Super Bowl XLVII was an
American football
American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
game between the
American Football Conference (AFC) champion
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
and the
National Football Conference
The National Football Conference (NFC) is a conference of the National Football League (NFL), the highest level of professional American football in the United States. The NFC and its counterpart, the American Football Conference (AFC), each h ...
(NFC) champion
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...
to decide the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL) champion for the
2012 season. The Ravens defeated the 49ers 34–31, handing the 49ers their first
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...
loss in their franchise history. The game was played on Sunday, February 3, 2013, at the
Mercedes-Benz Superdome in
New Orleans
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
,
Louisiana
Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
. This was the seventh Super Bowl played in the Superdome, and the tenth to be played in New Orleans, equaling
Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
's record of ten in an individual city. This was the first Super Bowl to be held in New Orleans since
Super Bowl XXXVI and it was the first to be played there since
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...
struck the city in 2005.
For the first time in Super Bowl history, the game featured two brothers coaching against each other –
Jim and
John Harbaugh, head coaches of the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens, respectively – earning it the nickname Har-bowl.
Jim's son and John's nephew,
Jay Harbaugh, was also on the Ravens' coaching staff. Super Bowl XLVII was the first to feature two teams that had undefeated records in previous Super Bowl games (Baltimore, 1–0; San Francisco, 5–0). The 49ers, who posted a regular-season record of 11–4–1, entered the game seeking their sixth Super Bowl win in team history (and first since
Super Bowl XXIX at the end of the 1994 season), which would have tied the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
for the most by a franchise. The Ravens, who posted a 10–6 regular-season record, made their second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, having previously won
Super Bowl XXXV. Linebacker
Ray Lewis, the
Most Valuable Player (MVP) from that game, as well as the last remaining member of the
inaugural Ravens roster from 1996, also played in this game, his and 49ers wide receiver
Randy Moss' last before both retired from professional football.
Baltimore dominated the first half of the game, aided by quarterback
Joe Flacco's three touchdown passes that gave the Ravens a 21–3 lead before their lead was cut to 21–6 just before halftime; the Ravens immediately resumed scoring after
Jacoby Jones returned the second half kickoff a record 108 yards, increasing their lead to 28–6. However, a partial
power outage
A power outage, also called a blackout, a power failure, a power blackout, a power loss, a power cut, or a power out is the complete loss of the electrical power network supply to an end user.
There are many causes of power failures in an el ...
in the Superdome following the return suspended play for 34 minutes (earning the game the added nickname of the Blackout Bowl). After play resumed, San Francisco began to rally, scoring 17 unanswered third-quarter points to cut the Ravens' lead to 28–23. With the Ravens leading late in the game, 34–29, the 49ers drove down to the Baltimore 7-yard line just before the
two-minute warning
The two-minute warning is a suspension of play in an American football game that occurs when two minutes remain on the game clock in each half of a game, i.e., near the end of the second and fourth quarters, and overtime. Its effect on play is s ...
but turned the ball over on downs.
The Ravens then took an intentional
safety
Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...
in the waning moments of the game to preserve the victory. Flacco, who completed 22 of 33 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns, became the fourth consecutive quarterback to be named Super Bowl MVP, after
Drew Brees at Super Bowl XLIV,
Aaron Rodgers at Super Bowl XLV, and
Eli Manning at Super Bowl XLVI.
CBS broadcast the game in the United States, and charged an average of $4 million for a 30-second commercial during the game, the highest rate for any Super Bowl. According to
Nielsen, Super Bowl XLVII was viewed by an estimated average of 108.69 million people in the United States, with a record 164.1 million tuning into at least six minutes of the game.
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...
performed in the
Super Bowl XLVII halftime show, which featured a reunion with fellow
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final lineup comprised Beyoncé, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams (singer), Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Hou ...
alumni
Kelly Rowland and
Michelle Williams Michelle Williams or Michele Williams may refer to:
* Michelle Ann Williams (born circa 1965), American public health scholar
* Michelle Williams (singer) (born 1979), American singer, previously a member of Destiny's Child
* Michelle Williams (actr ...
.
Background
The game marked the first Super Bowl in which both of the teams had appeared, but had not yet lost a previous Super Bowl; the 49ers came into the game having won all five of their previous Super Bowl appearances, while the Ravens had won in their lone previous Super Bowl appearance in
Super Bowl XXXV against the
New York Giants. Currently, this phenomenon can only be repeated if either the Ravens or the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
play against either the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...
in a subsequent Super Bowl. Baltimore's victory made them the only current NFL franchise to have appeared in at least two Super Bowls without ever losing any of their appearances; this feat was later equaled by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Host-selection process

Three cities presented bids for the game:
*
New Orleans
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
, on behalf of
Mercedes-Benz Superdome
*
Glendale, Arizona, on behalf of
University of Phoenix Stadium
*
Miami Gardens, Florida
Miami Gardens is a city in north-central Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is a suburb of Miami and located north of Greater Downtown Miami, downtown Miami with city boundaries that stretch from Interstate 95 in Florida, I-95 and N ...
, on behalf of
Sun Life Stadium
The league then selected the New Orleans bid during the NFL's Spring Ownership Meetings in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...
on May 19, 2009.
This was the tenth time that the city has hosted the Super Bowl, by far the most by an individual city and once again tying with the
Miami area for the most Super Bowls hosted by a metropolitan area.
