The San Francisco 49ers found that having Frank Gore on the roster was a fool’s gold when it came to exploiting the Baltimore Ravens’ red zone.
That’s how the Bay Area’s star linebacker Patrick Willis indirectly views it, as he disclosed to ESPN personality and former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III that the ending of Super Bowl XLVII still haunts him.
Fans on both sides need little reminder of how the affair ended but Charm City gridiron enthusiasts are often more than happy to recall.
With Baltimore harboring a 34-29 lead with just over four minutes remaining, San Francisco made it to the Ravens’ five-yard-line by the two-minute warning. Gore had amassed 41 of the 75 yards previously gained on the possession, most of that tally coming on a 33-yard dash that put the 49ers in the red zone.
Speaking on Griffin’s podcast “RG3 and the Ones,” Willis believed another handoff to Gore was coming, especially when recalled that head coach Jim Harbaugh had prophesized winning a Super Bowl by riding the legs of the power rusher and an offensive line that featured Mike Iupati and Joe Staley.
“We got down on the five-yard line … I said, ‘man, this is it,'” Willis said. “Harbaugh said in training camp… he was talking in training camp how we had the best power runner in Frank Gore and how we had the best offensive line and I’m like, ‘this is it.’ All this grind, and we’re going to win the Super Bowl.
” That carry never came: the 49ers got to the five on a two-yard rusher for LaMichael James but three consecutive Colin Kaepernick incompletions, all intended for Michael Crabtree, gave the Ravens the ball back.
Taking over at their own five, Baltimore did what San Francisco did not: run the ball. One rush each for Ray Rice, Bernard Pierce, and Vonta Leach squeezed the clock down to 12 seconds before Sam Koch intentionally took a safety, leading to a free kick that officially pushed the timer to triple zeroes. Had San Francisco earned the necessary score, it would have secured the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history (since broken by the New England Patriots).
The 49ers’ final offensive strategy caused Willis’ interior monologue to take on a confused tone.
“All of a sudden I saw them do a motion or audible … I said, ‘I know they’re not about to run this play,'” Willis, who had a game-best 10 tackles, recalled.”When they ran that last play out of all plays they could run, I said, ‘wow.’
” San Francisco has been back to the Super Bowl twice (2020, 2024) since that fraternal brother between Harbaugh and his purple-clad brother John, but endured heartbreaking losses to the Kansas City Chiefs on both occasions.
Related: Lights Out! Lamar Jackson became a Ravens fan during Super Bowl XLVII
Willis, since inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, isn’t the only former 49ers still feeling raw about the loss to the Ravens: his head coach Jim Harbaugh recently lamented the defeat shortly after he was named the new head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.
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