On Monday night, the 49ers were just not prepared for prime time.
Brock Purdy, the NFL’s leading MVP candidate coming into the week, suffered the worst game of his football career.
The 49ers’ weaknesses were all fully exploited by the Baltimore Ravens, who won handily 33-19 at Levi’s Stadium on Christmas night.
Since the 1970 merger, it was only the third occasion in NFL history that the teams with the best records in each conference had faced off in December or later. Now 12-3, the Ravens proved why they were the best team in the AFC going into the season.
The 49ers? Not in that way.
The 49ers were just outmatched in every aspect of the game, thus it did not live up to the hype.
Even if the 49ers’ season record drops to 11-4, they still have the advantage in the tiebreaker for the NFC’s top seed.
However, with games remaining in the 2023 NFL regular season at home against the Los Angeles Rams and at Washington, they may have little room for mistake.
Here’s how the 49ers’ season unraveled in Week 16:
Purdy picked off four times
Throughout his first 23 starts of the 49ers regular season, Purdy skillfully avoided critical errors.
He committed enough blunders on Monday to last a very long time.
And it’s reasonable to presume that his MVP candidacy has taken a major hit and may have even been dealt a fatal blow.
Purdy completed 255 yards on 18 of 32 pass attempts, four interceptions, and no touchdowns. With a stinger, he quit the game during the fourth quarter. After entering, Sam Darnold continued to play.
Before facing the Ravens, Purdy had only thrown more than one interception in two of his NFL appearances. Purdy threw three interceptions, which was a career low, in the first quarter and a half. Then, with Baltimore taking a commanding lead early in the third quarter, he threw another pick.
In the first quarter, Purdy was intercepted by Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton in the end zone. Despite missing out on a touchdown, the 49ers managed to salvage some points from the turnover.
Under duress from Fred Warner and Nick Bosa, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson backed up more than 20 yards before falling over umpire Alex Moore in the end zone, with Chase Young pursuing.
Jackson attempted to fumble the ball, but his pass did not return to the line of scrimmage; as a result, it was declared a safety, giving the 49ers a 2-0 lead.
Marlon Humphrey picked up Purdy’s next interception after Brandon Stephens deflected his pass during a corner rush. Gus Edwards’ 1-yard touchdown run on fourth down was profitable for Baltimore.
Then, Purdy decided to throw George Kittle a late pass across the field, which was a poor decision. Hamilton intercepted the pass after Humphrey broke it up. Halfway through the second quarter, kicker Justin Tucker gave the Ravens a 13-5 lead with a 41-yard field goal.
49ers’ defense faces challenges from Jackson
The 49ers’ defense was unable to stop Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who made a strong case for his second league MVP award.
The Ravens scored on seven straight possessions (three touchdowns and four field goals) in the second and third quarters. Since the 2005 NFL season, the 49ers had not given up points on seven consecutive possessions.
The 49ers defensive secondary did not appear to be in disarray going into the game. Nevertheless, they decided to make a few adjustments.
Jason Verrett, a cornerback with the 49ers, was promoted off the practice squad to start his first game since the first week of 2021. Verrett has missed the last two seasons due to injuries. Just two weeks ago, he signed on with the 49ers practice squad.
During the first half, the 49ers stuck to their nickel defense, with Ambry Thomas joining Charvarius Ward on the outside and Deommodore Lenoir sliding inside to nickel back.
However, Verrett played nickel back for the 49ers to start the second half, with Lenoir and Ward sticking at cornerback on all downs. The 49ers returned to their starting lineup from the first half after sticking with that configuration for a few series.
With 12:07 left in the third quarter, Verrett did not play for many plays, but he was beat for a 6-yard touchdown pass from Lamar Jackson to Nelson Agholor, giving the Ravens a 23-12 lead.
Does 49ers want to play again?
This match was advertised as a possible prelude to the Super Bowl. Naturally, it did not appear that way, but is it possible that Super Bowl 58 on February 11 in Las Vegas will have a rematch?
That is a long way off, and on Monday night, the 49ers did not appear to be Super Bowl-ready.
The Ravens possessed more strength, speed, and aggression. For the majority of the game, they utterly outclassed the 49ers.
It’s possible that the 49ers are simply not meant to play the Ravens.
Or, should the clubs ever play again, may the experience of going up against the distinctive defensive disguises of the Ravens prove to be beneficial?
Purdy needs to be able to identify every aspect of the Ravens defense that caused him difficulty. He never seemed at ease playing against the best defense in the league.
Christian McCaffrey, the 49ers’ running back, kept up his steady play in the interim and is probably going to be crucial to the team’s postseason success.
With almost 100 yards from scrimmage in the first half, McCaffrey’s team records are still being set. He broke a tie for the franchise record with eight straight games of over 100 yards receiving and rushing. In 1988, Roger Craig established the record of seven straight.
McCaffrey had 499 career receptions when he started the contest. In his 89th game of the regular season, McCaffrey made history as the fastest running back to reach 500 receptions. Marshall Faulk, a Hall of Famer, completed it in 112 games.
Currently, McCaffrey has 21 touchdowns (7 receiving, 14 rushing). With 23 touchdowns in a single season, Jerry Rice retains the franchise record. In 1987, a season that saw just 12 games due to a strike, he accomplished it.