It was the first Super Bowl to be held in New Orleans since the Superdome
sustained damage from
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...
in 2005, as well as since the naming rights of the Superdome were sold to
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...
while it was undergoing a major renovation in 2011, including the addition of
Champions Square. New Orleans artist Ally Burguieres was selected to design the official medallion for Super Bowl XLVII, which was included on beads to commemorate the
Mardi Gras tradition.
Because of the February 3 date of Super Bowl XLVII, the 2013
Mardi Gras calendar in Orleans Parish was changed. Parades scheduled for February 3 and before were moved ahead one week. The same situation occurred in 2002 when the
9/11 attacks caused a one-week delay in the
2001 NFL season, resulting in the
Super Bowl XXXVI falling within the Mardi Gras parade calendar.

This was the 49ers' second Super Bowl played at the Superdome—the first being
Super Bowl XXIV when they beat the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
55–10. The 49ers, Broncos and
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
are the only teams so far to play two or more Super Bowls at the Superdome. The 49ers also joined the Broncos and the Colts in playing two Super Bowls at two stadiums. The 49ers won Super Bowls
XXIII and
XXIX in Miami at what is now known as
Hard Rock Stadium.
Nicknames
Super Bowl XLVII earned many nicknames, including the "Bro Bowl", "Har-Bowl", "HarBowl", "Super Baugh", "Brother Bowl", and "Superbro", as this was the first
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...
featuring brothers as opposing head coaches: Baltimore's
John Harbaugh and San Francisco's
Jim Harbaugh, whose clubs previously met in a 2011
Thanksgiving Day game, which John Harbaugh's Ravens won 16–6, which was also the first time that two brothers had met as rival head coaches in the NFL. Due to a
power outage
A power outage, also called a blackout, a power failure, a power blackout, a power loss, a power cut, or a power out is the complete loss of the electrical power network supply to an end user.
There are many causes of power failures in an el ...
affecting half the stadium during the third quarter,
the game has also become known as the "Blackout Bowl".
Teams
Baltimore Ravens
After going 12–4 and reaching the
AFC Championship Game in 2011, only to lose to the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
when wide receiver
Lee Evans dropped a game-winning catch in the end zone and
Billy Cundiff
William Ambrose Cundiff (born March 30, 1980) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Drake University, and was signed by ...
missed a potential game-tying 32-yard field goal, the Ravens advanced further in 2012 to the Super Bowl after recording a 10–6 regular season record.
Under head coach
John Harbaugh, who was in his fifth season with the team, Baltimore upgraded their roster with players such as defensive backs
Sean Considine
Seán Considine (born October 28, 1981) is an American former professional American football, football Safety (American football position), safety in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth rou ...
and
Corey Graham, and wide receiver
Jacoby Jones. In December 2012, the Ravens fired offensive coordinator
Cam Cameron and promoted quarterbacks coach
Jim Caldwell, who was previously the head coach of the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
from 2009 to 2011, as the successor. With personnel on both sides of the ball, they finished the season ranked 10th in points per game (24.9), and 12th in fewest points allowed (21.5)
In command of the offense was five-year veteran
Joe Flacco, who finished the season with a career-high 3,817 passing yards and 22 touchdowns, with only 10 interceptions. (Super Bowl XLVII would be one of only two years the AFC team's quarterback would ''not'' be either
Tom Brady,
Ben Roethlisberger or
Peyton Manning between Super Bowls
XXXVI and
LIII; the other was
Super Bowl XXXVII ten years prior, when the
2002 Oakland Raiders were helmed by
Rich Gannon.) His top targets were receivers
Anquan Boldin (65 receptions, 921 yards, 4 touchdowns) and
Torrey Smith (49 receptions, 855 yards, 8 touchdowns), along with tight end
Dennis Pitta (61 receptions, 669 yards, 7 touchdowns). Their backfield featured two
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players.
The format has changed ...
selections: halfback
Ray Rice and fullback
Vonta Leach. Rice rushed for 1,143 yards and 9 touchdowns, while also hauling in 61 receptions for 478 yards and another score. Leach served effectively as his lead blocker and a receiver out of the backfield, catching 21 passes. The Ravens' offensive line was led by Pro Bowl guard
Marshal Yanda, and 14-year veteran center
Matt Birk.
On special teams, Jones returned 38 kickoffs for 1,116 yards and two touchdowns, giving him a whopping 30.7 yards per return average. He also gained 341 yards and another touchdown returning punts, and caught 30 passes for 406 yards and a score. Rookie kicker
Justin Tucker ranked 7th in the NFL in field goal percentage (90.9), kicking 30/33 field goals and making all 42 of his extra point attempts.
Baltimore's defensive line was anchored by Pro Bowl defensive end
Haloti Ngata, who compiled 51 tackles and 5 sacks, along with defensive tackle
Arthur Jones (47 tackles, 4.5 sacks). The Ravens also had an excellent set of linebackers, such as
Paul Kruger,
Dannell Ellerbe,
Jameel McClain,
Terrell Suggs, and
Ray Lewis. Kruger led the team in sacks with 9, while Ellerbe added 92 tackles and 4.5 sacks. McClain had 79 tackles. Suggs, a ten-year veteran and five-time Pro Bowl selection, who had missed the first half of the regular season with a partially torn
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...
, made a speedy recovery and was key in the Ravens' win over the Broncos in the divisional round of the playoffs with 2 sacks on Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. Lewis, a 17-year veteran and 13-time Pro Bowl selection, had missed most of the season with an arm injury, but still managed to rack up 57 tackles in just 6 games. Then shortly before returning for the playoffs, he announced his plans to retire after the postseason, and promptly went on to amass 44 tackles in Baltimore's four playoff games.
