San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo outdueled Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson in Week 13 amid the rainy, windy conditions at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday.
At least through the air.
Both signal-callers tossed a touchdown, yet gave up a fumble, although Garoppolo managed to go 15-of-21 for 165 yards with a passer rating of 110.2. Jackson, meanwhile, was 14-of-23 for 105 yards with a 86.3 passer rating.
The Niners ultimately lost this epic clash, though, falling 20-17 on a game-winning field goal by Ravens kicker Justin Tucker as time expired. And Jackson, whose dual-threat capabilities are a big reason why he's surging towards NFL MVP honors, were on full display, too. He rushed for 101 yards on 16 carries, proving again why he's so difficult to contain and take down.
Still, despite the loss, it's easy to see why both of these teams are so closely ranked and could easily meet again in Super Bowl LIV, depending on what happens between now and February.
"We're going to face adversity some times," Garoppolo told reporters after the game. "Guys responded well today. We needed to make more plays in crucial situations. And that's what separates a lot of these games, just a couple plays here and there."
One of those plays came midway through the fourth quarter when the game was tied at 17 apiece. Facing a 4th-and-1 on the Ravens 35-yard line, head coach Kyle Shanahan called for Garoppolo to pass over the middle in an attempt for tight end George Kittle to convert. But Baltimore's defensive line batted the pass down at the line of scrimmage, and the Ravens would take over on downs.
Shanahan later said he "didn't mind the decision at all" to pass on fourth down, despite the fact running back Raheem Mostert was gouging Baltimore's defense for an average of 7.7 yards per carry.
"They had tight coverage," Garoppolo said of the failed fourth-down attempt. "The D-lineman got his hands on it. I thought we had a chance at George, but it was a good play by their D-lineman."
With the loss, San Francisco now falls to 10-2 and could surrender the top spot in the NFC West, should the Seattle Seahawks beat the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football.
Seattle owns the tiebreaker over the 49ers, stemming from its Week 10 overtime win over the Niners at Levi's Stadium.
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Written by:Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
