NEW ORLEANS — For Jim Harbaugh, the walk to meet his big brother John in the middle of the Superdome for a handshake after Ravens 34, 49ers 29 was the most agonizing walk of his life, must have seemed like the longest walk of his life. Until the walk off the Superdome field, the walk away from the confetti and the cheers that would be falling down on big brother, the walk away from the Lombardi Trophy that big brother and the Ravens would be hoisting.
It was because once the hype finally ended, once the historic clash between coaching brothers had begun, this was no longer any Bro Bowl.
It was the Joe Bowl.
Before it turned dramatically into the Lights Out Super Bowl.
Once upon a time, the 49ers had this quarterback they called Joe Cool.
Now the Ravens have him.
Joe Cool, standing tall in the pocket, representing a city that once was Whacko for Unitas. The general to whom Lewis is passing the torch.
On the night a power outage marred Roger Goodell’s Super Bowl for 34 minutes, MVP Joe Flacco was lights out.
All Flacco did was throw three touchdown passes in the first half, and all that meant was he had thrown 11 for the postseason without an interception, and all that means is he deserves to break the bank now.
It was enough, barely, to stave off Jim Harbaugh and Colon Kaepernick and the 49ers, who stormed back with a desperation and a ferocity unknown to mankind once the lights came back on in the second half, until they stood five yards from the Lombardi Trophy.
Five points down, five yards to glory.
And here Kaepernick looked to his right, for Michael Crabtree. As Dannell Ellerbe blitzed up the middle and forced Kaepernick to let a miracle fly. The ball sailed out of the end zone, and Jim Harbaugh was screaming for a holding call against Smith, to no avail.
Until the lights went out, the game had been too big for Kaepernick. He had been skittish, Pistol-whipped, only sporadically unleashing that Roberto Clemente arm and those Usain Bolt legs.
Flacco had looked like he could have excused himself and danced with Beyonce at intermission, that’s how much fun he appeared to be having. In fact, after spotting Jacoby Jones fly past Chris Culliver, after heaving an underthrow that Jones would catch at the 9 and get up and dart to the end zone for the 56-yard TD that made it Ravens 21, 49ers 3, Flacco was seen skipping merrily on the Ravens sidelines.
While Lewis and Ed Reed (one interception) and the Ravens were imposing their will on Kaepernick, Flacco was imposing his on the 49ers.
Given a second chance thanks to an offsides penalty against Ahmad Brooks on a third-and-9 incompletion, Flacco threw a pretty touch pass over the middle for a 13-yard TD to Anquan Boldin on his first possession. He threw a back-shoulder beauty to Ed Dickson for 23 yards on the second-quarter drive that ended with a 1-yard TD toss to Dennis Pitta.
Flacco was so in command that John Harbaugh was granted a temporary reprieve for foolishly passing up a 32-yard field goal in favor of a fake that didn’t fool little brother.
And then it looked as if John Harbaugh might take that failed fake field goal to his coaching grave.
Kaepernick hit Crabtree with the 31-yard TD pass that made it Ravens 28, 49ers 13 midway through the third quarter.
Then Ted Ginn Jr. set up a Frank Gore touchdown with a 32-yard punt return to the Baltimore 20.
Then Tarell Brown forced and recovered a Ray Rice fumble at the Baltimore 24 and David Akers booted a 34-yard field goal after a Chykie Brown offsides on a missed 39-yarder.
Ravens 28, 49ers 23.
Third-and-3 for Flacco now, at his 35. He found Boldin for 30 yards. And soon it was Ravens 31, 49ers 23.
Kaepernick found Randy Moss for 30 yards. Kaepernick sprinted around left end with a 15-yard TD run and now it was Ravens 31, 49ers 29. Kaepernick’s two-point try for Moss wasn’t close.
Third-and-1 for Flacco at his 45. He threw one up and let Boldin wrestle the ball from Carlos Rogers for 15 yards, and soon it was Ravenss 34, 49ers 29 with 4:19 left.
Kaepernick started at his 20 with 4:19 and two timeouts remaining. Scrambled for eight yards. Threw a bomb off Vernon Davis’ fingertips. Hit Crabtree for 24. Watched Frank Gore romp for 33 more. First-and-goal at the 7, then second-and-goal at the 5, then third-and-goal at the 5. Then lights out.