3 Things We Learned From the 49ers 20-17 Loss Against the Ravens
The San Francisco 49ers suffered only their second loss of the NFL season as they were defeated 20-17 by the Baltimore Ravens in a Game of the Year candidate that fully justified its hype.
It took a last-second field goal from Justin Tucker for the Ravens to beat the 49ers, who produced another highly impressive performance in their toughest challenge of the campaign so far at M&T Bank Stadium.
The loss gives the Seattle Seahawks, the only other team to overcome the 49ers this season, a chance to take the lead in the NFC West race when they face the Minnesota Vikings on Monday. While that will be of obvious concern, the primary feeling coming off a narrow road defeat to one of the best teams in football should be one of encouragement.
Here we look at what we learned as the 49ers dropped to 10-2.
Lessons learned from Cardinals games
After struggling to contain Kyler Murray in their two wins over the Arizona Cardinals, the Niners did a significantly better job of keeping Lamar Jackson in check than most teams have. The MVP frontrunner was held to a season-low 105 yards passing, though he did throw for a touchdown to Mark Andrews in the first quarter.
Jackson also rushed for a score but ran at a clip of 6.3 yards per carry, his lowest average since the Ravens' Week 9 win over the New England Patriots. There were still several plays where the 49ers crashed down on a running back only to see Jackson keep the ball on the option and glide into free space as Murray did on multiple occasions for Arizona.
However, the Niners cleaned things up and were much more disciplined in the second half, somewhat limiting Jackson's impact on the ground. He was still able to do enough to get the Ravens over the line, but the 49ers should leave this game full of belief they can slow down Jackson should they meet again in February.
Running backs don't matter… for the 49ers
At this point, it is clear it does not matter which of the 49ers running backs gets the bulk of the carries. That is no slight on any member of the backfield, but rather a tribute to the genius of Kyle Shanahan's scheme and the execution of the blocking.
From the offensive line to the skill position players, the Niners blocked excellently for Raheem Mostert, who ended up being the lead back against Baltimore as Tevin Coleman struggled. He took full advantage and racked up 146 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Mostert, Coleman and Matt Breida have all had huge days running the ball for San Francisco this season, a symptom of an expertly designed ground game in which the identity of the running back appears to be largely immaterial.
It still requires the back to be able to make the most of the gaps opened up for him but as long as the blockers continue to execute the plan to the level they've done so in the past two weeks, the Niners should continue to have great success running the ball.
Niners should not fear anyone
The 49ers may have been defeated, but it was another loss in which the margin of victory was just three points. San Francisco followed a demolition of the Green Bay Packers with another excellently played game that could have gone the other way had the Niners converted a fourth down on their last offensive possession.
Sunday's display was one that proved the Niners can go toe to toe with any opponent on any field. While the Niners would obviously prefer to stay as the top seed with the first-round bye and homefield advantage, if they maintain this level of performance it won't matter where they play.
San Francisco has absolutely no reason to fear anyone and, as attention turns to a hugely significant meeting with the Saints in New Orleans, it is clear the 49ers will not be daunted by any opponent.
