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 34–31, handing the 49ers their first Super Bowl loss in their franchise history. The game was played on Sunday, February 3, 2013, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. This was the seventh Super Bowl played in the Superdome, and the tenth to be played in New Orleans, equaling Miami's record of ten in an individual city. This was the first Super Bowl to be held in New Orleans since Super Bowl XXXVI and it was the first to be played there since Hurricane Katrina struck the city in 2005. For the first time in Super Bowl history, the game featured two brothers coaching against each other – Jim and John Harbaugh, head coaches of the 49ers and Ravens, respectively – earning it the nickname Har-bowl. Jim's son and John's nephew, Jay Harbaugh, was also on the Ravens' coaching staff. Super Bowl XLVII was the first to feature two teams that had undefeated records in previous Super Bowl games (the Ravens, 1–0; the 49ers, 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 Super Bowl XXIX at the end of the 1994 season), 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 franchise history, having previously won Super Bowl XXXV. Linebacker Ray Lewis, the Most Valuable Player (MVP) from that game, as well as the last remaining member of the inaugural Ravens roster from 1996, also played in this game, his and 49ers wide receiver Randy Moss' last before both retired from professional football. The Ravens dominated the first half of the game, aided by quarterback Joe Flacco's three touchdown passes that gave the Ravens a 21–3 lead before their lead was cut to 21–6 just before halftime; the Ravens immediately resumed scoring after Jacoby Jones returned the second half kickoff a record 108 yards, increasing their lead to 28–6. However, a partial power outage in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome following the return suspended play for 34 minutes (earning the game the added nickname of the Blackout Bowl). After play resumed, the 49ers began to rally, scoring 17 unanswered third-quarter points to cut the Ravens' lead to 28–23. With the Ravens leading late in the game, 34–29, the 49ers drove down to the Ravens' 7-yard line just before the two-minute warning but turned the ball over on downs. The Ravens then took an intentional safety in the waning moments of the game to preserve the victory. Flacco, who completed 22 of 33 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns, became the fourth consecutive quarterback to be named Super Bowl MVP, after Drew Brees at Super Bowl XLIV, Aaron Rodgers at Super Bowl XLV, and Eli Manning at Super Bowl XLVI. CBS broadcast the game in the United States, 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 million people in the United States, with a record 164 million tuning into at least six minutes of the game. Beyoncé performed in the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show, which featured a reunion with fellow Destiny's Child alumni Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. As of 2026, this is the most recent major professional sports championship won by a Baltimore-based team.