Remembering the San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl with such drama, the lights went out

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Friday marked the 10th anniversary of the San Francisco 49ers’ 34-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII, a game remembered as one of the most iconic in NFL history.

In the two weeks leading up to the game, there were a lot of stories about brother coaches Jim and John Harbaugh, as well as the final game of the career of legendary Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis.

A record 108-yard return from Jacoby Jones early in the second half gave Baltimore a 28–6 lead, but the game was called out for 34 minutes during the 49ers’ next run when half of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome lights went out. After the blackout, San Francisco scored 17 consecutive points starting with a 31-yard touchdown yard pass from Colin Kaepernick to Michael Crabtree and had a chance to tie with 9:57 remaining from Kaepernick’s 15-yard touchdown, but Kaepernick upset Randy Moss on a two-point conversion attempt .

The Ravens were leading 34–29 on Justin Tucker’s second field goal of the game, but the 49ers went into the red zone in the closing minutes. After a two-yard run by LaMichael James resulted in a second goal with two minutes left, offensive coordinator Greg Roman called three passes in a row, with Kaepernick unable to connect with Crabtree in any of them. Jimmy Smith and Corey Graham cut the pass on the third down and Kaepernick outplayed Crabtree for the fourth goal, with Crabtree and Jim Harbaugh claiming Smith’s hold to no avail.

Baltimore deliberately conceded a safety with four seconds left and Josh Bynes tackled Ted Ginn Jr. after hitting back as time expired, ending one of the most dramatic championship games in league history.

The 49ers have played in another Super Bowl since that fateful day, losing 31-20 in Kansas City’s Super Bowl LIV on February 2, 2020. served as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator for the past four seasons. He retired in January after averaging just 20.6 points per game.

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