49ers - Ravens Super Bowl Takeaways

> I'm kind of hoping that the kids from Sandy Hook Elementary were on a different part of the field from the honor guard guys holding the rifles

> Shockingly, Ray Lewis was emotional in the pre-game, and CBS showed it

> Niners QB Colin Kaepernick had a first completion wiped out due to penalty, which was kind of important, given the slow start issue the Niners have had in the post-season

> The crowd sounded 70-30 Ravens to me

> Kaepernick looked skittish at the start, which has been something of a pattern in these playoffs

> On 3rd and 15, the Niners ran a draw and, not surprisingly, completed the three and out

> QB Joe Flacco hit WR Torrey Smith on a deep out with all kinds of time to throw

> LB Ahmad Brooks gave the Ravens another shot at a first in the red zone, which wound up costing the Niners four points

> WR Anquan Boldin continues his post-season of dominance, and the Niners their pattern of first quarter sleepy time

> Shockingly, there were post-whistle shenanigans after a loss by RB Frank Gore

> WR Michael Crabtree's great hands, and Lewis' whiff, gave the Niners their first first down

> Kaepernick's first carry was for a first, and ended with a leg to the head from his own man

> Gore ran past Lewis for a first down, but he was still highly inspiring

> Davis toasted LB Daniel Ellerbee for the Niners' first red zone possession, because, shhh, the Ravens had old and slow and exploitable LBs

> Crabtree dropped a tough catch that should have been a score, given his skill level

> DE Paul Krueger's sack ended a drive and gave Niner Fan their first dose of Akers Angst

> The ex-Eagle drilled the 36-yarder to make the game 7-3

> Baltimore continues to be outstanding, and lucky, in red zone playoff defense

> Flacco hit Boldin on a scramble and heave for 31 that was all kinds of amazing, and punctuated by Boldin abusing Niner Homophobic Obvious Scapegoat CB Chris Culliver

> Flacco's movement in the pocket early in this game was downright amazing

> The Ravens finished the first quarter 3 of 4 on third down, but the last one was the sack fail, and cost Baltimore a figgie shot at least

> P Sam Koch blew a chance to pin the Niners deep, which is kind of meaningful

> CBS somehow avoided a Harbaugh Family shot until the second quarter

> Kaepernick to Davis at the start of the second quarter was as hard as a QB can throw a ball, really

> Shockingly, targeting the old slow small and overrated LB worked for the Niners

> On a second and one draw to Gore, the Ravens sold out to hit Kaepernick anyway

> RB LaMichael James made a half dozen men miss, but also put the ball on the ground, which cost the Niners a figgie chance at least, and all kinds of momentum

> TE Ed Dickson's bobbling catch for 23 was worth at least three points

> The Niner defense in the red zone was Eagle-esque in the first half

> TE Dennis Pitta's touchdown was about as easy as you could hope for in a Super Bowl against decent defenses

> Kaepernick's INT to Reed looked like a game-ender at the time

> That was the first INT in six Super Bowls for San Francisco, which kind of explains how they were 5-0 going into this

> Shockingly, WR Randy Moss gave up on the ball that turned into an INT

> 3rd and 4 conversion to Rice takes at least two minutes off the clock before the half, not to mention keeps the TD drive alive

> Boldin's drop was almost a game-changing pick

> Flacco missing Smith with 3 minutes left in the half keeps it as a two-possession game

> Baltimore trying a fake figgie, and not getting it when the kicker got 8 yards instead of 9, was a shockingly bold and reckless gamble

> Samantha Gordon's parents allowed her to watch the game with Roger Goodell, which means they are are clearly terrible parents

> The Niners went three and out and made the fake kick decision mostly meaningless

> Culliver missed an INT, then puled for OPI, and then got absolutely de-pantsed by WR Jacoby Jones on the game-ending touchdown

> Down 18 with the Ravens getting the second half kickoff, Phil Simms preached conservatism and ball control, because Phil Simms is always wrong about everything

> For some reason involving concussion or insanity, Kaepernick kept trying to get it to Moss

> DT Haloti Ngata took a roughing flag for Baltimore's first penalty of the half, and Raven Fan's first thought of Ref Conspiracy

> Kaepernick to TE Delanie Walker for a red zone was pretty damned special

> Kaepernick rolling out to nowhere and eating it cost the Niners at least four points, but at least he didn't force a ball to Moss for a pick

> At least the Niners can't blame Akers for losing their perfect Super Bowl record

> I'd say something about the halftime show, but I try to be about Game and not about things that aren't, and besides, I have to leave something for my @dmtshooter Twitter followers

> Jones ran a kickoff back for 109 yards to ensure that America would be fresh for work tomorrow

> Simms' mic was cut off during the third quarter due to a power outage, proving there is a God

> I'd say something about the 34-minute blackout delay, but really, once again, Twitter

> On the 3rd and 13 after the delay, Kaepernick had to settle for a 7-yard throw to Walker and the give up punt

> Rice was stopped a yard short on 3rd and 8, forcing a punt and the continuation of Mild Amounts of Drama

> Koch might be the only Raven to have a bad game today

> The threat of runs from the Pistol doesn't really matter as much when you are down 22

> Crabtree dropping a deep one that was right on the money really didn't help the Niners' cause, either

> Moss actually caught a ball to convert a third down, so you can't say he completely tanked the game

> The Niners burned a timeout with 8 minutes left in the third, rather than eat a 5-yard flag, and ye gads, that's awful in this situation, and would Come Back To Haunt Them Later

> Crabtree pinballed off two defenders to finally break the plane for San Francisco and, just maybe, create some drama for later

> S Bernard Pollard's whiff on the Crabtree score make both Patriots fans who are watching this game bump fists

> It's not a playoff game in 2013 without a Harbaugh Freakout

> The Niner defense, and crowd, showed up after the kickoff, and got a monstrous 3 and out with punctuation sack

> Koch's third awful punt of the day set up PR Ted Ginn Jr. for a return into the red zone, and a further shift in Mo Men Tum

> Walker's de-cleating block on Reed freed up Gore for another score, and made CBS's decision to cut the power (Start the Conspiracy Talk!) look like sheer ratings genius

> Rice's fumble in the flat, his third of the post-season, was a great strip by CB Terell Brown, and yet another game-changing play

> Akers' miss from 39 was bailed out in a huge way by CB Shockey Brown running into the kicker, and could have easily been a 15 yard flag to continue a drive

> Akers from 34 made it 28-23 with 3:10 left, and 17 unanswered, in 4:10, for the Niners

> Akers' following kickoff looked like he was hurt, and has to give Niners Fan even more worries for a late figgie need

> Walker nearly murdered Jones on that kickoff

> Boldin rough-traded Culliver with a dry stiff arm (while wearing a diver's watch) at the end of a way too easy 3rd and 3

> Pierce clearly is ahead of Rice in the pecking order, in that they gave it to him on the had to have it 3rd and 3 to end the quarter; unfortunately for Baltimore, he limped off after that play

> The Niner secondary has no answer for Boldin, which makes them just like the Colts, Broncos and Patriots

> On three tries inside the five, without Pierce, the Ravens got nothing and didn't like it, causing a chip shot figgie to push the lead back to 8

> Kaepernick to Moss for 32 yards looked like no effort for either man

> Gore for the big run with 13 yards of stiff arm looks like the Niners are wearing down the Ravens DL

> It only took 50 minutes for CBS to try to whitewash Lewis for the murders and probable PED use

> Kaepernick's scramble score was just shocking speed from a QB, and the longest run for a score by a QB in SB history, taking that guy Montana off the books

> The missed 2-point conversion was a big damned play / missed offsides by Reed, and kept the game in Baltimore's favor

> Flacco to Rice for 4 is a Favrian moment of escape from Flacco, who has done a lot of that today

> Gives to Rice really aren't doing much for Baltimore right now

> Culliver's DPI extended the drive and the narrative that's he's the worst player on the field tonight

> Challenging the ruling on the field for a timeout is downright Reid-esque for the Niners, but at least it worked

> Boldin on third and inches was, like everything else thrown to Boldin today, money

> 3rd and 7 from the 25 was for all the Tostitos, but the Niners do not get away with offsides the way the Ravens do, and gave us another Harbaugh Freakout

> 3rd and 2 from the 20 was a drop by Pitta, and a curious call, in that it left the Ravens just up by 5

> Davis couldn't hold on to a ball on the fingertips that would have been 40+ yards

> Crabtree for 24 is yet another laser, and the idea that so many teams passed on Kaepernick is going to amaze people decades from now

> Gore for 33 could let the Niners score too fast

> You have to respect Baltimore's continued decision to hit Kaepernick when he doesn't have the ball, in that it's sure to pay off for the Niners' NFC rivals in 2021

> Baltimore let the Niners burn a lot of clock rather than call a timeout before the 2 minute warning

> The delay flag on the Niners with 1:55 left would have been all kinds of inexcusable, but at least they got a timeout called

> Crabtree got absolutely obliterated on third and goal, and had no chance on fourth and goal, with no chance of the refs calling a flag to decide things on an uncatchable ball

> Why the Niners didn't even give the Ravens a pistol look to make them concerned about multiple options, let alone Kaepernick's legs, I'll never know

> Baltimore was better in the red zone tonight, which is just about the only thing you have to be in the NFL now

> The Niner special teams had no clue on the possibility of Koch taking a safety, which burned 8 seconds off the clock and killed any last chance heave at a win

> Ginn gave the Ravens a second of worry, but that was it

> All in all, this was a pretty great game, especially if you made the intelligent choice of turning it on just before kickoff, and turning it off, just after the final gun, before Ray Lewis made you want renounce any belief in God