Colin Kaepernick played for the San Francisco 49ers from 2009-16, peaking during the 2012 season, in which he led his team to a Super Bowl appearance.
The 49ers lost to the Ravens, 34-31, in Super Bowl XLVII on February 3, 2013. The game, known as the Harbaugh Bowl, pitted brothers Jim and John against each other, with the latter emerging as the victor.
Late in the game, Kaepernick and the 49ers were unable to find the end zone. With less than two minutes remaining, the 49ers had a chance to take the lead, but inside of the red zone, they called three straight pass plays, instead of running the ball.
The 49ers reportedly admitted to making a mistake, prioritizing Kaepernick and his chances of winning Super Bowl MVP, over what was the right thing to do on the field in that specific moment.
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 24: Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 24, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Former 49ers player Delanie Walker said in the recent episode of Bussin' With The Boys podcast that Harbaugh admitted to making a mistake, as he wanted desperately to get Kaepernick the game's MVP award.
"How I saw it, he wanted Colin Kaepernick to get MVP of the Super Bowl," Walker said. "That was the mindset that Harbaugh had when he thought about throwing the ball 3 times, because if you do go back and look at our run game, they couldn't stop Frank Gore. After the game, Jim Harbaugh comes in (to the locker room) and says, ‘That's on me.' He probably realized we should have run the ball at that moment."
Kaepernick was having a big game, as he had a 98.3 passer rating and 302 passing yards and a touchdown on the night. But running the football would have been the better move, that's clear.
Harbaugh has owned up to it, too
While Kaepernick was having a big game, Harbaugh understands that he made a mistake. He should have ran the ball with Frank Gore.
"I wish we had run the ball, would have taken a crack with Frank Gore [with] a couple carries down there," Jim Harbaugh said in an interview back in 2024. "Woulda, coulda, shoulda. It's the kind of stuff that haunts you, because you walk off the field and go ‘There will be other days,' and you realize that might have been the only day. And to have a chance to have another day, that's all you can ask for is a chance."
Kaepernick, meanwhile, has been out of the league since 2016.
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