The Student News Site of North Carolina A&T State University

The A&T Register

The Student News Site of North Carolina A&T State University

The A&T Register

The Student News Site of North Carolina A&T State University

The A&T Register

    The ‘K’ Report: Ravens are victorious in the 2013 “Blackout bowl”

    The 2012-13 NFL season has unfortunately reached a saddening conclusion.

    After declaring Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers would be victorious two weeks ago, the Baltimore Ravens are the new kings of the football world after squeaking out a 35-33 victory in an action-packed nail-biter against my Niners.

    After a dominating effort on both sides of the ball for Baltimore, the 49ers found themselves in a 21-6 hole at the half.

    A stellar half time performance by Beyoncé and an electrifying 108-yard opening kick return for a touchdown by Baltimore’s Jacoby Jones took place before the Mercedez-Benz Superdome began to lose its power.

    Hence, this year’s big game was given the moniker, “The Blackout Bowl.”

    For the first time I can remember, two teams were inandvertedly afforded a second half time intermission as a result of technical difficulties.

    But for Baltimore, stoppage in play was no positive.

    In fact, the power outage nullified an undeniable Baltimore shift in momentum, creating the absolute worst case scenario for a team with a lead in a game of such magnitude.

    With such a marginal lead, one can only imagine how many mental images of Super Bowl victory and triumph were developed in the minds of the Ravens players and staff.

    On the other hand, down by 22, the 30 plus minute break gave the handicapped Niners an opportunity to stop the bleeding and regroup on the sidelines.

    When the lights were restored and the teams returned to field, the Ravens defense continued their dominance by denying Kaepernick and the Niners on a third and long pass attempt.

    From this point on San Francisco seemed overly-energized, overly-confident, and fearless.

    For the remainder of the half the 49ers exercised their new-found swagger, slicing and dicing the Baltimore lead to five with just less than two minutes remaining in the final quarter.

    But as we all know, Sunday was the Ravens night as they denied the San Fran at the goal line on their final possession to seal the well-deserved victory and avoid the most improbable comeback in recent memory.

    For the second time, the Ravens have reached the pinnacle of football greatness!

    Baltimore will spend their offseason adding new faces and parting ways with others with the intentions of balancing out a formula to repeat as champions.

    So what does the win for Baltimore mean?

    For one, the Vince Lombardi trophy has finally returned to the AFC after several years in the hands of NFC franchises the past few years.

    Secondly, 17-year veteran Ray Lewis can finally bask in the sunrays of retirement with a second Super Bowl ring, leaving behind a legacy that will never wither nor tarnish.

    The win also serves as confirmation that Super Bowl XXVII MVP, Joe Flacco, has improved to the ranks of the elite quarterbacks in the league.

    The season has come to a close and it hurts to watch, but at least my San Francisco 49ers will win the Super Bowl next year.

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    • Kalyn Hole