Super Bowl XLVII

Super Bowl XLVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Ravens and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2012 season. The Ravens defeated the 49ers by the score of 34–31. The game was played on February 3, 2013 at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. This was the tenth Super Bowl to be played in New Orleans, equaling Miami's record of ten in an individual city.

For the first time in Super Bowl history, the game pitted two brothers against each other—Jim and John Harbaugh, head coaches of the 49ers and Ravens, respectively—earning it the nickname Harbaugh Bowl or The Harbowl. In addition, Super Bowl XLVII was the first to feature two teams who had undefeated records in previous championship games (Baltimore, 1–0; San Francisco, 5–0). The 49ers, who posted a regular season record of 11–4–1, entered the game seeking their sixth Super Bowl win in team history (and first since 1995), which would have tied the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most by a franchise. The Ravens, who posted a 10–6 regular season record, made their second Super Bowl appearance in 12 years, having previously won Super Bowl XXXV. Ray Lewis, the Most Valuable Player (MVP) from that game as well as last remaining member of the inaugural Ravens roster from 1996, also played in this game, his last before his retirement from professional football.

Baltimore built a 28–6 lead early in the third quarter before a partial power outage in the Superdome suspended play for 34 minutes. After play resumed, San Francisco scored 17 unanswered third-quarter points to cut the Ravens' lead, 28–23, and continued to chip away in the fourth quarter. With the Ravens leading late in the game, 34–29, the 49ers advanced to the Baltimore 7-yard line just before the two-minute warning but turned it over on downs. The Ravens then took an intentional safety in the waning moments of the game to preserve the victory. Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco, who completed 22 of 33 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns, was named Super Bowl MVP.

CBS broadcasted the game in the U.S., and charged an average of $4 million for a 30-second commercial during the game, the highest rate for any Super Bowl. According to Nielsen, Super Bowl XLVII was viewed by an estimated average of 108.69 million people in the United States, with a record 164.1 million tuning into at least six minutes of the game. Beyoncé performed in the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show, which featured a reunion with her fellow members from Destiny's Child, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.

Read more about Super Bowl XLVII:  Background, Statistics and Records, Starting Lineups, Officials

Famous quotes containing the word bowl:

    It all ended with the circuslike whump of a monstrous box on the ear with which I knocked down the traitress who rolled up in a ball where she had collapsed, her eyes glistening at me through her spread fingers—all in all quite flattered, I think. Automatically, I searched for something to throw at her, saw the china sugar bowl I had given her for Easter, took the thing under my arm and went out, slamming the door.
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