Two Real Title Contenders!
49ers suffer time expired field goal loss to Ravens 20-17
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)
2019.12.01 – The San Francisco 49ers failed to convert on a fourth-and-short chance midway through the fourth quarter, and the Baltimore Ravens capitalized on a timely expired field goal to grab a 20-17 victory Sunday between two of the NFL’s top title contenders.
The key stretch of the game came in the fourth quarter when Jimmy Garoppolo had a pass batted down at the line of scrimmage on fourth-and-1 from the Baltimore 33 with 6:35 to go.
“I thought we had our opportunities there at the end,” coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday. “Big miss not being able to convert that fourth-and-1. I think we would’ve had a good chance to win the game if we did that. … A hard-fought game and two good teams that I think both played well, and we ended up not being able to get the win.”
The Ravens then ran out the rest of the clock, converting a fourth-and-1 run by Lamar Jackson along the way, and won on Justin Tucker’s 49-yard field goal.
“It was a great game,” 49ers tight end George Kittle said. “I think two of the best teams in the NFL went at it, and they made a couple more plays than we did. It’s tough.”
49ers Raheem Mostert ran for a career-high 146 yards and a touchdown for the 49ers (10-2), now tied with New Orleans for the best record in the NFC.
“We had every chance to win that game. Came up a little bit short there at the end,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “Credit to them. Hopefully, we can earn an opportunity to maybe get the chance to play them some other time again.”
Garoppolo went 15 of 21 for 165 yards for San Francisco.
Jackson lost a fumble for the first time this season when Marcell Harris yanked the wet ball from his grasp at the San Francisco 20 in the third quarter.
The 49ers subsequently got a game-tying 32-yard field goal from Robbie Gould, who missed the previous three games with a quad injury.
In the fourth quarter, both teams failed to convert on fourth down before the Ravens faced a fourth-and-1 from their 44 with 4:39 left. Jackson ran off right guard for 3 yards to extend the drive.
A 12-yard pass to tight end Mark Andrews gave Baltimore a first down at the San Francisco 39, and the Ravens soon summoned Tucker to end it.
Mostert ran for 89 yards before halftime — surpassing his previous career high in a game — but Gould missed a 51-yard field-goal attempt as time expired in a second quarter that ended with the Ravens ahead 17-14.
2019.12.01 – San Francisco 49ers vs. Baltimore Ravens (Video)
2019.12.01 – San Francisco 49ers vs. Baltimore Ravens (Video)
A 33-yard touchdown pass from Garoppolo to Deebo Samuel concluded San Francisco’s first drive and made the 49ers the first team to score in the first quarter against Baltimore since the Bengals on Oct. 13.
It was also the first time the Ravens trailed since the second quarter of their game at Seattle on Oct. 20.
Baltimore tied it with a 20-yard pass from Jackson to Andrews after Garoppolo lost the ball while being sacked. It was the Ravens’ 48th touchdown of the season, breaking the franchise mark set by the 2009 team.
Jackson scored on a 1-yard run before the 49ers pulled even on Mostert’s 40-yard sprint to the end zone.
But San Francisco managed only 119 yards and three points after halftime.
“On offense, we were beating ourselves,” Mostert insisted. “It’s not like they were beating us down. … We just got to keep our heads up.”
WHAT’S WORKING
Running game. After a somewhat sluggish performance the past few weeks, the running game shined on a rainy day thanks to backup Mostert. The RB used his speed to get to the edge repeatedly and finished with 146 yards on 19 carries for the biggest rushing day since Shanahan took over as coach in 2017. Mostert joined Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida as San Francisco backs to post 100-yard games this season, marking the second time since the merger that San Francisco had three 100-yard rushers in a season. Frank Gore, Kevan Barlow and Maurice Hicks all did it in 2005.
WHAT NEEDS HELP
Handling QB runs. The Niners too often tried to take out the back in the read-option game, allowing Jackson to get outside for big gains. Jackson had 16 carries for 101 yards, joining Aaron Brooks as the only quarterbacks to run for at least 100 yards against San Francisco since the merger.
STOCK UP
RT Mike McGlinchey. A knee injury early in the season limited McGlinchey’s effectiveness in his second season. But he is coming back to form now. He played well last week against the Packers and possibly had his best game yet against the Ravens. Many of Mostert’s big runs came behind McGlinchey, and he wasn’t beaten at all in pass blocking either.
“I thought Mike had his best game of the year versus Green Bay and then I think he followed that up with his new best game of the year yesterday,” Shanahan said. “I know Mike’s been battling through some injuries to get back. I know when he did get back, it still takes some time to get back to your old self, but I saw that last week definitely, and I think he only got better this week.”
STOCK DOWN
Shanahan. The Niners took too much time on a drive at the end of the first half and ended up having to settle for a 51-yard field goal attempt by Robbie Gould that was partially blocked. Then on the fourth down in the fourth quarter, Shanahan opted to go to the shotgun formation, which eliminated the threat of a QB sneak. Garoppolo’s pass never made it to his target and the Niners never got the ball again.
KEY NUMBER
28 — The Ravens turned a fumble by Garoppolo into a first-quarter touchdown. San Francisco has allowed 28 points off turnovers in its two losses, including three TDs against Seattle last month. The 49ers have allowed just 19 points — and only one TD — off turnovers in their 10 wins.
INJURIES
CB Richard Sherman (knee), S Jaquiski Tartt (ribs) and DT D.J. Jones (ankle) are all day to day. DL Jullian Taylor will likely miss a couple of weeks with a ligament injury in his elbow. LT Joe Staley (finger), DL Dee Ford (quadriceps, hamstring) and RB Matt Breida (ankle) all could return from injuries this week.
Related: San Francisco 49ers rout Green Bay Packers 37-8
UP NEXT
San Francisco faces New Orleans on the road, the 49ers’ third straight game against a first-place team.
Baltimore travels to Buffalo for a matchup with the Bills, who beat Dallas on Thanksgiving and have the inside track on an AFC wild-card berth with a 9-3 record.
Read more at: San Francisco 49ers Media Services / More AP NFL: www.apnews.com/tag/NFL
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
For more on the San Francisco 49ers, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
49ERS FIT – Free 4-Day Pass
EMI Sports Central – EMI Sports Bay Area: Join the conversation on sports news for SF Bay Area teams: Follow @EMIsports on Twitter, “Like” us on Facebook and sign up for our FREE email newsletters.