Ravens outlast 49ers in a clash of the titans
Justin Tucker’s kick seals the deal, 20-17, in the sogging rain in Baltimore.
BALTIMORE – For the better part of three months, Ravens quarterback and MVP candidate Lamar Jackson has driven opposing defensive coordinators crazy, dominated NFL highlight reels and helped fundamentally alter the way the league views the quarterback position.
The 49ers’ task on a rainy Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium was to figure out a way to contain him.
And, at least in stretches, the team did.
Yet even that was not enough to get past the hottest team in the NFL – a group that, again, proved that it is much more than its spectacular quarterback.
In a game that had been teased all week as a potential Super Bowl preview, the Ravens stopped San Francisco on a key fourth-and-short in the final minutes, then converted a fourth down of its own and watched Justin Tucker hit a winning field goal as time expired to escape with a 20-17 win.
The victory, which was Baltimore’s eighth in a row, pushed the Ravens to 10-2 on the season and further cemented their place among the NFL’s elite. And unlike the team’s other highly anticipated matchups against contenders such as New England and Houston, this one was more nail-biter than blowout.
“It was a gritty game,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said, “and I think it’s a grit win for us.”
The score was tied at 17 with 6:33 to play when the 49ers faced a 4th-and-1 at Baltimore’s 35-yard line, a spot deemed too far for a Robbie Gould field goal attempt but close enough to warrant a risk. San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan took a timeout and called a different play, a pass that was intended for George Kittle but fell incomplete.
That failure gave Baltimore life, and a few key conversions by Jackson – including a 3yard run on a 4th-and-1 – put the Ravens in position to win the game. At the two-minute warning, the Ravens were already in field goal range for Tucker. They milked the clock and watched him hit a 49-yarder with three seconds to play.
“(He’s) got that golden leg,” Jackson said of Tucker. “I’m on the sideline praying, but at the same time, I’m like, ‘I know Tuck can do it.’ ”
Jackson threw for just 105 yards on 23 attempts, though he did run 16 times for 101 yards and account for two touchdowns. He also moved to within 62 yards of tying Michael Vick’s singleseason record for rushing yards by a quarterback (1,039) with four games still to play.
The 49ers tried to prepare for Jackson’s speed and unpredictability by employing wide receiver Richie James as their scout-team quarterback in practices last week.
They slowly learned, however, that there are some things few others besides Jackson can do.
In the first quarter, the Louisville product turned a play-action fake into a 20-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mark Andrews, who celebrated by mimicking 49ers defensive lineman Nick Bosa and pretending to plant a flag in the ground.
On Baltimore’s next drive, Jackson kept the football on a fake and ran it into the end zone.
“It’s hard,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “There are 11 guys out there you have to defend on every play. You can’t just go after the quarterback. Then you’re going to get 12-yard dives from Mark Ingram.”
San Francisco (10-2) countered with a few big plays through the air and some welcome production from Raheem Mostert on the ground.
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo heaved a 33-yard touchdown pass to Deebo Samuel on a 4th-and-2 on the opening drive of the game before Mostert took over, making Ravens defensive backs Marcus Peters and Earl Thomas miss en route to a 40-yard score late in the second quarter. He finished with 89 rushing yards in the first half alone, single-handedly gashing a Ravens defense that had allowed just 87.7 rushing yards per game entering Sunday.
All told, the 49ers actually outgained Baltimore 331-283 and held the Ravens to their fewest points and second-lowest yardage output of the season.
But statistics were little consolation in the visiting locker room after San Francisco’s second loss of the season.
“Give credit to them,” Shanahan said. “Hopefully we can earn an opportunity to maybe get a chance to play them some other time again.”