The Ravens secondary featured Pro Bowl safety
Ed Reed, the NFL's all-time leader in interception return yardage. Reed had another statistically successful season in 2012, recording 58 tackles and 4 interceptions. Cornerback
Cary Williams was also a big contributor with 4 interceptions and 75 tackles.
The team dedicated their 2012 season to former owner and founder
Art Modell, who died on September 6, 2012, four days before the first regular season game.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers had recently emerged as a dominant team after nearly a decade of ineptitude. During the 1980s and 1990s, they had been one of the NFL top contenders, playing in ten conference championship games and winning five Super Bowls. After a strong 2002 season, San Francisco went into a dismal slump in which they failed to make the playoffs for eight consecutive seasons. Following the end of the 2010 season, the 49ers hired
Jim Harbaugh as their head coach. Harbaugh, who played 14 years in the NFL, joined the team after an impressive 12–1 season as the coach of
Stanford, and in his first season with San Francisco he managed to turn their fortunes around, aided by breakout seasons from quarterback
Alex Smith and receiver
Michael Crabtree.
Smith entered the 2012 season as the starting quarterback, but missed two starts mid-season after suffering a concussion, and second-year backup
Colin Kaepernick successfully filled in.
A quarterback controversy then began because Smith was ranked third in the NFL in passer rating (104.1), led the league in completion percentage (70%), and had been 19–5–1 as a starter under Harbaugh, while Kaepernick was considered more dynamic with his scrambling ability and arm strength. After Smith was fully recovered, Harbaugh chose Kaepernick as the starter for the 8–2–1 49ers, but also stated that the assignment was week-to-week and not necessarily permanent. Kaepernick ended up being the starter for the rest of the season and led the team to an 11–4–1 record, throwing for 1,814 yards and 10 touchdowns, with just 3 interceptions and a 98.4 passer rating, while also rushing for 415 yards and 5 touchdowns.
San Francisco's top receiver was Crabtree, who caught 85 passes for a career-high 1,105 yards and 9 touchdowns. Other key contributors to the passing game included tight end
Vernon Davis (41 receptions for 538 yards and 5 touchdowns) along with offseason acquired receivers
Mario Manningham and
Randy Moss. Manningham had been signed away from the defending Super Bowl champion
New York Giants, while Moss, the NFL's second all-time leader in receiving yards, had been signed out of retirement after missing the previous season. The 49ers' backfield featured Pro Bowl running back
Frank Gore, who rushed for 1,214 yards and 8 touchdowns, while also catching 28 passes for 234 yards and another score. The team also had a strong offensive line with two Pro Bowl linemen, left tackle
Joe Staley and left guard
Mike Iupati.
On special teams, punter
Andy Lee Andy Lee may refer to:
__NOTOC__ Sportspeople
* Andy Lee (American football) (born 1982), American football punter
* Andy Lee (boxer) (born 1984), Irish boxer
* Andy Lee (footballer, born 1982), English footballer for Bradford City
* Andy Lee (footb ...
led the NFL in net yards per punt (43.2) and ranked 5th in gross yards per punt (48.1). He planted 36 punts inside the 20-yard line with just 5 touchbacks. Kicker
David Akers
David Roy Akers (; born December 9, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was a kicker in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. He began his career in 1998 with the Wa ...
had a relatively bad year overall, converting only 69 percent of his field goal attempts, but in the week 1 contest against the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
tied the NFL record for the longest
field goal with a successful 63-yard attempt. Receiver
Ted Ginn Jr. returned 32 punts for 326 yards and 11 kickoffs for 253.
The 49ers' strongest unit was their defense, which ranked 2nd in fewest points allowed per game (17.1) and sent 6 of their 11 starters to the Pro Bowl. Pro Bowl defensive end
Justin Smith led the line with 66 tackles and 3 sacks. Behind him, all four of the team's starting linebackers—
Aldon Smith,
NaVorro Bowman,
Patrick Willis and
Ahmad Brooks—were named to the
2012 All-Pro Team, and all but Brooks made the Pro Bowl. Aldon Smith set a franchise record with 19.5 sacks, more than the rest of the team had combined. Willis ranked second on the team with 120 tackles and picked off two passes, while Bowman's 149 tackles were second most in the NFL. The 49ers secondary featured Pro Bowl safeties
Dashon Goldson and
Donte Whitner.
Playoffs
The Ravens finished the season as the AFC North champion and the number-4 seed in the AFC. The Ravens began their playoff run at home against the number-5 seed
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
in the wild-card round in what would turn out to be Ray Lewis's final career home game. The Ravens defeated the Colts 24–9, with Flacco throwing for 288 yards and two touchdowns, while their defense held the Colts to just 9 points, 13 below their regular season average.
In the divisional round, the Ravens would face the top-seeded
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
, who came into the game with an 11-game winning streak. The Ravens fell behind late in the game, but with less than a minute left on the clock, Flacco's 70-yard touchdown pass to
Jacoby Jones sent the game into overtime, a play that is known as the
Mile High Miracle. An interception by
Corey Graham from
Peyton Manning late in the first overtime period set up Tucker's 47-yard field goal to win the game 1:42 into double overtime.
Finally, the Ravens advanced to the Super Bowl by overcoming a 13–7 halftime deficit and then beating the second-seeded
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
in the AFC Championship Game 28–13, avenging the Ravens' loss against the Patriots in the 2011 AFC Championship Game, forcing three turnovers total, intercepting two of
Tom Brady's passes, and keeping the Patriots scoreless in the second half. By winning the game, the Ravens handed Brady his first (and only) AFC Championship Game loss at home.
