The Baltimore Ravens took care of business in what turned out to be a record setting performance against the San Francisco 49ers. Facing off on Monday Night Football, analysts across the league called this a potential Super Bowl preview, and for good reason. Both teams entered with identical 11-3 records and were widely considered to be the best teams in their respective conferences. With elite offenses and defenses, this should have been one of the best matchups of the season.
Instead, the Ravens crushed the 49ers, winning 33-19 in a game that was never really in doubt. Then-MVP frontrunner Brock Purdy threw four interceptions while Lamar Jackson’s strong performance made him the new favorite for the league’s highest individual honor. The Ravens have dominated good teams all season long, and recent research indicates that nobody has ever been as good at beating good teams as the 2023 Baltimore Ravens.
Week 16’s victory was the seventh time all season that the Ravens have defeated a team with a winning record by 14 or more points. According to StatsPerform.com, this has never happened before, which means that the Ravens own the record for most blowout wins over winning teams.
Ravens Set Yet Another Record In Dominant Win Over 49ers
Not only do the Ravens have the record for most blowout wins over winning opponents, but it’s not particularly close. Per the research, no other team has more than five wins against such opponents, and there is still plenty of time for Baltimore to improve and grow their lead in this category.
The Ravens have a chance to clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs in Week 16 when they face off against the 11-4 Miami Dolphins. While a victory of any time is the goal, it sure wouldn’t hurt to have another blowout victory under their belt. The Dolphins are a legitimate Super Bowl contender, but they’re probably not as good as the 49ers. Anything can happen on any given Sunday, so only time will tell what happens on game day. However, with that being said, the Ravens should be able to win this one, and hopefully, they can do it by 14 points.
If the Ravens win that game and continue to extend their record, then they might rest their starters in Week 18. After all, they’d have nothing to play for, as they’d already have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The NFL season is a long, grueling experience for the human body, and you never want to risk an injury to key players like Lamar Jackson.
That being said, if the Ravens feel like giving it their all in the regular season finale, then they could easily beat the crap out of the 8-7 Pittsburgh Steelers. Now, there is a chance that Pittsburgh won’t have a winning record in Week 18, so even if Baltimore beat them handily, it still might not count.
In all likelihood, the Ravens record will stand at seven wins of 14 or more points against winning teams. This is still ridiculously impressive and shows that this team plays its best football when the lights are brightest.
Main Photo: Cary Edmondson – USA Today Sports
