Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after Sunday's Super Bowl. (Photo by Matthew Emmons, USA Today Sports from USAToday.com)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – From blowout to blackout to shootout, Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens had just enough power to survive one of the most electric Super Bowls ever. The Ravens used a last-gasp defensive stand to hold off the San Francisco 49ers to win a wild one, 34-31. It's the Ravens' second Super Bowl title in 12 years.
Flacco tossed three touchdown passes in the first half as the Ravens opened a 21-6 halftime edge. Jacoby Jones opened the second half with an electrifying 108-yard touchdown record, the longest kickoff return in Super Bowl history.
Then a power outage delayed play for 35 minutes, which seemed to breathe life into the Niners. Trailing 28-6 when the power went out, San Francisco came to life with 17 points over a 4:14 stretch of the third quarter to make it 28-23.
After Baltimore took a 31-23 lead, the Niners scored a touchdown to cut it to 31-29. San Francisco's two-point conversion failed. Baltimore added a late field goal and then in the final seconds took an intentional safety to make the final margin 34-31.
Winning coach John Harbaugh said of his cardiac team: "It's never pretty. It's never perfect. It's us."
Baltimore also won the Super Bowl in 2001.
