The Baltimore Ravens concluded Week 16 of the NFL on Christmas with a 33:19 win in the giant duel against the San Francisco 49ers. Brock Purdy had a very bitter evening.
Ravens @ 49ers: At a glance
- Brock Purdy’s four more or less self-inflicted interceptions ensured an early decision in favor of the Ravens, who, despite a shaky start, had everything under control shortly after the break at the latest.
- For the Ravens, safety Kyle Hamilton was in the spotlight. He caught two of the interceptions and was also difficult to overcome in coverage. However, he sustained a knee injury and had to leave the game early.
- Lamar Jackson continued his absolute dominance against NFC teams.
Ravens @ 49ers: The analysis
The game started turbulently with some bad luck from the home side. Three of the Niners’ first four drives ended in interceptions by Brock Purdy, for which he could only do so much. The first was a pick in the end zone by safety Kyle Hamilton that Purdy missed. Two passes, each deflected at the line, then ended up with Marlon Humphrey and Hamilton again. However, the Ravens only scored 13 points off of those turnovers.
San Francisco still got its first points overall thanks to a safety from Lamar Jackson. After a snap, he dropped back into his own end zone at his own 20-yard line, then tripped over a referee who had slipped and then threw the ball away – intentional grounding. A little later, Jake Moody scored a field goal.
Gus Edwards put the Ravens in front with a one-yard touchdown after his team’s second interception, while Justin Tucker hit three field goals before halftime. Christian McCaffrey shortened the lead for the home team with a nine-yard touchdown run.
After the break the same picture: Purdy was initially lucky that he didn’t throw another interception, but the Niners still had to punt. The guests then only needed three plays for the next touchdown. Jackson found Nelson Agholor for a six-yard touchdown pass. Edwards had previously put his team in position with a 39-yard catch.
Ravens @ 49ers: Two quick touchdowns as a preliminary decision
The incredible followed: Purdy, hit while passing, threw a fourth interception, this time to Patrick Queen, who carried the ball 21 yards to the nine-yard line. The next play after that: a nine-yard touchdown pass from Jackson after a scramble to Zay Flowers. New score: 30:12 Baltimore after less than five minutes in the second half!
As a result, the Ravens didn’t let anything go wrong, while the home team only made cosmetic results. Meanwhile, there are concerns about three top stars on both sides: While the 49ers first lost left tackle Trent Williams (groin) and then later Purdy, whose loss was probably just a precautionary measure in the middle of the fourth quarter – he was replaced by Sam Darnold -, Hamilton apparently injured his knee on the guests’ side. Diagnoses are still pending for everyone.
The fact that it didn’t get exciting again in the end, at least on paper, was due to another Niners interception in the red zone by Marcus Williams, who intercepted Darnold’s pass into the end zone and thus set the final point.
With this result, the Ravens go into a direct duel with the only remaining pursuer, the Miami Dolphins (11-4), next Sunday as favorites for the top seed in the AFC. Despite the defeat, the 49ers, on the other hand, still have it in their own hands to secure the top seed in the NFC, but are now level with the Eagles.
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Baltimore Ravens (12-3) @ San Francisco 49ers (11-4)
Result: 33:19 (3:5, 13:7, 17:0, 0:7) BOXSCORE
Ravens @ 49ers: Key stats
- Purdy’s four interceptions are a career high for the young quarterback. And it’s the most by a Niners quarterback since Nick Mullens threw three in a game during the 2018 season.
- McCaffrey’s touchdown was his 34th in a 49ers jersey. That’s the second-most in NFL history for a player in his first 30 games for a team – and it was only his 29th game for San Francisco. Only Hall of Famer Gale Sayers (36) had more in the Bears’ service.
- This was Lamar Jackson’s 20th win against a team from the NFC. Compared to that, there is only one defeat.
The star of the game: Kyle Hamilton (Safety, Ravens)
Hamilton was once again the linchpin of this defense and the one who made the most important plays, especially at the beginning. He ended the Niners’ first good attack with an interception in the end zone, reading the play perfectly. And he then grabbed another interception that set up the Ravens’ first touchdown. In total, he only allowed two catches for six yards in coverage.
The flop of the game: Brock Purdy (quarterback, 49ers)
A pitch-black Christmas day for Purdy, who many had already declared MVP. He threw four interceptions, at least two of which were his own, and he was lucky that not one or two more followed. He wasn’t a factor with short passes, so the offense never really found a rhythm apart from a few isolated pinpricks over deeper distances.
Analysis: Ravens @ 49ers – that stood out tactically
- The Ravens defense managed to play such tight coverage that Purdy had to hold the ball significantly longer than usual. While he usually throws the ball after an average of 2.67 seconds, in this game it was more than three seconds. And by then he was usually already facing pressure, which affected his precision. He also rarely saw the field well, which was also a factor in his interceptions.
- The Ravens defense was perfectly prepared for Purdy’s tendency to rely primarily on short passes (0-9 air yards). They sometimes played press coverage and attacked the receivers very early, especially on underneath routes. The result was three of the four interceptions by Purdy, who only completed two passes in this area of the field and none of them over the middle of the field.
- The Niners initially did a good job working the line of scrimmage and showed a lot of gap discipline in the pass rush. They were significantly less aggressive than usual and tried to play containment and keep Jackson in the pocket. This worked for a long time, but this style of play became increasingly difficult for them, especially with the short fields that resulted from turnovers.