What a game in Baltimore. The 49ers lost the back-and-forth contest no a 49-yard field goal by Ravens kicker Justin Tucker.
Here are our notes and observations from throughout the contest:
– Kendrick Bourne came through with a 30-yard catch-and-run on a third-and-7 on the opening drive to help flip field position. He took it down to Baltimore’s 41. Bourne was money on the 49ers’ game in the rain in Washington. He may become a favorite target of Jimmy Garoppolo’s.
– Huge drop on second-and-2 by Deebo Samuel. As good as he’s been this year, drops have been a problem for the rookie.
– Wow. Samuel more than makes up for it with a contested 33-yard touchdown catch on fourth-and-2 on San Francisco’s opening drive. That was money from the rookie, and a great throw by Garoppolo between two defenders.
– Huge pass breakup by Fred Warner on rookie WR Marquise Brown on second-and-10 set up the Ravens with a third-and-10 on their first series. Lamar Jackson’s deep shot to Willie Snead was too deep with Richard Sherman strapped to Snead in coverage. Forcing a punt on the first series is enormous for the 49ers’ defense.
– And Garoppolo fumbles on the 49ers’ second series. That’s how to lose to the Ravens. They’ll take over at the 49ers’ 23-yard line.
– Two plays later Baltimore is in the end zone. Tight end Mark Andrews was left wide open. Nice throw by Jackson, and a reminder of how quickly things can turn when the ball gets turned over against the Ravens.
– There was the first horrible Garoppolo decision of the day. He floated an out to Kittle that the linebacker dove in front of for the pass breakup. That has to be the last one of those Garoppolo makes.
– Baltimore’s gashing the 49ers run defense early. Jackson’s legs are the best offensive weapon in the league.
– The 49ers got a stop on third down, but Azeez Al-Shaair’s late hit on Jackson was flagged and extended the drive. Baltimore scored three plays later. That’s an inexcusable penalty by Al-Shaair. 14-7 Ravens. All 14 points have come on 49ers miscues.
– Nice run by Deebo Samuel to open the 49ers’ fourth series. He went for 20 yards and dragged CB Marlon Humprey for extra yardage.
– Garoppolo’s made back to back nice throws under pressure. He’s fitting the ball in tight windows despite the rain.
– Well then. Raheem Mostert went 40 yards for a touchdown after the third-down completion to Emmanuel Sanders. It’s tied at 14. The 49ers badly needed that.
– DeForest Buckner was credited with a sack on a blitz from Fred Warner. Jackson got back to the line of scrimmage, but avoided a big loss with a nifty move to get out of the pocket.
– The 49ers got the Ravens into a fourth-and-2 with 5:03 left in the first half. Baltimore ran it on third-and-6 knowing they’d be going for it in this spot. They got the first on a quick throw to tight end Hayden Hurst.
– Another roughing the passer call. Sheldon Day got free and hit Jackson low. Getting to Jackson and getting him on the ground was key, but doing so legally is vital. 15 free yards for this offense is not good.
– The defense stiffened up to hold Baltimore to a field goal. It’s 17-14 with 1:58 left in the half. Holding Baltimore to three points is basically like holding them to zero.
– Another big run for Mostert opens the 49ers’ series before the end of the half. 19 yards for him and a nice start to the drive. George Kittle had a catch-and-run for a first down on the next play, but a illegal block by Emmanuel Sanders set San Francisco behind the chains. Another awful miscue.
– Mostert again! 16 yards on second-and-12, and he stopped the clock with 29 seconds left.
– San Francisco is settling for a 51-yard field goal in rainy, wet conditions. It wasn’t close. 17-14 Ravens lead at the half.
– Jaquiski Tartt is down early. He tried to go low on a tackle and appeared to take a knee to the ribs. That’d be a tough loss for the 49ers defense. Marcell Harris is in for him.
– Harris! He ripped the ball away from Jackson and recovered it on a long run by the quarterback. That was an incredible play the 49ers defense badly needed.
– Mostert is having a terrific day. He’s at 121 yards on 10 carries. Baltimore doesn’t have an answer for the running back.
– What a play by Garoppolo. He was swarmed by pressure and flipped it back at the last second to Mostert, who plowed ahead for five yards to set up a fourth-and-1.
– A close pass interference call on a fourth-and-1 throw to Emmanuel Sanders gave the 49ers a first down. A quick handoff to Kittle on first down went backwards.
– Third-and-8 and a shot to Sanders goes out of the end zone thanks to good coverage from Marcus Peters. Garoppolo hasn’t been afraid to throw deep which is a good sign.
– Gould converts a 32-yard field goal to tie the game. Perhaps more importantly, the 49ers ate 8:26 of game clock and gave their defense a rest.
– Jimmie Ward came up with a pass breakup on third-and-long. Ward got to tight end Mark Andrews a touch early, but the officials didn’t throw a flag. Baltimore challenged it unsuccessfully.
– What a punt and special teams play from Baltimore. Their punt after the non-PI call was downed at the 1. Huge series with 1:31 left in the third.
– Mostert got three on first down to get the 49ers a little room. Then he got to the edge on second down for three more yards to set up a third-and-4. Then . Garoppolo found Sanders on third-and-4 for 12 yards and a first down. That’s big-time stuff from San Francisco.
– 18 more yards to Sanders on first down. This is the best Sanders has looked since his rib injury. He has four catches for 41 yards.
– Penalties are killing the 49ers on this series. A false start on Kyle Juszczyk put them behind the sticks before the last conversion. Now they’re sitting with a second-and-18 after a delay of game.
– Garoppolo’s third-and-10 throw skips in to Deebo Samuel. That throw is probably a pick-6 if it’s on the money. Cornerback Jimmy Smith had great coverage on the play.
– The 49ers defense is having a hard time tackling late in this game. Several broken tackles by the Ravens have gotten them extra yards.
– Wow. The Ravens go for it on fourth-and-5 from the 49ers’ 40 and Fred Warner breaks up a pass intended for TE Mark Andrews. Warner has been superb.
– Kittle’s first catch of the day is a big one. It’s a diving 13-yard grab for a first down with 9:16 to go in the fourth and the 49ers are into Ravens territory.
– The 49ers tried a fourth-and-1 pass and Ravens defensive lineman Chris Wormley batted the pass down at the line. Going out of the shotgun on fourth-and-1 was an interesting call.
– The 49ers defense got a stop on third-and-1 at the Baltimore 44, but it came with a price Richard Sherman went down on the 49ers sideline. He tried to re-enter the game but he couldn’t until after the next play.
– Jackson is excellent. He’s made a couple completions rolling to his right that seemed impossible. San Francisco is doing an awesome job defensively, he’s just making great plays.
– Two-minute warning. Baltimore is driving with a third-and-1 at the 49ers’ 30. This will likely be the final drive of the game. Baltimore can run the clock down and if they don’t get in the end zone, they have kicker Justin Tucker who is arguably the best kicker in league history.
– He drilled a 48-yarder for the 20-17 win. What a game. The 49ers fall to 10-2.