As the NFC West champion and the number 2 seed in the NFC, the 49ers earned a first-round bye. The 49ers started their playoff run against the number 3 seed
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
in the divisional round. Jim Harbaugh's decision to start Kaepernick for the playoffs came into immediate question when he threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown by
Sam Shields on their opening drive, but this turned out to be the only miscue he would make for the rest of the game, as well as the only interception he would throw until the Super Bowl. By the end of the game, Kaepernick racked up 444 total yards (more than the entire Packers team), including 181 rushing yards, the NFL single game record for rushing yards by a quarterback, as the 49ers went on to win 45–31.
The 49ers then faced the top-seeded
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...
in the NFC Championship Game, where they quickly fell behind 17–0 in the first half. No team in NFC Championship Game history had ever overcome a deficit that large, but the 49ers proved up to the challenge, cutting the score to 24–21 going into the final quarter. Late in the game, the 49ers' comeback hopes suffered a setback when Crabtree lost a fumble on the 1-yard line as he was going in for the leading score. However, the 49ers defense forced a punt, and
Ted Ginn Jr.'s 20-yard return set up a touchdown run by Gore. The 49ers defense then held firm, forcing a turnover on downs at their 10-yard line to secure the victory.
Pregame notes
This was the first Super Bowl since
Super Bowl XXXVII ten years prior that did not feature the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
,
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
, or the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
as the AFC representatives, and the only Super Bowl between 2003 and 2019 not to feature
Tom Brady,
Ben Roethlisberger or
Peyton Manning. Baltimore defeated the Colts and Patriots during the playoffs while the Steelers failed to make the playoffs. By contrast, the NFC had a different member go to the Super Bowl almost every year during that same span, with the
New York Giants (who won Super Bowls
XLII and
XLVI) being the only NFC team to make two appearances during that span. With the 49ers making their first Super Bowl appearance since
Super Bowl XXIX
Super Bowl XXIX was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion San Diego Chargers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...
, this left the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
(last appeared in
Super Bowl XXX),
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
(never appeared in a Super Bowl),
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
(last appeared in
Super Bowl XI
Super Bowl XI was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 1976 Oakland Raiders season, Oakland Raiders and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 1976 Minnesota Vikings season, Minnesota Vikings ...
) and
Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division ...
(last appeared in
Super Bowl XXVI
Super Bowl XXVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion f ...
as the Washington Redskins) as the only NFC teams not to play in a Super Bowl since 1998; the Cowboys are the only one of those four franchises that have not reached the
NFC Championship Game
The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semifinal National Football League playoffs, playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional Ame ...
since then.
This was the sixth time in seven seasons in which one of the participants advanced to the Super Bowl after not having a first-round bye in the Wild Card playoffs, and was the last time to occur under the twelve team playoff structure.
The 49ers attempted to follow the
2012 World Series championship victory of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
's
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
. The last time a metropolitan area won the
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
and Super Bowl in the same season was when the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
won the
2004 World Series followed by the Patriots winning
Super Bowl XXXIX (and the Patriots won
Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2003 Carolina Panthers season, Carolina Panthers and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2003 New England Patriots season, New E ...
earlier in 2004).
As the 49ers – who were attempting to join the
New York Giants and
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
as the only teams to win a
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...
in three decades – were the
designated home team in the annual rotation between AFC and NFC teams, San Francisco elected to wear their red jerseys, which they wore in Super Bowls
XIX,
XXIII, and XXIX (wearing an alternate throwback red jersey with three-dimensional numerals in XXIX), and gold pants (worn in their first four Super Bowl appearances) for the first time since
Super Bowl XXIV (having worn white pants in XXIX along with the aforementioned throwback jerseys). The Ravens wore white jerseys as they did in
Super Bowl XXXV, but with black-colored pants this time instead of white. Due to the Ravens having their Art Modell memorial patch on the left side of their jerseys, the team wore their Super Bowl XLVII patch on the right side.
Much of the pregame media hype centered around the Harbaugh brothers, and how their father
Jack, a former college football head coach, raised them. On January 24, Jack, along with his wife Jackie and daughter Joani, conducted a media conference call, answering questions about John and Jim. Jackie jokingly asked if the game could end in a tie, before stating that the family was staying neutral but remain excited that both John and Jim brought their respective teams to the Super Bowl. The Harbaugh brothers then conducted a joint press conference on the Friday before the game, which is unusual for opposing Super Bowl coaches, but it was done because of the historic nature of the game.
Broadcasting
Television
United States
The game was carried by
CBS in the United States, with
Jim Nantz calling
play-by-play and
Phil Simms as
color analyst.
Steve Tasker and
Solomon Wilcots served as
sideline reporters. The pregame show, ''
The Super Bowl Today'', was hosted by
James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...
and featuring analysts
Dan Marino,
Boomer Esiason,
Shannon Sharpe and
Bill Cowher.
A special episode of ''
Elementary'' would be the
lead-out program of this Super Bowl.
The game was later featured as one of the ''NFL's Greatest Games'' under the title "Change of Momentum".
Advertising
According to CBS, the price of a 30-second
advertisement
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a Product (business), product or Service (economics), service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of int ...
hit a record high
US $4,000,000.
General Motors
General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...
announced it would not advertise on the game, citing the advertising costs.
Adbowl had a special theme this year for the Super Bowl, called "Catbowl 2013", which pitted the best commercials by votes with cat videos to see which one is more popular.
The advertisers for Super Bowl XLVII included
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...
