Sports

Ravens QB Flacco cements his elite seat

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PUMPED UP: Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco celebrates his second-quarter touchdown pass to Dennis Pitta before being carried off the field by his teammates last night in Baltimore’s 34-31 victory in Super Bowl XLVII against the 49ers. (Getty Images; AP)

NEW ORLEANS — For Jim Harbaugh, the walk to meet his big brother John in the middle of the Superdome for the handshake after Ravens 34, 49ers 31 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 hoist, thanks mostly to Joe Flacco.

Lights Out quarterback at the Lights Out Super Bowl.

Who turned the Bro Bowl into the Joe Bowl.

Joe Cool, standing tall in the pocket, representing a city that once was Whacko for Unitas. The general to whom Ray Lewis is passing the torch.

On the night a power outage darkened Roger Goodell’s Super Bowl for 34 minutes, MVP Flacco shined the elite light on himself, and Ravens fans serenaded him with chants of “MVP, MVP” when he returned to the field for an NFL Network interview.

“Crazy. Unbelievable. It’s tough to put into words because it really hasn’t sunk in yet,” Flacco said.

All Flacco (22-for-33, 287 yards) did was throw three touchdown passes in the first half, and all that meant was he had thrown 11 for the postseason — tying him with Joe Montana and Kurt Warner — without an interception and a 117. 2 quarterback rating. Can you say ka-ching, ka-ching?

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It was enough, barely, to stave off Jim Harbaugh and Colin Kaepernick.

Who stormed back from a 28-6 deficit with a desperation and a ferocity unknown to mankind once the lights came back on in the second half, until they stood 5 yards from that Lombardi Trophy.

Fourth down, five points down, 5 yards to glory.

“I was sitting there thinking, ‘There’s no way we stop them here,’ ” Flacco said.

Kaepernick looked to his right, for Michael Crabtree. 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 futilely for a holding call against Jimmy Smith.

“We don’t make anything easy,” Flacco said.

Until the lights went out, Kaepernick looked skittish, Pistol-whipped, only sporadically unleashing that Roberto Clemente arm and those Usain Bolt legs.

Flacco, meanwhile, looked relaxed enough to shimmy with Beyonce at intermission. Especially on third-and-10 at his 44 right after the two-minute warning. Flacco turned to Anquan Boldin and asked, “You think we should pump it here?” Flacco was seen skipping merrily on the Ravens sidelines after Jacoby Jones streaked past Chris Culliver and Flacco pumped an underthrow that went for a 56-yard TD that made it 21-3.

Flacco threw a pretty touch pass over the middle for a 13-yard TD to Boldin on his first possession. He threw a back-shoulder beauty to Ed Dickson for 23 yards on a drive that ended with a 1-yard TD toss to Dennis Pitta. “We’ve always believed in him,” Pitta said of Flacco.

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 might take that failed fake field goal to his coaching grave.

Because here came Kaepernick. A 31-yard TD pass to Crabtree made it Ravens 28, 49ers 13. A 32-yard Ted Ginn Jr. punt return to the Baltimore 20 set up a Frank Gore touchdown. Tarell Brown forced and recovered a Ray Rice fumble at the Baltimore 24 and soon it was Ravens 28, 49ers 23.

Flacco, third-and-3 at his 35 now, at his 35, found Boldin for 30 yards. And soon it was Ravens 31, 49ers 23.

Kaepernick hit Randy Moss for 30 yards, then sprinted around left end for a 15-yard TD and it was Ravens 31, 49ers 29. Kaepernick’s two-point try for Moss wasn’t close.

Flacco, third-and-6 inches at his 45, boldly threw one up for Boldin against Carlos Rogers for 15 yards, and soon it was Ravens 34, 49ers 29. “He’s got the guts of a burglar,” John Harbaugh said.

Kaepernick started at his 20 with 4:19 and two timeouts remaining. Quickly faced second-and-goal at the 5 … then third-and-goal at the 5 … then fourth-and-season. Then Sam Koch ran out of the end zone for a last-second safety. Last stand by Ray Lewis. Lights out for Jim Harbaugh and the Niners. The Lights Out quarterback belonged to John Harbaugh.