Faithful Flashbacks #49: Lights Out at the Super Bowl

Faithful Flashbacks revisits the Super Bowl blackout that helped set up the 49ers’ second-half rally against Baltimore.

Jul 6, 2026, 7:00 AM Updated: 11:53 am

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In honor of the San Francisco 49ers celebrating their 80th anniversary, Sactown Sports is kicking off a countdown of the 80 greatest moments in the franchise’s illustrious history in reverse order called “Faithful Flashbacks.”

From Super Bowl-winning plays to overperforming teams that had minimal expectations, there’s plenty to choose from the team with five titles under its belt.

The voting was conducted by a handful of the Sactown Sports’ staffers before results were compiled into a full list that will count down to the 49ers’ 2026 NFL regular season debut against the Rams in Melbourne, Australia, on September 10th.

Faithful Flashbacks -- San Francisco 49ers 80 Best Moments

Coming in at No. 49 on our ‘Faithful Flashbacks’ countdown of the 80 best moments in franchise history is the power outage during Super Bowl XLVII.

One of the strangest scenes in Super Bowl history came in a game where the 49ers were chasing their sixth Super Bowl ring while also featuring a highlight coaching matchup.

San Francisco’s 2012 season had already carried plenty of drama before their run to the big game in New Orleans. The 49ers were in their second season under head coach Jim Harbaugh and made a major quarterback shift from Alex Smith to Colin Kaepernick during the year. The move to Kaepernick gave their offense a new look, one that already featured plenty of weapons.

Their opponents in Super Bowl XLVII were the Baltimore Ravens, led by Joe Flacco and coached by Jim Harbaugh’s brother, John.

For a while, the game looked like it might get away from San Francisco. Baltimore controlled the first half, then opened the second half with an improbable 108-yard kickoff return touchdown from Jacoby Jones that pushed the Ravens’ lead to 28-6. Not long after, the lights went out in the Caesar’s Superdome.

“Why is the clock stopped?”

Throwback to the lights going out during Ravens vs. 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII 💡😳 pic.twitter.com/BD5qbuhjmq— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) December 25, 2023

A power outage inside the Superdome stopped the game for more than 30 minutes, leaving a moment people had not seen before, especially in a game as important as the Super Bowl. Players stretched on the field, broadcasts scrambled to fill time, and the entire game was stuck in a bizarre pause.

When play resumed, the 49ers began to gain some momentum. San Francisco rallied back with 17 unanswered points and eventually had a chance late to take the lead, but their comeback came up short, with Baltimore holding on for a 34-31 win. Still, the outage became inseparable from how that Super Bowl is remembered.

For 49ers fans, it is a painful memory because the season ended just a few yards short. But as a franchise moment, it still stands out and earned its place on our ‘Faithful Flashbacks’ countdown.

Upcoming San Francisco 49ers Schedule

Late July 2026 – NFL Training Camps open
Thursday, September 10th – vs. Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia (Season Opener) – 5:35 pm PT
Sunday, September 20th – vs. Miami Dolphins – 1:25 pm PT
Sunday, September 27th – vs. Arizona Cardinals – 1:05 pm PT
Sunday, October 4th – vs. Denver Broncos – 1:25 pm PT