NEW ORLEANS -- It's too early to say whether Super Bowl XLVII is the greatest big game of them all. It's not too early to say that this was the craziest. There were more jaw-dropping, "what the heck just happened?" moments in this game than any we can remember. If this Super Bowl was the final act of a movie, we'd criticize it for being too unbelievable. But it all happened Sunday night in the Superdome.
1. Power Outage
Taking a step back, the 30-plus minute delay because of a power outage has to be the strangest, most embarrassing, surreal thing to happen during a Super Bowl. There's just no precedent for it. Cheerleaders cheered in the dim light. The press box lost internet and power. We had less information at the game than the fans at home.
I'm thankful in one respect. Since the Baltimore Ravens won, I don't have to hear non-stop jokes that Beyonce was the San Francisco 49ers' MVP for using up all the power at halftime. (Note: Beyonce's not really the reason for the meltdown.)
It was a disarming delay. I started to wonder if they could delay the game until Monday. Players that were fighting during the game started to talk amiably on the field. Players stretched and ran to stay loose. Cheerleaders cheered ... in the dark. All during the third quarter. So strange.
2. Baltimore's fake field goal failure
John Harbaugh called the first fake field goal in NFL history, and it didn't work. Instead of taking a chip shot from Justin Tucker in the second quarter, Harbaugh tried to rush for a first down on fourth-and-9. It almost seemed like the play call was for a short-yardage situation. The Ravens essentially gave three points away.
3. Cary Williams' push
Colin Kaepernick threw an interception, a fight erupted, and Ravens cornerback Cary Williams got away with shoving an official in the melee. This is one of those moments that would have been one the biggest stories of the game if so many other crazy things didn't happen.
4. An intentional safety in the final seconds
5. Jacoby Freaking Jones
New Orleans native Jacoby Jones catches a pass deep down in the field, hits the turf, gets up and scampers into the end zone for a 56-yard touchdown. My favorite part: 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver literally jumped over Jones after the catch instead of touching Jones down.
6. Jacoby Freaking Jones Part II
Jones scored his second touchdown in just over two minutes of game time with a Super Bowl record-breaking 108-yard kickoff return touchdown to open the second half. And he capped it off with Ray Lewis' usual pregame celebration.
7. 17 points in 4:10
San Francisco's third quarter rally was dizzying. The 49ers moved the ball 49 yards in two plays to make the score 28-13. They stopped the Ravens in three plays, watched the Ravens shank a punt and then scored on a two-play touchdown drive. Ray Rice fumbled only two plays later, and Akers kicked his second-chance field goal three plays after that. Seventeen points in just over more than minutes. It felt like the Ravens were just about knocked out at that point, but they managed to survive.
8. The biggest non-call in NFL history
It's rare to see a Super Bowl come down to one play. Ultimately, we'll remember Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith grabbing Michael Crabtree on fourth down with a title on the line. Was it a terrible non-call? No, but it sure looked like a lot of contact. Coach Jim Harbaugh complained about the non-call immediately after the game. 49ers fans will complain about it for years to come.
9. A goal-line stand to win the Super Bowl
Seriously, Ray Lewis' career ended on a goal-line stand to win the Super Bowl. It can't get much more ridiculous than that.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
