The Baltimore Ravens nearly knocked off the New England Patriots a year ago. This time, they finished the job.
The Ravens scored 21 unanswered points in the second half Sunday at Gillette Stadium, knocking off the defending AFC champions with a 28-13 win. The Ravens will meet the San Francisco 49ers two weeks from Sunday in Super Bowl XLVII.
"Last year, we walked out of here with a bitter taste in our mouth," Ravens wide receiver Anquan Boldin told NFL.com's Albert Breer. "And we wanted to come back to this exact same spot and rectify that."
Joe Flacco keeps building his reputation, playing another outstanding game in difficult conditions. The Ravens' quarterback finished 21-of-36 passing with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He took down Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in back-to-back weeks, outplaying both future Hall of Famers in their own buildings.
Flacco got help from a Ravens defense that grew tougher as the moment grew bigger. Tom Brady had been 67-0 in games in which his Patriots were leading in Foxborough at halftime, but the Ravens dominated the last two quarters. Bernard Pollard's knockout hit of Stevan Ridley created the turnover that effectively ended New England's season. Brady was intercepted twice and had several passes deflected at the line of scrimmage.
So now it's set. The Harbaugh Bowl. Ray Lewis' final game played on the sport's greatest stage. Not too bad.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.
