SANTA CLARA — The 49ers missed primetime Monday night.
Quarterback Brock Purdy, who entered this week as the NFL’s leading MVP candidate, had the worst game of his football career.
And the Baltimore Ravens took advantage of all of the 49ers’ flaws to come away with a 33-19 victory on Christmas night at Levi’s Stadium.
This will be the third time in NFL history since the 1970 merger that the teams with the best records in each conference will meet after December. The Ravens, currently 12-3, have shown why they should compete as the top team in the AFC.
49ers? There aren’t that many.
This game didn’t live up to expectations and the 49ers were outplayed in every way.
The 49ers fell to 11-4 on the season but still hold the tiebreaker advantage for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
But now there may be no room for error in a game in Washington and at home against the Los Angeles Rams to conclude the 2023 NFL regular season.
Here’s how things fell apart for the 49ers in Week 16.
Purdy picked off 4 times
Purdy expertly avoided making any significant mistakes in his first 23 regular-season starts for the 49ers.
On Monday, he made a mistake that lasted.
And it’s safe to assume that his case for MVP honors has seriously lost momentum and may have taken a fatal blow.
Purdy completed 18 of 32 pass attempts for 255 yards with no touchdowns and four interceptions. He left the game with a stinger in the fourth quarter. Sam Darnold came on and played the rest of the game.
Before playing against the Ravens, Purdy had thrown at least one interception in just two NFL games. In the first quarter and a half, Purdy had a career-worst three interceptions. He then threw another pick early in the third quarter as Baltimore took a commanding lead.
Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton picked off Purdy in the end zone in the first quarter. This turnover cost the 49ers a touchdown opportunity, but the 49ers ultimately won the game.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson retreated more than 20 yards under pressure from Fred Warner and Nick Bosa, but then tripped referee Alex Moore in the end zone and was tripped by Chase Young, who was chasing him.
Jackson tried to throw the ball away, but his pass didn’t return to the line of scrimmage, so it was called a safety and the 49ers took a 2-0 lead.
Purdy’s next interception was when Brandon Stevens deflected a pass on a corner blitz, and Marlon Humphrey picked up the interception. Baltimore capitalized on Gus Edwards’ 1-yard touchdown run on fourth down.
Purdy then made a rash decision to throw across the field to George Kittle late. Humphrey broke up a pass and Hamilton made an interception. Kicker Justin Tucker made a 41-yard field goal to give the Ravens a 13-5 lead midway through the second quarter.
49ers defense struggles against Jackson
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson made a convincing case for his second league MVP as the 49ers defense had no answers for him.
In the second and third quarters, the Ravens scored on seven consecutive possessions (three touchdowns, four field goals). The 49ers haven’t allowed a score on seven consecutive drives since the 2005 NFL season.
Once the game started, things didn’t seem to be falling apart in the 49ers’ defensive backfield. But anyway, they decided to make some changes.
The 49ers promoted cornerback Jason Verrett from the practice squad for his first game since Week 1 of 2021. Verrett suffered season-ending injuries the past two seasons. He was signed to the 49ers’ practice squad just two weeks ago.
The 49ers maintained their standard nickel defense in the first half with Deomodore Lenoir sliding inside to play nickel back and Ambry Thomas joining Charvarius Ward on the outside.
However, the 49ers started the second half with Verrett playing nickelback and Lenoir and Ward remaining at cornerback on all downs. The 49ers continued to make that adjustment for several series before returning to their first-half lineup.
Verrett was on the field, playing few snaps, but was beaten on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Lamar Jackson to Nelson Agholoa to give the Ravens a 23-12 lead with 12:07 left in the third quarter. Ta.
Would the 49ers want a rematch?
The game was touted as a potential Super Bowl preview. Of course, it didn’t look like it, but could a comeback game be played at Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas on February 11th?
That’s a long way off, and on Monday night, the 49ers didn’t look like they could be in the Super Bowl.
The Ravens were stronger, faster, and more aggressive. They completely dominated the 49ers for most of the game.
The Ravens may just be a bad fit for the 49ers.
Or could the experience of facing the Ravens’ unique defensive disguise be valuable experience should the two teams meet again in the future?
Purdy has to be able to understand everything that gave him problems about the Ravens defense. He never looked comfortable against the league’s top defenses.
Meanwhile, 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey has continued to play consistently and will likely be key to the team’s postseason fortunes.
McCaffrey’s team record for over 100 yards from scrimmage in a first half is stacked. He had eight consecutive games with over 100 yards rushing and receiving, tying a franchise record. Roger Craig set the record for seven consecutive years in 1988.
McCaffrey entered the game with 499 total receptions. In his 89th regular season game, McCaffrey became the fastest running back to reach 500 catches in his 89th regular season game. Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk accomplished that in 112 games.
McCaffrey currently has 21 touchdowns (14 rushing, 7 receiving). Jerry Rice holds the single-season franchise record with 23 touchdowns. He accomplished that in 1987, but that season was cut short to just 12 games due to a strike.
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