Despite playing Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Ed Reed, and the rest of the vaunted Baltimore Ravens defense, Colin Kaepernick and the rest of the tradition-bound 49ers drove nearly the length of the field and came within five yards of a potentially Super Bowl-winning touchdown.
Less than two minutes later, the confetti had fallen and Kaepernick’s career had finally taken off. Despite leaving the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans as a Super Bowl loser, Kaepernick had been given the keys to the car for a franchise that had done the same for Joe Montana and Steve Young.