,
Gildan,
Samsung
Samsung Group (; stylised as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational manufacturing Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in the Samsung Town office complex in Seoul. The group consists of numerous a ...
,
BlackBerry
BlackBerry is a discontinued brand of handheld devices and related mobile services, originally developed and maintained by the Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM, later known as BlackBerry Limited) until 2016. The first BlackBerry device ...
,
Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods Group, Inc. was an American food manufacturing and processing conglomerate (company), conglomerate, split from Kraft Foods Inc. on October 1, 2012, and was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It became part of Kraft Heinz on July ...
,
Subway,
Taco Bell
Taco Bell Corp. is an American multinational chain of fast food restaurants founded in 1962 by Glen Bell (1923–2010) in Downey, California. Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican-inspired ...
,
Procter & Gamble
The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/con ...
,
Best Buy,
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...
,
Sodastream,
PepsiCo
PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase, New York, Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the f ...
(including entries in the
Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest),
Axe,
Audi
Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide.
The origins of the compa ...
,
Kia Motors
Kia Corporation (, formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry (京城精密工業) and Kia Motors Corporation) is a South Korean multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, ...
,
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...
,
Wonderful Pistachios,
GoDaddy
GoDaddy Inc. is an American publicly traded Internet Domain name registry, domain registry, Domain name registrar, domain registrar and web hosting company headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, and incorporated in Delaware. GoDaddy is the world's fif ...
, and perpetual Super Bowl advertiser
Anheuser-Busch.
Ram Trucks and the
Future Farmers of America ran a two-minute commercial based on the
Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey Aurandt (September 4, 1918 – February 28, 2009) was an American radio broadcaster for ABC News Radio. He broadcast ''News and Comment'' on mornings and mid-days on weekdays and at noon on Saturdays and also his famous ''The Rest o ...
speech "
So God Made a Farmer." Movie studios
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
,
Universal Studios and
Walt Disney Studios paying for movie trailers to be aired during the Super Bowl. With Paramount paying for ''
Star Trek Into Darkness'' and ''
World War Z'', Universal paying for the debut trailer for ''
Fast & Furious 6
''Fast & Furious 6'' (titled onscreen as ''Furious 6'') is a 2013 action film directed by Justin Lin and written by Chris Morgan. It is the sequel to ''Fast Five'' (2011) and the sixth installment in the '' Fast & Furious'' franchise. The fil ...
'' that followed ''
Monsters vs. Aliens footsteps and Disney paying for ''
Iron Man 3
''Iron Man 3'' is a 2013 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to ''Iron Man (2008 film), Iron Man'' (2008) an ...
'', ''
The Lone Ranger'' and ''
Oz the Great and Powerful''.
International
An international feed designed for areas less familiar with American football was produced by
NFL Network, with
Bob Papa (the regular-season voice of the
New York Giants) calling play-by-play and
Joe Theismann as color analyst. The NFL claimed that this feed would go to 180 countries.
*:
Network Ten
Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's Paramount Networks UK & Australia, UK & Australia division and is o ...
/
One,
ESPN
ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
on
Foxtel
NXE Australia Pty Ltd, trading as the Foxtel Group, is an Australian pay television company that operates cable television, direct-broadcast satellite, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April ...
. All used CBS commentary and feed
*:
Puls 4.
*:
TV Esporte Interativo and
ESPN
ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
.
*:
CTV simulcast CBS' coverage in Canada, with
simultaneous substitution
Simultaneous substitution (also known as simsubbing or signal substitution) is a practice mandated by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) requiring pay television, broadcast distribution undertakings (BDUs) in ...
expected to be invoked. The CTV coverage was simulcast online within Canada by
TSN.ca, and in French on
RDS.
*:
Shanghai Media Group controls broadcast rights to the game.
[Sirius XM: Super Bowl broadcasters]
Retrieved February 2, 2013.
*:
Sport 1.
*:
TV3+.
*:
Nelonen Pro 1 with Finnish commentary and
Nelonen Pro 2 with English commentary.
*:
W9 and
BeIN Sport
beIN Sports ( ) is a Qatari multinational network of sports channels owned and operated by the media group beIN. The network has played a major role in the increased commercialization of Qatari sports. Its chairman is Nasser Al-Khelaifi, and it ...
.
*: ESPN America,
Sat.1 and
Sport1
*:
Sport 1.
*:
STAR Sports and
ESPN India.
*:
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
and
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is a group of British broadcasting of sports events, subscription sports channels operated by the satellite television, satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television ...
.
*:
Sport 5
*:
Sportitalia 2
*:
NHK
, also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee.
NHK ope ...
*:
Azteca 7,
Canal 5 and
ESPN
ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
.
*:
Viasat 4
TV3+ Norway (formerly V4, Viasat4, ZTV Norway and Viasat Plus) is a television channel broadcasting to Norway owned by the Viaplay Group. The channel was launched on 8. September 2007 replacing ZTV Norway on cable, satellite and terrestrial in pr ...
,
Viasat Sport.
*:
Fox Sports Asia and
Solar Sports
Solar Sports is a Philippines, Philippine Digital television, digital free-to-air television network based in Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong, Philippines. It serves as the flagship network of Southern Broadcasting Network, a subsidiary of Solar En ...
. Both used the
NFL Network feed.
*:
Polsat Sport, ESPN America.
*:
Sport TV.
*:
Sport 1.
*:
NTV Plus.
*:
ESPN America.
*:
TV10.
*:
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
and
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is a group of British broadcasting of sports events, subscription sports channels operated by the satellite television, satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television ...
.
Streaming
For the second consecutive year, a
webcast of the broadcast was provided, this time on
CBSSports.com.
