Super Bowl halftime: Ravens 21, 49ers 6
NEW ORLEANS -- Joe Flacco threw three touchdown passes while completing 13 of 20 attempts for 192 yards, staking the Baltimore Ravens to a 21-6 halftime lead over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night in Super Bowl XLVII.
The score could have been more one-sided; Baltimore passed up a short field goal for a fake from the 14-yard line in the second quarter, but kicker Justin Tucker's run came up a yard short of a first down, and the 49ers got the ball.
Flacco threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Anquan Boldin in the first quarter, a 1-yarder to Dennis Pitta early in the second quarter and a 56-yarder to AFC playoff hero Jacoby Jones late in the first half.
Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco's second-year quarterback who had some brilliant performances in late-season games and the playoffs, finally seemed to show his inexperience.
A second-quarter attempt for Randy Moss fluttered deep over Moss' head and was intercepted by safety Ed Reed, igniting the drive that ended with the Ravens' failed fake field goal.
When the 49ers got the ball again, Kaepernick tried to hit Moss on an outside pattern, but the ball was nearly intercepted by cornerback Cary Williams, who would have had a clear path to the end zone.
And just before halftime, on a third-and-2 play from the Ravens' 9-yard line, Kaepernick couldn't find an open receiver but seemed hesitant as he began to scramble and was stopped for no gain, forcing a field goal by David Akers.
As a result, it left San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh's team without a touchdown in six quarters against the team coached by his brother, Baltimore coach John Harbaugh. The Ravens beat the 49ers 16-6 on Thanksgiving 2011.
When the Ravens went ahead 21-3 in the second quarter Sunday, it marked the third time in five games that the 49ers found themselves at least 17 points behind.
Flacco's three first-half touchdown passes gave him 11 touchdowns and no interceptions in the playoffs, tying Joe Montana's record for the most TD passes thrown without an interception in a single postseason. Montana threw for 11 scores in the playoffs after the 1989 season.
Kaepernick, who was 8-for-13 for 139 yards in the first half, threw the first interception by a San Francisco quarterback in six Super Bowls. Montana did not throw a pick in his four victories, and Steve Young did not throw one against the San Diego Chargers following the 1994 season, when he set a Super Bowl record with six touchdown passes.
