Leading Off: Pictures of the Week

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Feb 4, 2013

Leading Off: Pictures of the Week

A windsurfer competes at the Red Bull Storm Chase at Brandon Bay, Ireland. Six of the 10 competitors advanced to the second mission, successfully battling 20-foot waves and wind gusts up to 74 knots (85 miles per hour) -- that's the same wind speed as Superstorm Sandy.

A mass of bodies fight for a rebound in a Jan. 31 game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Memphis Grizzlies. Led by Kevin Durant's 27 points, the Thunder soundly defeated the Grizzlies 106-89.

The Bungan sue life saving crew lose control of their boat at the Ocean Thunder Surf Boat Series in Sydney, Australia.

Quarterback Joe Flacco celebrates with guard Bobbie Williams amid a swarm of media after the Baltimore Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII. Flacco was named Super Bowl MVP for his 287-yard, three-touchdown performance.

Cyrille Oumedjkane dives from the 26.5-meter platform on the Hawkesbury River in Sydney, Australia, during the qualification competition for the 2013 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series. The Frenchman missed qualification by one spot as Matt Cowen claimed the fifth and final spot, 4.30 points ahead.

Tepmokea, ridden by Shane Kelly, leads the field into the final turn at the Grand Prix Guardaval Immobilien, part of the White Turf races in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Tepmokea couldn't hang on to the lead however as Amazing Beauty won the race, followed by Nightdance Paolo.

Joe Flacco throws on the run as the San Francisco 49ers defense pursues him. The Baltimore Ravens quarterback had a stellar game, completing 22 of 33 passes for 287 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He tied Joe Montana as the only quarterbacks to throw 11 touchdowns with no interceptions in a postseason run.

Robert Prezioso/R&A/R&A via Getty Images

Stephen Dartnell plays a shot out of a bunker on the 12th hole during the second day of the British Open International Final Qualifying event for Australia in Melbourne. Dartnell scored eight-under in his two rounds to earn the last of the three qualifying spots along with Steven Jeffress and Mark Brown.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree reaches out in vain for a pass from quarterback Colin Kaepernick on fourth-and-goal in the fourth quarter. The 49ers, trailing the Baltimore Ravens 34-29, needed a touchdown but could get no closer than the five-yard line as three Kaepernick passes fell incomplete.

Austrian Michael Staufer falls off his bike during the Enduropale motorcycle endurance race in Le Touquet, France. About 1,000 motorbike and 500 quad bike racers compete in the beach race every year.

North Carolina State guard Tyler Lewis puts up a layup as Miami guard Durand Scott gets knocked backward in the Wolfpack's and Hurricanes' Feb. 2 matchup. Scott scored a game-high 18 points as No. 14 Miami barely topped No. 19 North Carolina State 79-78.

Walter Wood takes a practice run before qualifications for the FIS Freestyle Ski Halfpipe World Cup at the Sprint U.S. Grand Prix in Park City, Utah. Wood scored a 79.8 to finish 16th in the competition.

Wide receiver Anquan Boldin reaches out for a 13-yard touchdown completion from Joe Flacco in the first quarter of Super Bowl XLVII. Boldin's catch opened the scoring as the Baltimore Ravens built a 28-6 lead by the first play of the second half. Boldin finished the game with six catches for 104 yards.

Long snapper Morgan Cox happily gets swallowed by the sea of confetti after the Baltimore Ravens' 34-31 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. The win was the Ravens' first Super Bowl title since the 2000 season.

New Jersey Devils center Adam Henrique lifts the puck into the top-right corner of the goal, past New York Islanders goaltender Evgeni Nabokov in the third period. Henrique's goal tied the game at four, but the Islanders earned the victory on an overtime goal from right winger Brad Boyes.

Graham Kitchener rises through the snow to win the lineout during a friendly between England Saxons and Scotland A in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Scotland earned the victory 13-9, sparked by a first-minute try from Duncan Taylor.

David Wise soars in the half pipe freestyle skiing competition. Wise took the top spot in the contest with a score of 93.8, backing up his gold medal in the SuperPipe at the 2013 Winter X Games.

The Los Angeles Kings and the Vancouver Canucks battle for a puck in the corner during their Jan. 28 game. Locked a 2-2 after regulation and overtime, the Kings prevailed when right winger Jeff Carter scored in the shootout.

Ray Lewis hoists the Lombardi Trophy as he celebrates the Baltimore Ravens' Super Bowl XLVII win. The victory caps off a 17-year career for the star linebacker who announced before the playoffs that he would retire at the season's end.