The Baltimore Ravens faced the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 25, 2023, in Week 16 of the 2023 NFL season. Here are takeaways and highlights from the game.
Final Score: Ravens 33, 49ers 19
Perhaps Brock Purdy and the 49ers drank more eggnog than they could handle. Purdy had his worst career outing on Monday night, throwing four interceptions. Opposite him, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens used a big third quarter to pull away with the 33-19 win.
The tone was set when Purdy marched the 49ers down the field immediately on the opening drive. Despite leading an efficient drive, Kyle Hamilton collected the first of Purdy’s interceptions on the evening. Astoundingly, the beginning of Jackson’s night wasn’t that great either, as he ran into an official while trying to escape pressure and wound up recording a safety. The teams traded field goals to end the first with the 49ers up 5-3.
Not long into the second frame, Brandon Stephens batted a Purdy pass into the air. Marlon Humphrey came down with it and joined the interception party. Gus Edwards would punch in from a yard out five minutes later. Hamilton’s second interception (and Purdy’s third) in 22 minutes of play came not long after, leading to a Justin Tucker field goal. Christian McCaffrey’s 21st touchdown of the season ensued, and with one more Tucker field goal, the teams went to the break with Baltimore up 16-12.
A big third quarter, similar to their big fourth quarter last Sunday, was what Baltimore needed to take control of this contest. The Ravens converted their opening drive of the half to go up 11, and then Patrick Queen collected a piece of the interception pie as Purdy’s fourth pick effectively spelled the beginning of the end for the 49ers in this matchup. The Ravens went up 30-12 as a result of their second touchdown in 18 seconds when Jackson hooked up with Zay Flowers for the nine-yard score. Another Tucker kick brought the Ravens a 21-point advantage. Sam Darnold replaced the injured Brock Purdy (stinger) to lead one more touchdown drive for the 49ers in the fourth, but it was not enough to save the rough night for San Francisco.
Highlights
This play ended up being a safety for the 1st points of the game.
📺: #BALvsSF on ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/pkwa8SXokx pic.twitter.com/W3MEkx5zVe— NFL (@NFL) December 26, 2023
TOUCHDOWN NELLY FROM @LJ_ERA8!!!!!
TUNE IN ON ABC!! #ProBowlVote
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 26, 2023
TOUCHDOWN @ZAYFLOWERS FROM @LJ_ERA8!!!!!
TUNE IN ON ABC!!! #PROBOWLVOTE pic.twitter.com/Rjx2NMTpAt
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 26, 2023
Looking Forward
One might argue that, at the very least, Purdy’s worst career performance took him almost entirely out of the MVP discussion. With 11 interceptions, Purdy effectively threw one-third of his season’s total in just one game. Coach Kyle Shanahan believes Purdy will be able to bounce back from this awful outing and the stinger he suffered this game, but with the playoffs starting in under three weeks, this needs to happen quickly.
If we were looking for the definitive answer to the league’s No. 1 team as a result of this game, the Ravens rose to the challenge and answered the call. Now 12-3, Baltimore has beaten two of the four 11-win teams in the league this season (and both wins were in convincing fashion to boot). By most counts, this Ravens team is playing about as well as they had in 2019, the year of Jackson’s last MVP run. The Ravens stare down one more heavyweight matchup against Miami next week, then close at home against Pittsburgh. One more win will lock down home-field advantage in the AFC.
The 49ers, with their loss and Philadelphia and Detroit’s wins, are now locked in an 11-4 tie in the race for the No. 1 seed. Their final contests are against a floundering Commanders squad and the Rams.
Main Image Credit:
