In what was dubbed a potential Super Bowl preview, the Baltimore Ravens (10-2) rattled off their eighth straight win with a 20-17 victory over the NFC’s number-one seeded San Fransisco 49ers (10-2). The game lived up to the billing as both teams showed why they sit amongst the best of the league in everyone’s weekly power rankings. While the Ravens ended up on top, the game was close until the very end. With just three seconds left in the fourth quarter, Justin Tucker trotted out for the Ravens and kicked a game-winning 49-yard field goal into the swirling rain that had engulfed the field of play all day.
These are five takeaways from the Ravens/Niners week 13 heavyweight matchup.
Five Takeaways From the Baltimore Ravens-San Francisco 49ers in Week 13
1. Lamar Jackson Is Human
While Jackson has been the most impressive player at perhaps any position in the NFL this season, the Niners did a good job of neutralizing him outside of a couple of big plays. The rain played a big factor as to why both offenses weren’t quite as dynamic as expected but Jackson has been near impossible to stop no matter who he’s played. He was still good in the victory, going 14/23 for 105 yards passing and a touchdown through the air and on the ground. He also added 101 yards on 16 attempts in the run game.
It was far from a bad performance but the Niners made Jackson look average and even forced him into his first lost fumble of the season. Niners defensive coordinator Robert Saleh clearly wanted to get in Jackson’s face and had his defense attempt to knock him down every chance they got. They may have drawn two ‘roughing the passer’ calls but the Niners defense looked to have slightly got in Jackson’s head. He had a number of short gains in which he willingly stepped out of bounds instead of trying to avoid the ferocious San Fran front-seven.
Even if Jackson is human, he’s still breaking ankles and dropping jaws every game he plays.
. @Lj_era8 doing @Lj_era8 things 🤣🤣#ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/0It0bYRIEK
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 1, 2019
2. It Doesn’t Matter Who is Running the Ball For the 49ers
The Ravens are the only team to run for more yards in 2019 than the Niners and the two traded blows all day long. With Matt Breida out of the lineup, Raheem Mostert carried the weight for San Fran gashing the Ravens for 146 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Seen by most as the third-string running back on the Niner offense, Kyle Shanahan elected to feed Mostert like a work-horse back rather than stick with the committee he’d used all season.
The featuring of Mostert obviously meant that the other backs had to take a back seat. The only other runner to touch the ball, Tevin Coleman, accumulated just five carries. However, it didn’t really matter. Mostert averaged 7.7 yards per carry and was tackled for a loss just once the entire game. In a game in which the Niners strayed away from their usual formula, they still topped their season average (148.0 YPG) on the ground — registering 174 as a team. Mostert hadn’t received more than 12 carries since Week 3, a game in which Coleman was sidelined with an ankle injury.
Raheem Mostert getting on the board against his old squad 💪 @RMos_8Ball
(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/g6PjRsl6Fj
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) December 1, 2019
Jimmy Garoppolo was efficient through the air but the star of Niners offense is still the run game. It doesn’t matter who is running it, and that’s a scary thing to look at going forward.
3. George Kittle Doesn’t Need Stats to Make an Impact
It could be argued there is no tight end having a better 2019 than George Kittle. He is a true do-it-all tight end and showed his adaptability yet again on Sunday. Though he wasn’t able to stuff the box score like he is so accustomed to doing, Kittle made a huge impact in the run game as a blocker. The Niners passing attack was effective for most of the day but the plan for Shanahan’s team was to run the ball from the start. Kittle continually opened up big holes outside of the hash marks leading to a number of large chunk-plays for the Niners running backs.
George Kittle is the most complete elite TE in the league.
Evidence attached. https://t.co/2Q3HMltPUB
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 1, 2019
He finished the game without a catch but Kittle once again showed he doesn’t need to touch the ball to have an impact. The Ravens use a trio of tight ends to do what Kittle can do all on his own.
4. Don Martindale Has Manufactured a Pass Rush for the Ravens
Though the Ravens didn’t register a ton of sacks on the day, the Ravens pass rush forced Garoppolo to throw the ball under pressure the entire day. Baltimore was only able to register two sacks on the day but their second was at an incredibly vital juncture in the game. It came on a Chuck Clark sack-fumble that set up a 20-yard Mark Andrews receiving touchdown. This score tied up the game at 7-7 and it was the last time the Ravens trailed at any point in the game.
Clark’s play was big at the moment and perhaps even bigger considering the shift in momentum it provided the Ravens. Being opportunistic is an important trait for a unit that sits tied for 22nd in sacks (27.0) in the NFL.
This #Ravens defense has shown it can flip a switch so often this season, and here’s the latest example. Chuck Clark has handled his business in the absence of Tony Jefferson.
pic.twitter.com/ZZqWHtGFTO— Bobby Trosset (@bobbybaltimoree) December 1, 2019
There were also instances of the pass rush making impactful plays without hitting the quarterback. Chris Wormley came away with the most clutch play outside of Tucker’s walk-off field goal, with a pass defense on fourth and one from the Ravens 35-yard line. His batted pass stalled the Niners drive with 6:33 left in the game and the Ravens would do what they do best after — run the ball and eat up the rest of the clock on route to victory. The pass rush was one of the biggest weak spots for Baltimore coming into the year and they look to at least be serviceable for a team that wants to contend for the Super Bowl.
5. Both Teams Are as Good as Their Records
The Ravens may have come out victorious but both teams played exactly the tight type of defensive game most people expected. The Niners scored first but the Ravens answered right back with two scores of their own on two of their next three possessions. The Niners then scored a touchdown on the long Mostert run a drive later. There were only two turnovers in the game and both teams converted them into points. Couple that with crucial fourth-down stops in the fourth quarter by both sides and each team had a chance to win late in the game.
Going into Week 14, there’s a chance both teams will be sitting atop their respective conferences and in a position to get home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. They are both well-assembled, well-rounded and coached by the two front-runners for Coach of the Year award.
While a Seattle Seahawks Monday night win could vault them over the Niners in the NFC West, it would not devalue what San Fran has accomplished thus far in the season. Both the Ravens and Niners should continue to be seen as heavy Super Bowl contenders in 2019.
