The San Francisco 49ers might be dead. Trailing 34-29 and needing a touchdown, they drove all the way down the field and got inside the Baltimore Ravens' 10-yard line, but they failed to score on fourth down. Now there is just 1:46 remaining, and the 49ers might not get another chance to complete their comeback
Super Bowl score: 49ers come up short on 4th down, Ravens on verge of title
The 49ers’ couldn’t convert on fourth and goal, turning the ball and possibly the Super Bowl over to the Ravens.
Frank Gore got the drive going with an eight-yard carry, then Colin Kaepernick followed with eight of his own. That gave the 49ers a chance to go downfield, which they did. Vernon Davis got free down the sideline and Kaerepnick spotted him, but he put the ball on Davis' fingertips and the tight end couldn't reel it in.
No problem, though. Kaepernick bounced right back and delivered a bullet to Michael Crabtree for 24 yards down to the Ravens' 40.
Knocking on the door of the red zone, the Niners turned to Gore, who ripped off his best run of the game, breaking tackle after tackle for a 33-yard gain.
With the ball at the seven-yard line and a new set of downs, the 49ers looked set to get six, but they picked up only two yards on first down and threw incomplete on second down. They got lucky before third down, calling timeout just before the play clock expired to avoid a delay of game penalty, but when they actually got their third down snap off, it was incomplete anyways.
That set up fourth down, and possibly the game.
With 1:50 on the clock, the 49ers came out with three wideouts, one tight end and one wide receiver, but it didn’t matter. Kaepernick just flipped the ball in the air in the face of the blitz, hoping for a jump ball, but Crabtree couldn’t get to it. The 49ers bench was furious, demanding a holding call, but there was no flag on the play, and the Niners came up empty on possibly their last chance.
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