49ers vs Ravens Recap; THE Game of the Week

49ers vs Ravens Recap; THE Game of the Week

When they announced this game at the beginning of the year on the schedule no one thought much of it. It was just another rematch of the 2012 Superbowl teams. As the season went on it became more and more intriguing; by the week of this game came it was undoubtedly “Game of the week” material. You have two teams with a combined record of 19-3. It was a battle of best offense versus best defense, something we love to watch and see which is stronger. When they collided on Sunday afternoon in a wet and cold game of Goliaths, the game didn’t disappoint.

The game started off strong with the 49ers establishing the running game and then going for it on fourth down and two. Then they surprised the Ravens with a pass to Deebo Samuel who made a great play on the ball with Marcus Peters in coverage for a 33-yard strike to start off the game. The 49ers then held the Ravens to a punt on the first possession, something they hadn’t done in over 15 possessions. Afterwards, the Ravens defense showed how they have improved over the year and got a critical turnover when the 49ers were trying to go down the field and make it a two-score game early. The safety Chuck Clark came in for the strip-sack and Brandon Williams recovered. That play led to the Ravens scoring in two plays on a Lamar Jackson strike to his favorite target Mark Andrews for a 20-yard score to tie up the game. 

After all that we pretty much had back to back drives that resulted in touchdowns for each team. The main difference was the time of possession in which the Ravens were winning. They produced ten points on two drives that lasted roughly 15 minutes. The half ended with a blocked field goal by none other than expected Pro Bowl corner Marlon Humphrey. 

Now, the first half may have been a bit of a scoring fest, but with the weather conditions worsening it became more of a defensive battle. The Ravens were marching on their first drive after the half. It, unfortunately, had an uncharacteristic turnover in the form of a Jackson fumble. It was an amazing play by backup safety Marcell Harris to strip and recover the ball all in one motion. Yet the Ravens defense held and only allowed a field goal on the ensuing drive. After that, it was an exchange of punts and two defenses having great stops on fourth down tries to lead to the final possession held by the Ravens. In a game of this magnitude, the Ravens knew they needed to bleed the clock and that is just what they did. The had two critical conversions on a fourth down and third down in which they stuck to themselves and ran with Lamar Jackson. This drive led to a comfortable situation with the Ravens, they put it on the golden leg of the most accurate kicker in NFL history, Justin Tucker. He then proceeded to do what he has done all his career and made the game-winning field. 

The battle of Goliath showed two things. The first being that the 49ers are serious playoff and Superbowl contenders this year with a defense that can slow down two MVP candidates, while also having an offense that is well balanced. The second is that the odds-on favorites for the Superbowl should be the Ravens. This 2019 Ravens team is great in every category and can show it against the best of the best while prevailing victorious.

-By: Darren Braxton

Writer/ Podcaster