Death of a Dream

That pretty much sums up Superbowl XLVII for my San Francisco 49ers.

During a nightmare first half, the Baltimore Ravens jumped out to a 21-6 lead on a couple of costly turnovers and penalties and blown coverages from the 49ers. And Joey Flacco’s uncanny ability to convert on 3rd downs. It appeared that the Ravens had carried the momentum into the 3rd quarter after Jacoby Jones returned the kickoff for 108 yards and a touchdown putting the Ravens up 28-6. But then the lights went out in New Orleans. After the 34 minute delay my 49ers came out firing on all 8 cylinders. They simply dominated the second half (after the power outage), outscoring the Ravens 25-6.

But that’s where I want to stop with the numbers. I’d like to finish this post from a fan’s prospective minus the play-by-play breakdown.

How can I explain the feeling…I’m a 30ish guy. But when I watch my teams play I become a kid again. I look up to those guys. I celebrate with them. I cry with them. I wish and dream with them. And to see them fight their way back in to Superbowl XLVII the way they did only to come up short because of an extremely questionable no-call by the refs on 4th and goal…that’s hard. My 49ers could have rolled over and said to hell with it when it was 28-6. But they didn’t. Play after play they were coming up big. On offense and on defense. They simply refused to give up. And I simply kept believing as I sat there watching every single play. But in the end…we lost. This game went from a nightmare to a beautiful dream and then back to a nightmare. It was pure agony watching Crabtree get held on that 4th and goal play. It was pure agony not seeing the refs throw a penalty flag. It was pure agony watching Coach Jim Harbaugh plead and beg and try to convince the refs that they obviously missed the call. As I watched that play I desperately prayed for some kind of miracle. I wished with every fiber of my being we had just one more down. But we didn’t have one more down. We ran out of downs and ultimately out of time. It was torturous agony seeing the clock hit zero as the Ravens rushed out on the field celebrating the Superbowl victory. Celebrating the death of a dream that all 49ers Faithful had. A dream that the entire 49ers team had.

This one is a tough one to swallow. It has to be tied for 1st place on my list of the most gut wrenching, heart stopping, heartbreaking losses I have ever witnessed. As an Atlanta Braves fan and a 49ers fan, I have seen my share of heartbreaking moments in sports. But this one is definitely tied for 1st place. Actually…I’ll just go ahead and make this one Number 1 on my list.

It will definitely be a long offseason filled with plenty of “What ifs?”. But we have to put it behind us and get back to work. And get it done in Superbowl XLVIII.

For those interested in numbers of the game, here ya go

49ers are now 5-1 in Superbowls. Ravens are 2-0

49ers QB Colin Kaepernick 16/28 302 yards 1 touchdown 1 interception, 7 runs for 62 yards 1 touchdown

Ravens QB Joey Flacco 22/33 288 yards 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions (Was named MVP of Superbowl XLVII)

49ers RB Frank Gore 19 runs for 110 yards 1 touchdown

Ravens RB Ray Rice 20 runs for 59 yards

49ers WR Michael Crabtree 5 receptions for 109 yards 1 touchdown

49ers TE Vernon Davis 6 receptions for 104 yards

I can’t be 100% sure but I think we are the only team to ever have a 300 yard passer, 100 yard rusher, and two 100 yard receivers in a game and still lose.