An eventful first half in Santa Clara ended with the Ravens winning 16-12 over the 49ers.
The final three points of the first half came off the feet of Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, who made a 28-yard field goal on the final play of the second quarter. The kick was a 30-yard run by Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson on a third-and-16 play, giving Tucker his third field goal of the first half.
Jackson’s scramble worked on this play, but he bit into the Ravens’ back end in the first quarter, tripped referee Alex Moore in the end zone, and was flagged for intentional grounding on a throwaway that didn’t reach the line of scrimmage. was established. Jackson was 16-of-27 for 129 yards through the air and 39 yards rushing.
The 49ers had a chance to score a touchdown before the safety, but quarterback Brock Purdy was intercepted in the end zone by Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton. Hamilton got another pick off a deflection by Marlon Humphrey in the second quarter, and Humphrey made an interception of his own, making it Purdy’s first three-interception game in his NFL career.
This doesn’t bode well for him as an MVP candidate, but another 49er candidate supported his case. Running back Christian McCaffrey scored his 21st touchdown of the season, tying him with Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert for the league lead. As of Monday, he had 101 yards from scrimmage.
The first 30 minutes at Levi’s Stadium were entertaining, and the final 30 minutes will mark the Super Bowl favorites heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.