Super Bowl 2013: Ravens top 49ers, take home Lombardi Trophy

One and done or one of many?

It’s not about the Ravens one way or the other. Every team faces a set of questions once the furor begins over NFL free agency and roster moves. It happens every year, and 31 other teams would be happy to wrestle with the question facing Baltimore. But there are concerns hanging nevertheless, and fans want to know if they can do it again or whether the undertow of roster transition will prove too much.

Simply, no other city provides the food, warmth, hospitality, 24-hour bars and walking proximity the way NOLA does.

“I’m detoxing as soon as this is over,” former big leaguer Eric Byrnes tells me inside Pat O’Brien’s bar a few hours before the game.

Well, not exactly. Harrison’s post was a bit tongue-in-cheek:

For the 49ers, Sunday’s game was the first Super Bowl loss in franchise history. San Francisco previously won the NFL’s ultimate game in 1981, ‘84, ‘88, ‘89 and ‘94. Entering Super Bowl XLVII, the Niners were the only NFL franchise to have played in at least two title games with a perfect record.

The fans handled the blackout surprisingly well. Early on, we got plenty of “Let’s Go Ravens!” and “Let’s Go Niners” chants. That was followed by a wave that circled the dome a good five or six times. When it would slow down, a boo would go up and it would pick back up again. I am normally against the wave, but it is safe to say a blackout is the one acceptable circumstance for the wave.

As the blackout wore on, officials would huddle on the field discussing whatever it is they discuss when they don’t know what is actually going on. After about 20 minutes, it appeared as though the game was ready to re-start. The 49ers offense and Ravens defense were brought back on the field. Two officials were pushing the 49ers and Ravens sidelines back off the field. All seemed well.

Kaepernick’s numbers put him in good company. He and former 49ers quarterback Joe Montana are the only two signal callers to pass for more than 300 yards and run for more than 50 in a Super Bowl.

Still, if the 49ers had been able to pull off the comeback, it would be hard to argue for anyone else to take home MVP honors. Kaepernick was very accurate for the most part, and as elusive as always. San Francisco may be going home in defeat, but they will be among the favorites to go back to the Super Bowl in 2014, with Kaepernick a major reason why.

“The bathroom’s where it’s at right now,” my friend told me around five o’clock Sunday afternoon. “A drunk guy is in there imitating Ray Lewis’ pregame speech.” Because Baltimore is the best.

Me and two friends decided to make the trip on Sunday because if you can’t have a favorite team in the Super Bowl the next best thing is hopping on someone else’s bandwagon. Also, it’s a 45 minute drive from D.C., so why not? Maybe we could see some horrible rioting, win or lose. See the insanity up close, we thought.

Take a scroll through the photos, relive the memories, laugh, cry, and start getting ready for the NFL offseason.

And what about the halftime show? Any production of that magnitude gets its own special section.

Over at Niners Nation, Dylan DeSimone wrote a tremendous piece about some of what Crabtree must have been feeling in the aftermath of Super Bowl XLVII.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh also thought there should have been a pass interference or holding infraction, according to WEEI.com.

Who needs a regular ring when you can get one so large it serves as an eclipse?

Contact was clearly made on the play, as Smith locked up with Crabtree’s arms. However, the officials let it slide, ultimately ending the 49ers hopes of winning a sixth Super Bowl title. Harbaugh spoke about the no-call after the game, outwardly disgruntled about what transpired.

For the playoffs, Boldin totaled 22 catches for 380 yards and four touchdowns in four games. While no longer a burner at age 32, he remains an extremely reliable possession receiver.

The Ravens have a tough offseason decision to make. Boldin makes $6 million in 2013 and is rumored to be a cap casualty. As he has proven in January, he remains a productive receiver and could be open to renegotiation. Nevertheless, his playoff performance was one for the ages.

However, there were also many stoppages in play including a power outage, giving plenty of time for the commercials to work their way into the fray.

One of the best was the Mercedes Benz clip where a man is about to sell his soul to the devil (played by Willem Dafoe) before seeing that he can attain what he wants by simply being in the new Mercedes. Thanks to the car, he gets to hang out with Usher and Kate Upton. Very funny.

And now Lewis has won his second Super Bowl ring, fulfilling his promise that the 2013 Ravens were a team of destiny and reclaiming his place at the pinnacle of the football world in the very last game of his NFL career.

Amid all of the gossip, rumors, hatred, lies, misinformation, deer antler scuttlebutt, digs at his character and at his overt proclamations of faith, Ray Lewis ultimately just has one thing to say to everyone, whether they loved him, hated him, or merely tolerated him:

via 30fps.mocksession.com

(h/t @bubbaprog)

The parade is expected to begin at City Hall and end at M&T Bank Stadium, a change from their parade in 2001, when it ended at War Memorial Plaza in front of City Hall. That year, the enthusiasm at the parade was tempered some by heavy rain, but the fans still came out by the thousands to see their team. An estimated 200,000 fans lined the parade route 12 years ago.

The over/under on the number of times Lewis would mention either “God” or “the Lord” was set at three, with the over favored at -135. Unfortunately for those who bet on the over, Jim Nantz had to rush through his post-game interviews due to the third quarter power outage that caused the game to run long. With less than a minute on camera, Ray Lewis thanked his God for his accomplishments just one time.

Sorry, degenerate gamblers. It’s not your fault. It’s Beyonce’s fault for pissing off the lights by not singing “Say My Name” or going through with the rumored Jay-Z cameo during the halftime show.

Joe Flacco just won the Super Bowl XLVII MVP trophy, leading the Baltimore Ravens to a 34-31 win over the San Francisco 49ers. One of the more hilarious prop bets every year is who the MVP thanks when Jim Nantz, or whoever, passes him the mic.

This year, Flacco thanked ABSOLUTELY NO ONE, a fantastically arrogant move, winning all the degenerate gamblers out there money to the tune of 8/5. Since he just won a Super Bowl, a Super Bowl MVP award and a contract that will pay him nine-figures, you really can’t tell him anything.

The Ravens have won the entire Super Bowl! You know what that means: time for cussin’!

Joe Flacco, you are finally an elite cusser.

My condolences to all of the flavors that did not get dumped on this night. Perhaps there’s an explanation for the lack of a Gatorade shower? Here are some potential reasons:

Clear/Water was at 3/1, but let’s be honest, that’s just boring as hell and had no chance.

In a move straight out of a dorm room Madden game, Koch took the snap on the punt and clung to the ball for dear life, covering it with both hands. Koch scrambled -- well, “scrambled” -- right and made his way from the middle of the end zone to the corner before finally being pushed out.

San Francisco got two points, narrowing the Ravens’ lead to 34-31, but its chances of getting the winning points dwindled to nothing.

Flacco had 5/2 odds to win the MVP before the game. He is the sixth quarterback in the past decade to be named Super Bowl MVP.

He got the team on the board for the first score of the game with a 13-yard touchdown reception. He remained a threat for the duration of the game, particularly moving the chains. Flacco showed unlimited trust in Boldin to go up and make the catch.

The Ravens dominated in all three phases for much of the game.

It seemed that the bettors were doubting Baltimore in favor of an up-and-coming San Francisco team. But experience played a factor, which affected the way the line turned out. According to Fansided, the over/under was set at 47.5, which seemed out of reach with the Niners’ inability to score early.