Radio
In the United States, the game was carried nationwide over the
Dial Global radio network, with
Kevin Harlan as play-by-play announcer,
Boomer Esiason as color analyst, and
James Lofton and
Mark Malone as sideline reporters.
Univision Radio broadcast the game in Spanish.
Each team's
flagship station also carried the game:
WIYY and
WBAL broadcast the game in Baltimore, with
Gerry Sandusky on play-by-play and
Stan White and
Qadry Ismail on color commentary. In San Francisco, the game was broadcast on
KSAN-FM and
KNBR, with
Ted Robinson on play-by-play,
Eric Davis on color commentary, and Rod Brooks reporting from the sidelines. Both WBAL and KNBR are
clear-channel stations, which allowed the local commentaries to be heard throughout the Eastern and Western United States, respectively. Per contractual rules, the rest of the stations in the 49ers' and Ravens' radio networks carried the Dial Global feed.
Internationally, the game was carried on radio as follows:
*:
TSN Radio (Dial Global simulcast)
*:
BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra
Sirius XM Radio and
NFL Audio Pass carried the local, Dial Global, and select international audio feeds.
[
]
Entertainment
Pregame
On January 18, 2013, the league announced that Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After d ...
would sing the national anthem. Keys stated that she would not perform the song traditionally and instead would perform it as if it were "a brand-new song."
Singer Jennifer Hudson and a chorus of several students from Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, performed " America the Beautiful" as a tribute to the 26 students and staff who were murdered at the school the previous year.
There was also a pregame performance by the world-renowned “ Human Jukebox” from Southern University.
The coin toss ceremony featured the recent inductees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...
: Larry Allen, Cris Carter, Curley Culp, Warren Sapp, Bill Parcells, Jonathan Ogden, and Dave Robinson.
Halftime
On October 16, 2012, Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...
was chosen as the headline performer for the Super Bowl halftime show, with a reunited Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final lineup comprised Beyoncé, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams (singer), Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Hou ...
also appearing as part of the show.
Despite initial reports that mentioned Beyoncé's husband, Jay Z, was a potential collaborator on the show, he did not make an appearance.
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...
's performance had an estimated 104 million viewers.
Game summary
First quarter
San Francisco was hurt by penalties and turnovers early in the game as the Ravens built a 21–6 first-half lead. On their first play of the opening drive, tight end Vernon Davis's 20-yard reception was called back by an illegal formation penalty. The 49ers ended up punting after three more plays, and wide receiver Jacoby Jones returned the ball 17 yards to the Baltimore 49-yard line. The Ravens then drove 51 yards in six plays, which included a 20-yard pass from quarterback Joe Flacco to wide receiver Torrey Smith, and ended with Flacco's 13-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Anquan Boldin. Flacco had previously thrown a third-down incompletion, but an offsides penalty against linebacker Ahmad Brooks gave him a second chance.
The 49ers responded on their next possession, moving the ball 62 yards in a 12-play drive, with quarterback Colin Kaepernick completing a 19-yard pass to wide receiver Michael Crabtree and a 24-yarder to Davis. Kicker David Akers
David Roy Akers (; born December 9, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was a kicker in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. He began his career in 1998 with the Wa ...
finished the drive with a 36-yard field goal to cut the 49ers' deficit to 7–3. The Ravens responded with a drive to the San Francisco 37-yard line, featuring a 30-yard catch by Boldin, but had to punt after Flacco was sacked on third down for a 5-yard loss by defensive end Ray McDonald, pushing Baltimore out of field goal range.
Second quarter
On the 49ers' next drive, Kaepernick completed back-to-back passes to Davis for 29 and 11 yards to reach the Baltimore 24, but three plays later, safety Corey Graham held up running back LaMichael James, allowing linebacker Courtney Upshaw to knock the ball loose, with defensive end Arthur Jones recovering the fumble on the 25-yard line. Baltimore then drove 75 yards in 10 plays; 41 of those yards came from 23-and-14-yard completions from Flacco to tight end Ed Dickson, the rest followed by a face-mask penalty on safety Donte Whitner. Tight end Dennis Pitta caught a 1-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the drive, increasing the Ravens' lead to 14–3.
On the first play of the 49ers' next drive, safety Ed Reed intercepted a pass by Kaepernick and returned the ball 6 yards to the San Francisco 38-yard line. This was the first interception thrown by the 49ers in any of their six Super Bowl appearances. Unnecessary roughness penalties were called after the play on players from both teams, so the penalties offset. Baltimore reached the 14-yard line on their ensuing possession, but on 4th-and-9, kicker Justin Tucker was stopped 1 yard short of a first down while running the ball on a fake 32-yard field goal attempt, turning the ball over on downs. It was the first fake field goal attempt in Super Bowl history.
San Francisco was forced to a three-and-out on their next drive. Jones muffed the punt, but recovered the ball and returned it 11 yards to his own 44-yard line. After Flacco's first two passes fell incomplete, Jones made a falling catch deep down the field, then got back up and eluded defensive backs Chris Culliver and Dashon Goldson en route to a 56-yard touchdown reception, increasing Baltimore's lead to 21–3 with less than two minutes to go in the half. On the second play of San Francisco's next drive, tight end Delanie Walker caught a 14-yard pass from Kaepernick, which was extended by a 15-yard roughing-the-passer penalty against defensive tackle Haloti Ngata. After an incomplete first down attempt, Walker received another 28-yard pass, putting the 49ers on the Baltimore 17-yard line. San Francisco reached the 9-yard line, but were unable to convert on three plays. On the last play of the half, Akers kicked his second field goal, a 27-yarder, to cut their deficit to 21–6.
