Two plays after that Jones TD, half of the Superdome lost power, causing a 34-minute game delay. The 49ers returned from the delay with an ill-fated 3rd down play that made it look like the game was just about over. But San Francisco responded with 24 points on their next four drives, pulling to within 2 points with 10 minutes left in the game. After a Ravens field goal from the 2-yard line, the 49ers drove to the 5-yard line before turning the ball, and ultimately the game, over on downs. An intentional safety and a failed punt return later, the Ravens are champions of Super Bowl 47.

- Just to get this out of the way: Beyonce is awesome. The halftime show may have been more impressive than the entire first half. She certainly appealed to the young’ns more than Madonna did last year.

-  The biggest play of the game was unquestionably the no-call on the 49ers fourth-down play that would have given them the lead with 2 minutes left in the game. The Ravens came with an all-out blitz and Kaepernick lofted the ball in the direction of Crabtree, who was blanketed and couldn’t quite reach the throw. To my eyes, it looked like the corner was holding a littttttle too much jersey and probably should have been flagged for holding as Jim Harbaugh so vehemently declared, but those are the breaks.

- That power outage was pretty weird. For one, it reminded me a lot of that game back in 2010 when the lights at MetLife Stadium (before it was named that) cut out in the middle of a Giants-Cowboys game. But for another, it gave us some pretty trippy photos. On the whole I’ll say I was pro-blackout. Bravo, Superdome.

- Flacco was named Super Bowl MVP and deserved it 100%. The guy has had a very Eli-like run through these playoffs, stepping his game up in ways his detractors didn’t think possible. Ever since the Ravens played the Giants back in December (ugh) he has played at an unbelievably high level, capping the run off with a 287 yard, 3 touchdown, 0 interception performance in the big game.

- Obligatory mention of Ray Lewis’ last game. I’ve never been a huge fan of his personally, but he is probably the best defensive football player that I’ve ever seen play (I was too young to catch Lawrence Taylor). He’s had a helluva career that now includes two Super Bowl championships (double ugh). Enjoy retirement Ray, I won’t miss playing against you every 4 years.

Thus ends the Giants’ run as Super Bowl champions. It was a great ride, and it’s at least somewhat comforting to know that it came to an end at the hands of the eventual Super Bowl champions. Let’s get Nicks and Cruz signed and make a run at a home game for the first New York/New Jersey Super Bowl in 2014. See ya’ll next year, and go Giants!

Tom Brady has not missed a beat in the regular season but the postseason has not been so kind. Brady is 7-7 in his last 14 postseason games; he was 10-0 in his first 10 postseason games. His supporting cast also seems to not bring it in the postseason like they do in the regular season.

The recent Patriot teams do not have that attitude the team once had in the early 2000s that won the Super Bowl 3 times in 4 years. The comments that Tom Brady’s wife made after the Super Bowl last year were pretty accurate, Brady can’t throw the ball and catch it too.

Nevertheless, Brady did not command the second half of Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens. Brady was a perfect 67-0 in his career when leading at halftime at home. Each time they had the ball, you were expecting a takeover, but it never happened. Tom Brady had his worst 2nd-half QBR (22.6) in last 4 postseasons on Sunday against Baltimore. New England is 0-4 when Brady’s 2nd-half QBR is less than 50 in that span.

Not taking away anything from the Ravens, they certainly outplayed the Patriots in the second half. The defense, led by Ray Lewis, did not budge and gave up 0 points. Joe Flacco stepped up and threw for 240 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Ravens improved to 13-7 all-time in the playoffs, the best postseason record in NFL history. This team is showing the same unity that last year’s New York Giants team had in their late run to a Super Bowl Championship.

Coming off a huge win against the Denver Broncos on Saturday, the Baltimore Ravens look to face a familiar opponent in the New England Patriots this coming Sunday in the AFC Championship game.

