1) San Francisco Struggled to Stop the Run Today
Baltimore's success on the ground all year has been no surprise. It continued today as they ran for 178 yards, with Lamar Jackson getting 101 of them on 16 carries and a score. What hurt the 49ers the most were the zone read plays that chewed up yardage and clock. It seemed like whenever the Ravens needed a big gain, they were able to get it on a zone read and the Niners repeatedly crashed the running back. Jackson kept making the correct read and it seemed San Francisco was faked out over and over, especially in the first half.
The other factor was Mark Ingram's success on first down. He had 59 yards, but the vast majority of them came on early downs and put the offense in very good situations.
2) Raheem Mostert Gets Consistent Yardage
Backup running back Raheem Mostert ran for a career high 146 yards on 19 carries and had a big 40 yard touchdown run. He had chunk plays throughout the day and consistently gashed Baltimore for sizable gains. Tevin Coleman hasn't been nearly as effective as Mostert, who averaged over seven yards per carry today.
While we all want a different play-call when things don't work out, giving the ball to Mostert on fourth and one would have been the safest play. When asked about that final play for the San Francisco offense, Kyle Shanahan said "I don't mind the decision at all, not running. But I wish I had called a better pass play." Garoppolo's pass was knocked down at the line of scrimmage and the 49ers never got the ball back.
The ground game will continue to get better as Matt Breida should make his return next week against the Saints.
3) Jimmy Garoppolo Handles Big Games Very Well
Any criticism of Jimmy Garoppolo appears to be more about analysts not wanting to admit their narratives are wrong, so they keep nit-picking. In this game, once again, he handled the pressure and adversity and led the 49ers to a touchdown on their first drive, connecting with Deebo Samuel on fourth down for a 33-yard touchdown pass. His ball placement is getting better and he continues to convert well on third down.
Garoppolo finished the day 15 for 21, for 165 yards and a touchdown. One of the big plays in the game was the fumble on a sack on the 49ers' next possession. It was a great play by the Baltimore defense and it set up Lamar Jackson with a short field where he excels.
4) The Bottom Line
This was a back and fourth game where the end result ended up hinging on who had the ball last. The Ravens were able to drive the ball down to the 49ers' 30, kill all the clock and let the best big-game kicker win it for them.
Overall, the 49ers had a good performance, but needed to be a little better in order to win this game. Defensively, they were able to get stops on Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore offense and did shut them out until the final kick in the second half. This was a game of field position and patience. The 49ers simply ran out of time.
5) Extra Points
- Fred Warner continues to show why he may be an All-Pro. His coverage skills are elite as is his run defense. He finished with a game-high eight tackles and also three assists.
- Penalties definitely hurt the 49ers, especially the roughing the passer calls (one of which was a ridiculous call). They have to clean those up in games like this.
- It seemed like the 49ers finally figured out a way to get a successful scrape exchange on zone read plays to limit Jackson's scrambling. The problem is the fourth quarter was too little too late. Jackson faked out the 49ers way too many times.
- The injury bug nicked the 49ers today with D.J Jones and Jaquiski Tartt leaving the game. Richard Sherman twisted his knee but came back and later said he will be okay to play against the Saints.
- The weather conditions and the running game kept the San Francisco pass rush off balance and only allowed one sack.
- Next week, the 49ers will be in New Orleans, taking on the 10-2 Saints. They will remain on the East Coast as they prepare for the game.
