S. Samuel
The Baltimore Ravens helped longtime veteran Ray Lewis go into retirement in style by defeating the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII Sunday (February 3) night in New Orleans.
Despite a strong Niners comeback late in the game, the Ravens were victorious in a hard fought match-up.
The Baltimore Ravens held off a furious second-half charge by the San Francisco 49ers en route to a 34-31 triumph in Super Bowl XLVII. It marked the Ravens’ first title since the 2000 season, when they defeated the New York Giants, 34-7. Coach John Harbaugh squeezed out a win over his younger brother, Jim Harbaugh, while the Ravens sent star linebacker Ray Lewis into retirement with another Super Bowl ring. The game wasn’t decided until 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sailed a pass incomplete toward Michael Crabtree on fourth-and-goal deep in Ravens’ territory. Jim Harbaugh was animated in his disgust with the call, pleading for a pass interference penalty. (Chicago Tribune)
The game suffered an extensive setback when power issues occured in the third quarter.
Lights in the New Orleans stadium’s upper tier went dark with the Baltimore Ravens leading the San Francisco 49ers 28-6, minutes after the Ravens’ Jacoby Jones ran back the kickoff that opened the second half a record 108 yards for a touchdown. About 10 minutes later, an announcement inside the Superdome indicated that the lights would be restored “momentarily.” A short time later, lights began coming back on incrementally. During the outage and the slow restoration of lights, players stayed on the field, talking to one another and stretching, waiting for play to resume. Spectators largely followed requests to remain in their seats. (CNN)
The game sparked endless reactions from hip-hop artists like Game.
“Dont get too excited. Here we come !!!! #49ers,” Game tweeted.
“F*ck.”
“Helluva game.” (Game’s Twitter)
Houston rapper Slim Thug congratulated a few key Ravens players.
“And the Ravens win the Super Bowl”
“Congrats to Ray Lewis”
“Congrats to Jacoby Jones” (Slim Thug’s Twitter)
Tennis superstar Serena Williams sent words of encouragement to Niners tight end Vernon Davis after the close loss.
“Next time @VernonDavis85 next time!,” she tweeted. (Serena Williams’ Twitter)
