Week 13 Studs and Duds From 49ers’ Loss to Ravens

After a narrow loss at the leg of Ravens kicker Justin Tucker with a game-winning field goal kick, here are your Week 13 Studs and Duds of the game. The 49ers now sit with a 10-2 record but have dropped to the No. 5 seed in the National Football Conference, as the Seattle Seahawks, who own an identical 10-2 record, defeated the 49ers in their first matchup and currently stand atop the NFC West Division.

Studs

Fred Warner

The 49ers' inside linebacker continues to play a high level, especially in pass coverage.

Warner had two key pass breakups that stood out in this game. The first one was against speedy Ravens wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown in which he defended the receiver 25 yards out in coverage. Warner would later rise up to the occasion on a key fourth-down conversion in the fourth quarter.

Atop of his excellent play in pass coverage, Warner also accumulated five run stops during this game. Per Pro Football Focus, Warner had 14 run stops over the last two games—the most of any defender in that span.

Marcell Harris

49ers safety Marcell Harris was a practice squad player for the majority of the season and didn't get his moment until after Jaquiski Tartt suffered a rib injury. With Tartt out, Harris' presence was immediately felt with a key takeaway in the third quarter.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson had yet to lose a fumble all season but that's exactly the momentum-shifting play the 49ers needed to get back into the game. Harris stripped Jackson around the red zone as the 49ers regained possession and tied it up on the ensuing drive.

Raheem Mostert

In a game that was pouring rain all afternoon, the 49ers called upon running back Raheem Mostert to take advantage of the slippery terrain. His style of running—especially along the outside—was paramount in the 49ers regaining time of possession in the second half but more importantly, kept the ball away from Jackson and the Ravens' offense.

Mostert rushed 19 times for a career-high 146 yards, including this 40-yard touchdown run for the 49ers' second touchdown of the game.

With fellow 49ers running back Matt Breida out and Tevin Coleman struggling the last couple weeks, Shanahan decided to stick with the hot hand in Mostert.

Duds

Robbie Gould

Down 14-17, 49ers kicker Robbie Gould had a 51-yard field goal attempt partially blocked before halftime. The 49ers' defense would limit the Ravens to just three points over the entire second half with those three points being the game-winning kick to end regulation.

Gould has been dealing with an injury the last couple of games and while the missed field goal is certainly understandable in adverse conditions, it doesn't help to know that Ravens kicker Justin Tucker matched him with a game-winning 47-yard field goal attempt. Gould signed a four-year, $19 million contract this offseason.

Play Calling

Members of the 49er Faithful have been critical all week long over two specific moments that would define this closely contested football game.

The 49ers' offense had a chance to be aggressive for another score in the final minutes of the first half after scoring two explosive touchdowns in its previous drives. Instead, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan ground the clock down, even with timeouts, to settle for a 51-yard field goal that Gould would later miss.

Fast forward to the fourth quarter as the 49ers go for it on fourth-and-1 in what would be a decisive turnover on downs. Despite running the ball well all game long, the 49ers have quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in shotgun formation. Garoppolo targets Kittle in the middle of the field but the pass is batted down by Ravens defensive end Chris Wormley. I'm not sure if it would've mattered in such tight coverage over Kittle but regardless, the Ravens would take over--and the 49ers' offense would never get the ball back.

Shanahan is one of the best play-callers in the NFL but there are moments like these where you often question the devil in the details to finish off ball games.

Containing Lamar Jackson

While the 49ers' front seven would eventually progress as the game wore on, they had an incredibly tough time containing Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. I'm not sure if it's on the players or coaches but it seemed like defenders were consistently crashing on the running back on run-pass option plays while allowing Jackson to go unscathed.

Jackson would lead the Ravens in rushing with 16 carries for 101 yards at a 6.3 yard-per-carry average and now has 977 rushing yards for the season--as a quarterback! The Ravens took over the ball with 6:25 remaining in the fourth quarter and drained the clock down to the final seconds of a 12-play drive for the game-winning field goal thanks in part to the duality of Jackson.

• Justin Wong
• Written by:
  Justin Wong
  Justin Wong has been writing for the 49ers Webzone since 2017 while also running an NFC West blog and podcast called Just The West. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to @JustTheWest on Twitter.
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