Ravens beat 49ers 20-17: Questions, Comments, and Concerns

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BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – DECEMBER 01: Kicker Justin Tucker #9 of the Baltimore Ravens celebrates after hitting the game-winning field goal against the San Francisco 49ers at M&T Bank Stadium on December 01, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Comments:

The Ravens are the definition of a great team:

Great teams win when they should and find ways to pull out the tough ones. Today was a classic example of the latter.

For far too long we watched a Ravens team that plays to the level of their opponents. This year we force teams to try and keep up and steamroll them if they don’t. Sunday, the 49ers kept up, which is exactly why people have dubbed this a Super Bowl LIV preview.

Must Read. Baltimore Ravens move to top spot in AFC after Patriots loss. light

As much as I hope this is the truth, I try to avoid saying the “s-word” as much as I can. Unlike Michael Scott, I am superstitious. But what I will say is that there’s something special about this team.

Running isn’t Lamar’s biggest injury threat:

Twice the 49ers were flagged for roughing the passer. If you ask Ravens’ players, it should have been more.

When you’re at the top, everyone is gunning for you. That was clear on Sunday and it’s been clear for the past few weeks. It’s also quite evident that it’s nearly impossible to bring Lamar down, so players are taking their shots where they can get them.

As Omar said on The Wire, “You come at the king, you best not miss.”

Whether the 49ers were playing dirty or not is beside the point. The point is that the riskier hits are coming when he’s not running.

Much to the chagrin of the Lamar doubters, he gets hit more while he is inside the pocket. In fact, arguably the biggest hit he’s taken all season came in the pocket on a 20-yard touchdown to Hollywood Brown against the Bengals.

Justin Tucker:

That’s all.

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