In 2013, Super Bowl XLVII saw a showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens. The final was spiced up with the fact that the two competing head coaches were the brothers Jim and John Harbaugh. But the “Har Bowl” is not the only one of many legendary stories that revolve around one of the most exciting Super Bowls in NFL history.
With the commitment of the head coach of the national champions in college football, the Los Angeles Chargers signed Jim Harbaugh a few days ago. It is now clear that there will be a new edition of the “Har Bowl” in the duel with the Ravens next season.
Har Bowl
Jim and John were practically born with football. Her father, Jack Harbaugh, worked as a head coach in college football for 20 years. Under his wing, both sons grew into future NFL head coaches. While older brother John immediately began his coaching career after college, Jim even made it to the pros as a player. Drafted in the first round in 1987, he first played quarterback for the Chicago Bears and later for the Chargers, which now seems to have come full circle.
The two brothers experienced a very special moment when they faced each other in the Super Bowl eleven years ago. It must have been a very moving moment for father Jack too. Ultimately, his sons created something historic. Never before and not in the foreseeable future have the two head coaches of the Super Bowl participants been siblings.
Superbro
What initially served as the only headline before the legendary game was quickly overshadowed by the course of the game. The first two quarters were marked by penalties from the 49ers. Baltimore, in turn, used this to its advantage. The former special teams coordinator placed great trust in his returner Jacoby Jones, who scored a long return and a subsequent receiving touchdown in the first half for a 21:6 lead at halftime.
When Jones hit a 108-yard return touchdown on the opening kickoff of the second half, the Ravens seemed to have pulled away with an unassailable 22-point lead in the “Superbro.” But Jim Harbaugh wouldn’t be a special coach if he hadn’t managed to convince his men from San Francisco to make a comeback. An unexpected power outage helped him.
Blackout Bowl
Shortly after Jones scored his second touchdown of the game, the lights went out in the stadium. Guided only by the emergency lights, both teams made their way back to the locker room, where Jim was given a second chance to give the appropriate half-time speech.
The game was only able to kick off again over half an hour after the power outage and, led by quarterback Colin Kaepernick, the Niners launched a comeback that seemed almost hopeless. After two touchdowns, one each from Michael Crabtree and one from Frank Gore, and an additional successful field goal attempt, it was only 28:23 for the Ravens before the end of the third quarter.
Baltimore had to come up with something after the blackout. Since their offense was no longer able to gain any more space, the defense had to fix it. It was the hour of future Hall of Famer Ray Lewis, who had to sit out a long period of the season and went into the Super Bowl with an arm injury.
Along with Paul Kruger, Ed Reed and Dannel Ellerbe, he stopped the 49ers’ offensive efforts when it was needed most. Kaepernick led his team to within two points with another touchdown. Because the subsequent two-point conversion was thwarted by the Ravens’ lightning-fast pass rush, the lead remained at a narrow 31:29, which was then increased to 34:29 with a field goal.
But in a heart-stopping finale, the Niners now had over four minutes to turn the game around. And Kaepernick opened the drive like Joe Montana once did when he won the Super Bowl for the last time in the gold diggers’ jersey, with a long pass over the center to his most important receiver Crabtree. Frank Gore then almost ran into the end zone for over 30 yards, but was touched on the foot by Ed Reed, which is why Gore was pushed out of bounds shortly afterwards.
With 2:39 left on the clock, the ball was already at the Ravens’ seven-yard line. A short run was followed by three pass attempts on the right side towards Crabtree. However, the elite receiver always struggled against the hard coverage of Corey Graham and Jimmy Smith, who together clamped down on Crabtree on every play.
San Francisco narrowly beaten
In the end, the San Francisco 49ers’ dreams were shattered after a thrilling comeback against an insurmountable Baltimore Ravens defense. Quarterback Joe Flacco was crowned Super Bowl MVP after throwing three touchdowns in the first half. However, because he no longer generated any forward momentum in the decisive phase and was sacked twice while the defense was pulling the coals out of the fire for him, his choice was considered controversial.
In the end, Ray Lewis lifted the Vince Lombardi Trophy with his head coach John Harbaugh and left as champion. It was the last game of a unique career. At the same time, this result meant the Niners’ first ever defeat in the Super Bowl. Since then, they have also lost their first attempt against the Chiefs after the 2020 season, but have the chance to end this series of defeats again in the big game against Kansas City in 2024 (February 11th from 11:15 p.m. live on RTL).
Philip Forstner