The Patriots won with ease this past Sunday against the Houston Texans with Tom Brady once again showing why he is the best quarterback of our generation. That was Brady’s 17^th postseason win, the most ever by any quarterback in NFL history.

This will be a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship game, the first time that has happened since the Broncos faced the Browns in 1987.

The Ravens beat the Patriots in Week 3 of the season but still have a chip on their shoulder from last year’s AFC Championship game.

The Ravens had many chances to win that game last year; including a potential game-winning touchdown catch that was knocked from the hands of wide receiver Lee Evans and also Billy Cundiff missing a 32-yard field goal attempt with 11 seconds remaining that could have sent the game into overtime.

With that being said, the Patriots are hungry and also have a chip on their shoulder from losing in the Super Bowl to the New York Giants….again.

Ray Lewis has this Ravens team extremely energized with this being his “last ride”. They are playing their hearts out and have some sort of aura surrounding them.

The Patriots, on the other hand, suffered a huge loss on Sunday with tight end Rob Gronkowski re-injuring his forearm. Gronkowski has been ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs.

Even with that injury, some believe the Patriots are still the better team. However, the way this Ravens team is playing as of late, they could beat anyone.

It looks like the Ravens are getting real hot at the right time, similar to the Giants teams of recent past. Let’s see if Ray has enough motivation to will his team to the Super Bowl.

The Cowboys were going up against one of the best teams in the league, the Baltimore Ravens.

Overall, the Cowboys outplayed the Ravens in this game. They had possession of the ball for over 40 minutes of the game but their time management was beyond awful. Tony Romo and the offense took their time with each play and it ended up being costly. Almost each snap of the ball was with one second left on the play clock.

Dallas had a total of 481 yards against a banged up Baltimore defense. Baltimore took some serious loses during this game. The cornerbacks Ladarius Webb and  Jimmy Smith,  along with defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and legendary middle linebacker Ray Lewis all left the game with injuries.

Even though the Ravens were outplayed, they never lost the lead in the second half. In the fourth quarter, Dallas scored during their final drive and attempted to tie the game up with a 2-point conversion, but failed. The touchdown made the score 31-29.

Out of desperation, the Cowboys went with the onside kick. Luckily, they recovered.

Dallas had the ball on their own 46 and after an incomplete pass; Baltimore was charged with defensive pass interference. The penalty moved the Cowboys up to the Baltimore 34. Romo completed a 1-yard pass to move them slightly closer.

With six seconds left on the clock, Dan Bailey lined up for the game winning 51-yard field goal but missed wide left to give Baltimore the victory, 31-29.

This game just goes to show that the Cowboys can play with the best of them, but when it comes down to closing, they just can’t seal the deal.

Round 2. The Divisional Playoff Game. Bring it or spend the next eight months wondering, “what if.” This weekend, many a fan will find themselves left without a voice but filled with another week of hope and team pride. Others will find themselves bewildered and in a state of despair. These are the NFL playoffs folks, ain’t nothing like ‘em!

We witnessed a WILD, Wildcard Weekend and as you can see, even the necromancers of ESPN got their crystal ball visions crossed. Can they make a comeback? There are no unanimous decisions this week. It’s anybody’s guess! Who am I going with? Did I fall flat on my face or rise to the challenge last week? Click on the link below to check out my predictions and game analysis.
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Sal Alosi, the New York Jets Strength and Conditioning Coach, spoke about the potential consequences that may be taken against him for his despicable sideline tripping of Miami Dolphins CB Nolan Carroll, “whatever the disciplinary actions are, I’m going to accept them. It’s on me.”

Well, what other choice does he have? He opened the press conference earlier today by saying, “Once again, I’d like to apologize.” Does anyone really think that Alosi is legitimately sorry for this heinous act? Or is his remorse more about getting caught? Would he have been so forthcoming with an apology if the video cameras didn’t capture, unequivocally, his blatant act or would he have fought tooth and nail professing his innocence if there were a lack of evidence?
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