary option for Flacco. (6 Receptions, 104 yards, 1 TD) Towards the end, there was also a pass interference play that was not called. This caused Coach Jim Harbaugh to challenge the play, and run out of timeouts. Ultimately, it did not work. Not to diminish, but the officials were pretty slow on their calls during the game, especially when it pertains to penalizing the Ravens. This has been a trend for them during the playoffs lately. Just being honest. (Watch the Broncos-Ravens. That's another story)San Francisco has nothing to be ashamed of. Colin Kaepernick had a great game. (16/28, 302 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) Frank Gore had 19 carries, 110 yards, and 1 TD. Michael Crabtree-5 Receptions, 109 yards, 1 TD. Vernon Davis-6 Receptions, 104 yards. Davis and Boldin had identical games. The Ravens endzone defense, front seven, and experience saved the day for them. Ed Reed also made a crucial interception in this game as well. This will definitely be a lesson for San Francisco to learn from, and they will only become even stronger. Kaepernick simply needs to develop into a more polished passer. Vernon Davis will continue to become an even bigger force at the TE position. In the midst of the Ray Lewis phenomenon, the main veteran overshadowed in his quest for a ring was Randy Moss. Moss had been to the Super Bowl before with the New England Patriots. (SB XLII, loss to Giants) This could have been virtually his last chance, because no one is to sure of whether or not he will return. The Niners as a whole are on the rise to make a return to the mountaintop. Since this was the first Super Bowl loss in franchise history, the 49ers will become even hungrier and more focused than before. Now that it is all said and done, congratulations to Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and the Baltimore Ravens franchise. The legend went out with a bang! By the way, the blackout was the REAL game changer and MVP!

No BLACKOUT formed against the Ravens was able to prosper! Amen.