Thanksgiving Throwback Thursday: Baltimore Ravens vs. San Francisco 49ers
Happy Thanksgiving to all! To celebrate with our turkey and mashed potatoes, let’s rewind to 2011 when Baltimore Ravens bested the San Francisco 49ers.
Sitting in front of the television all day with a belly full of turkey and potatoes watching football is how America loves to celebrate Thanksgiving. While the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys play every year, there’s a third game that gets rotated around between the rest of the NFL. In 2011, it was our beloved Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers.
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This game was hyped up because the head coaches, John and Jim Harbaugh respectively, had led their teams to remarkable seasons (Baltimore finished 12-3, the 49ers finished 13-3). The two seemed destined to run the league for the next decade and create an outer-conference rivalry worth a thousand memories.
(Check out the best highlights from the game here).
That night, Baltimore would have some huge highlights, almost exclusively on defense. It was a shock to no one, as Terrell Suggs led a ferocious unit en route to his Defensive Player of the Year award. The Ravens recorded nine sacks vs. San Francisco, including three from T-Sizzle.
Offensively, there wasn’t much to write home about. The 49ers had themselves a hell of a defensive unit as well, captained by future Hall of Fame linebacker Patrick Willis. Willis led a front featuring rookie edge rusher Aldon Smith, who finished his rookie season with 14.0 sacks, and other future Hall of Fame players like defensive lineman Justin Smith and linebacker NaVorro Bowman.
The 49ers were able to bottle up the run and keep Baltimore honest on offense. Ray Rice couldn’t get going against the best run defense in the NFL in 2011, even with a couple of chunk plays thrown in for good measure. The defense dared Joe Flacco to beat them, and he was able to step up. Flacco and tight end Dennis Pitta scored the game’s only touchdown on an 8-yard pass.
The Ravens struggled all night offensively, but their defense was the ultimate difference-maker. Baltimore edged out San Francisco 16-6 in an absolute slugfest. It was perhaps the Ravens best victory of the year, and it’s one that we continue to celebrate all these years later.
Next. Ravens: Why John Harbaugh must be the most thankful coach. dark
Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! Enjoy the laziest day of the year with some good football and fond memories of our Baltimore Ravens!