Third quarter
On the second-half kickoff, Jones fielded the kick and promptly returned it 108 yards for the longest play in Super Bowl history. It broke the previous 104-yard record for the longest kickoff return in the playoffs (set by Trindon Holliday of the Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
in the divisional playoff game earlier that year against the Ravens), and it tied an NFL record already held by Jones and shared with Ellis Hobbs and Randall Cobb for the longest kickoff return. The immediate score gave Baltimore a 28–6 lead.
Three plays into the 49ers' next drive, a power outage
A power outage, also called a blackout, a power failure, a power blackout, a power loss, a power cut, or a power out is the complete loss of the electrical power network supply to an end user.
There are many causes of power failures in an el ...
caused the lights to go out in half of the stadium, stopping play for 34 minutes. The outage was caused by equipment failure near the stadium.
After play resumed, both teams exchanged punts, and the 49ers began to get some momentum going throughout the rest of the quarter. They drove 80 yards in seven plays, with Kaepernick rushing twice for 20 total yards and completing an 18-yard pass to Davis before finishing the drive with a pass to Crabtree, who subsequently broke tackles by defensive backs Cary Williams and Bernard Pollard on the way to a 31-yard touchdown reception, cutting San Francisco's deficit to 28–13. Then the Ravens were forced to punt from their own 9-yard line following Brooks' 8-yard sack on Flacco on third down, and wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. returned the ball 32 yards to the Baltimore 20 before being forced out of bounds by punter Sam Koch. Kaepernick completed a 14-yard pass to Davis on the next play, and running back Frank Gore followed it up with a 6-yard touchdown run, cutting the 49ers' deficit to one possession at 28–20.
On the second play of the Ravens' next drive, they committed their only non-downs turnover when cornerback Tarell Brown forced and recovered a fumble from running back Ray Rice on the Baltimore 25-yard line. Four plays later, Akers missed a 39-yard field goal attempt wide left, but Baltimore cornerback Chykie Brown was penalized for running into the kicker, and Akers' second attempt was good from 34 yards, trimming the score to 28–23.
Fourth quarter
The Ravens responded on their ensuing possession, moving the ball 71 yards and advancing to the San Francisco 1-yard line, with Boldin catching two passes for 39 yards. But they were unable to reach the end zone and settled for Tucker's 19-yard field goal to put them back up by eight points, 31–23. San Francisco stormed back, advancing 76 yards in just five plays. Following a 32-yard reception by wide receiver Randy Moss (the final catch of his career) and a 21-yard burst by Gore, Kaepernick took the ball into the end zone on a 15-yard run, the longest touchdown run by a quarterback in Super Bowl history. However, the 49ers were unable to tie the game on the two-point conversion attempt when Kaepernick's pass sailed high over Moss' head, so the score remained 31–29 in favor of Baltimore.
On the Ravens' ensuing drive, Boldin caught two passes for 22 yards and Rice rushed for 11 yards as the team moved the ball 55 yards and scored on Tucker's 38-yard field goal, increasing their lead to 34–29 with 4:19 left in the game. The 49ers used up their second timeout on their next drive, but managed to set up 1st-and-goal on the Baltimore 7-yard line following a 24-yard catch by Crabtree and a 33-yard run by Gore.
With four chances to take the lead, San Francisco started out with a 2-yard run by James to the 5-yard line. After the two-minute warning, Kaepernick threw two incompletions, bringing up fourth down. What followed was one of the more controversial plays of the game. On their last chance, Kaepernick tried to throw the ball to Crabtree in the end zone, but a rush by linebacker Dannell Ellerbe caused Kaepernick to throw the ball high over Crabtree's head and the pass fell incomplete. Cornerback Jimmy Smith made contact with Crabtree in the end zone prior to the ball arriving, but no penalty was called and the 49ers turned the ball over on downs with 1:46 left in the game.
San Francisco managed to force a three-and-out on Baltimore's next drive, but as the 49ers only had one timeout remaining, the Ravens were able to run the clock down to 12 seconds. On fourth down, and after the Ravens called a timeout of their own, Koch fielded the snap in his own end zone. In an effort to kill as much of the 12 remaining seconds on the clock, Koch was instructed not to punt the ball but rather hang on to it and scramble around in the end zone for as long as he could. Koch was able to scramble for eight seconds before he was chased out of the side of the end zone by Culliver for an intentional safety
Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...
, cutting the lead to 34–31 with just four seconds remaining and giving the 49ers one more chance for a game-winning play. On the ensuing free kick, Ginn returned the ball 31 yards, but was tackled at midfield by linebacker Josh Bynes as time expired.
Power outage
Play was interrupted for 34 minutes because of a 22-minute partial power outage. The power failed with 13:22 remaining in the third quarter with the Ravens leading 28–6. Emergency generators provided backup lighting. The New Orleans Fire Department rescued people from elevator seven, but other elevators were brought to the ground uneventfully. Attendees used double the usual amount of data for their cell phones. AT&T
AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...
reported 78 gigabytes (GB) downloaded from 8 to 9 PM, about double from the peak the year before. NFL chief security officer Jeffrey Miller attributed fans' calmness to their preoccupation with their electronics.
SMG, the Superdome's management company, had recently upgraded electrical systems at the facility. In an October 15, 2012, memo, Louisiana officials expressed concern that the equipment bringing electricity into the stadium from utility company Entergy had a "chance of failure". Authorities subsequently spent nearly $1 million on upgrades to the stadium, more than half of that paid to Allstar Electric to upgrade electrical feeder cables.
