Tucker keeps Ravens win streak alive as Ravens beat 49ers 20 to 17

justin tucker beats niners

The Baltimore Ravens beat the San Francisco 49erswin as time expires 20-17 with a clutch Justin Tucker Field Goal.

I had the great pleasure of attending this game and it for sure did not disappoint!! On a cold, wet and windy December afternoon the Ravens once again proved they are the best team in Football right now. It wasn’t a big blowout and it wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win and this win was a big one. The stage was set for these two titans to clash at M&T and it was predicted to be a battle for the ages. This match-up had it all, gritty weather, super physical football, iffy calls, and that constant edge-of-your-seat feeling. The Ravens came into this match-up as 5.5 pt favorites and it definitely came down to the wire. Lets take a look at the game and reflect a bit shall we?

jackson vs niners

OFFENSE

Not the prettiest but it was good and enough.

With one glance at the box score on your ESPN app you might think to yourself “wow we really didn’t play that well, only 105 pass yds, what gives?” Well given the weather, I’d say we played pretty darn well, especially considering the defense Jackson and company were facing. Sure it wasn’t the best air performance, but no one is throwing great in that environment.

Ground:

The lack of passing attack was more than made up for with the Ravens continuing to blast through with their monstrous running game. Jackson once again proved he is an MVP caliber QB with his ability to gash even the best of defenses with his legs. Producing a huge portion (101) of the 178 total rushing yds, Jackson saw that the stout Niners defense was committed to stuffing the running backs and made them pay for it averaging 6.3 yds per carry. Ingram also finished the day with 3.9 yards per carry.

Air:

As for the passing attack, although it wasn’t crazy it was efficient when we needed it. Several times in the game very clutch catches were made by this great group of TEs. Jackson hit Andrews for the first touchdown early and got the momentum rolling. Hurst caught an early 4th down pass that kept a drive alive and led to a 17-14 lead before the half. Hurst came in clutch again in the final drive to put the Ravens at the 34 yd line after catching a 10 yd pass and ultimately led to SF burning their last timeout and allowing the Ravens to put it away with no time left. The WRs had a tough time with the leagues best pass defense, look for them to get back on track in Buffalo next week.

Trenches:

This offensive line definitely deserves some credit. Against one of the league’s best pass rushes they managed to keep Lamar well protected giving up only 1 sack and 2 QB hits in 23 dropbacks. They of course, have been huge in keeping this running game going with the Ravens leading the league in rushing posting an insane 191 yds per game on the ground. Give it up for the Big Men!!

There were a few drops and a costly Lamar Jackson fumble in the second half, some fixes can be made of course but  overall a good game by the offense given the environment today. Lamar is still making his case for MVP as he is quickly approaching Vick’s single season rushing record behind by only 63 yds with 4 games left. Lamars poise in and out of the pocket today showed once more that he continues to grow into a great passer and a true dual threat.

Defense vs niners

DEFENSE:

In a clutch game that had no lead over 7 pts the entire time, the defense showed resiliency by making adjustments, making a late 4th down stand and bending but not breaking.

Rush Defense

It wasn’t the prettiest performance against the run, as Shanahan’s running schemes gashed the edges and put up 174 yds on the ground. You wouldn’t expect anything less from the second best rushing attack in the league. The Ravens defense will need to make some adjustments for the upcoming 5th best Bills running attack. With all that being said, the Ravens defense “bent” but didn’t “break” because they came up big when they needed to only allowing SF to score 3 pts in the second half. This defense even after this performance is still allowing only 87.7 rush yds per game and that’s third best in the league. I expect Don “Wink” Martindale to make the right adjustments to possibly make this 174 yd performance by the niners the last one over 100.

Pass Defense:

To be expected the weather helped both defenses in the air. But they found a little trouble slowing it down allowing 11 yds per pass despite the conditions. The defense was opportunistic, however, forcing a fumble on the first sack of the game and turning the momentum back to the ravens early. The pass rush wasn’t the best with only 2 sacks but hitting Garoppolo 4 times otherwise. Lets also understand that the 49ers are a very good football team, so i think this is a win for the defense. The Ravens will look to put the heat on Allen next week and get this pass rush back on track. Overall allowing only 17 pts and making stops at the right time, the defense made it happen today and played relatively well and should continue to excel as the season progresses to the final stages.

Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker (9) kicks the game winning field goal against the San Francisco 49ers in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019, in Baltimore, Md. Ravens won 20-17. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

SPECIAL TEAMS:

Tucker once again showed that he is the best in the business as he kicks the 49ers out of Baltimore and the Ravens to a franchise record 10-2 record.Tucker was 2/2 on his field goals in the messy weather. The special teams squad took care of business today in all departments. We saw Sam Koch twice tonight, which has been a rare sight usually lately with the offense getting it done in tremendous fashion. He punted well, averaging 51.5 yds per punt and pinned the 49ers deep at the one yd line later in the 3rd Quarter. Special teams continues to play well this season, and its definitely a big part of the Ravens success.

Up next: Buffalo!!

Let’s celebrate this big victory tonight, and look ahead to the challenge that awaits our Ravens in buffalo. Coverage on that will come soon. Great win RAVENSNATION!!!! 10-2 and rolling!

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William Hare

I am a die hard Ravens fan and have been watching football since the age of 7. I like to be as realistic as possible and have a great passion for the game and of course the Baltimore Ravens.

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