Ebony Bird
FanSided

Throwback Thursday: Baltimore Ravens beat 49ers on Thanksgiving

By Chris Schisler

BALTIMORE - NOVEMBER 24: Jameel McClain #53 and Terrell Suggs #55 of the Baltimore Ravens sack Alex Smith #11 of the San Francisco 49ers at M&T Bank Stadium on November 24, 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE - NOVEMBER 24: Jameel McClain #53 and Terrell Suggs #55 of the Baltimore Ravens sack Alex Smith #11 of the San Francisco 49ers at M&T Bank Stadium on November 24, 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Welcome to another Baltimore Ravens edition of Throwback Thursday, here at Ebony Bird. Today we look back at the Ravens 16-6 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Thanksgiving in 2011.

The Baltimore Ravens faced the San Francisco 49ers on Thanksgiving night in 2011. With the national spotlight on, it felt like it could be a Super Bowl preview. The 49ers would go on to lose to the New York Giants in the NFC Championship game. Billy Cundiff and Lee Evans ruined the Ravens Super Bowl chances against the New England Patriots. The Ravens ended up facing the 49ers a year later in the Super Bowl.

There was a lot of buzz about this game because John Harbaugh and Jim Harbaugh would be squaring off on opposite sidelines. In hind sight this would prove to be beneficial experience for the 2012 championship run. It was the Harbaugh Bowl before the Harbaugh Bowl.

Unlike Super Bowl XLVII the Ravens Thanksgiving clash with the 49ers was a low scoring affair. Until the fourth quarter, neither team got into the end zone. Joe Flacco threaded the needle for a touchdown pass to Dennis Pitta. Lardarius Webb picked off an Alex Smith pass in the end zone. That was one of the biggest swings in the game. The Ravens were caught in a defensive battle, so it was basically standard operating procedure.

An exciting but tough win:

Must Read: Baltimore Ravens: 5 players flying under the radar

For the 49ers the game was ugly, but the Ravens defense gave Baltimore so many highlights that made the game fun. The Ravens sacked Smith nine times in the bruising contest. Smith was limited to 140 passing yards and Frank Gore churned out a mere 39 yards. Baltimore controlled the game at the line of scrimmage and that’s why they won. The 49ers offensive line was nothing more than a punching bag in this game.

Flacco and Smith had nearly identical statistics. Flacco threw a touchdown and Smith through an interception, that was a big difference. Flacco was also sacked only three times, and Ray Rice and Ricky Williams managed to get a combined 88 yards on the ground. Baltimore was able to control the field position battle, which helped immensely.

This was a battle between two teams who truly believed they were heading to the Super Bowl. This was a prime time game, on a holiday. It was gripping, and it had fans at the edge of their seat. It was literally something to be thankful for on Thanksgiving.

Next: Baltimore Ravens: Top 10 franchise defining plays

We’re talking about old school, physical football. This was a game to remember. It was also a signature night for Terrell Suggs’s Defensive Player of the Year campaign. The 2011 Ravens were a special team (even though they ultimately fell short) and this was one of their biggest victories.

Home/Ravens News