Entergy and SMG both said the problem was in interconnection equipment, and SMG hired a third party to investigate. Investigations homed in on a newly installed switchgear
In an electric power system, a switchgear is composed of electrical disconnect switches, fuses or circuit breakers used to control, protect and isolate electrical equipment. Switchgear is used both to de-energize equipment to allow work to ...
. Entergy installed a pair of relays made by Rogers Park's S&C Electric Company of Rogers Park, Chicago to ensure continued power supply in case one supply line failed. One of those relays tripped. Subsequent tests showed one of the relays functioned properly and the other did not. S&C Electric Co. claims the relay's trip setting was too low, but Entergy claims that the two were set identically.
Electricity usage during the game was on par with a regular New Orleans Saints game. The halftime show was powered by a generator that did not impact the stadium's power.
CBS-TV viewers were shown the half-lit Superdome interior. The main broadcast booth was off line; sideline reporter Steve Tasker informed the audience that "a click of the lights" had occurred and play had been halted. Ray Lewis later stated in an interview that he believed the blackout was part of a conspiracy, saying: "You're a zillion-dollar company and your lights go out? No. No way." 49ers CEO Jed York responded to the claim on Twitter in jest, tweeting: "There is no conspiracy. I pulled the plug."
Box score
Statistical overview
The teams combined for a Super Bowl–record 312 kickoff return yards.[ The Ravens scored the same number of points (34) in both of their Super Bowl appearances. Meanwhile, the 49ers became just the second team to lose the Super Bowl while scoring more than 30 points] (joining the Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
in Super Bowl XIII
Super Bowl XIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 1978 Dallas Cowboys season, Dallas Cow ...
; the New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
would join this list in Super Bowl LII, and so would Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
in Super Bowl LVII).
For the Ravens, Anquan Boldin was the leading receiver with 6 receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown. Paul Kruger had three tackles and two sacks, while Ed Reed had five tackles and an interception. Reed's interception gave him 9 career postseason picks, tying the NFL record. Dannell Ellerbe had nine tackles, while Ray Lewis had seven tackles in the final game of his 17-season career.
Baltimore's Jacoby Jones returned 5 kickoffs for 208 yards and a touchdown, two punts for 28 yards, and caught a 56-yard touchdown pass. He tied an NFL league record and set a Super Bowl record for longest kickoff return in a Super Bowl with a 108-yard return to open up the second half. Jones also set or tied the following records: the record for most combined yards in a Super Bowl game with 290, tied the record for most touchdown plays of 50 yards or more, with 2 and became the first player to score a receiving touchdown and return touchdown in a Super Bowl.
For San Francisco, Colin Kaepernick completed 16 of 28 passes for 302 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 62 yards and another score, but had 1 interception. His 62 rushing yards were the second highest total by a quarterback in the Super Bowl, behind Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...
quarterback Steve McNair's record of 64 in Super Bowl XXXIV. Kaepernick also set a Super Bowl record for the longest rushing touchdown from a quarterback for his 15-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. This beat the previous 6-yard record held by the 49ers' Joe Montana achieved in Super Bowl XIX.
Frank Gore rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown. Michael Crabtree caught 5 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown, while Davis caught 6 passes for 104 yards. His 104 receiving yards tied Dan Ross's record for the most ever by a tight end in a Super Bowl.[ Patrick Willis was the top tackler of the game with 10, while Brooks had five tackles and a sack.
Because of the power outage in the third quarter, the game set a Super Bowl record long running time of 4 hours and 14 minutes. During the presentation of the Vince Lombardi Trophy, Hall of Fame defensive end Richard Dent brought the trophy to the stage. ]Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
announced that a record 24.1 million tweets were sent the night of the game.
Final statistics
Sources
NFL.com Super Bowl XLVII
Statistical comparison
Individual leaders
1Completions/attempts
2Carries
3Long gain
4Receptions
5Times targeted
Starting lineups
Source:
Officials
*Referee – Jerome Boger (#23), only Super Bowl
*Umpire – Darrell Jenkins (#76), only Super Bowl
*Head linesman – Steve Stelljes (#22), only Super Bowl
*Line judge – Byron Boston (#18), second of three Super Bowls (XXXIV, LII)
*Field judge – Craig Wrolstad (#4), only Super Bowl
*Side judge – Joe Larrew (#73), only Super Bowl
*Back judge – Dino Paganelli (#105), first of two Super Bowls (LV)
*Replay official - Bill Spyksma
*Replay assistant - Terry Sullivan
*Alternate referee – Bill Vinovich (#52), referee of Super Bowls XLIX, LIV, LVIII
*Alternate umpire – Bruce Stritesky (#102)
*Alternate flank – Tom Stephan (#68)
*Alternate deep – Scott Edwards (#3), side judge for Super Bowls 50, LII
*Alternate back judge – Steve Freeman (#133), back judge for Super Bowl XLVIII
Officials wore the full-length black pants, introduced for cold weather in 2006, for the first time in a Super Bowl. The black pants were made mandatory during the 2012 season. The previous six Super Bowls were played either in Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
or a retractable-roof stadium with the roof closed, warm enough for officials to wear the traditional white knickers.
References
External links
*
Super Bowl XLVII play-by-play: Ravens 34, 49ers 31
at Pro Football Reference
Pro Football Reference (PFR) is an online statistics database for professional American football maintained by Sports Reference. The site provides career statistics for players, teams, and games, as well as records and NFL draft history. PFR was ...
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Colin Kaepernick