Kyle Hamilton leaves with knee injury, Ravens can't afford to lose him

The Baltimore Ravens (12-3) won a game on Monday night by defeating the San Francisco 49ers (11-4) 33-19 but they might have lost big time on Christmas Night after losing safety and defensive leader Kyle Hamilton to another knee injury in the fourth quarter.

Hamilton's performance on Christmas was one of the best things from the Ravens' side of the affair but all of the good the sophomore did on the field was overshadowed by his concerning exit due to a knee injury late in the game.

Before leaving the field and going to the blue tent, Hamilton racked up a total of five tackles, along with two interceptions (one of them in the end zone), playing a pivotal role in stopping San Francisco in their tracks all game long.

Hamilton's second interception was equally impressive, if not more, as it showed the young man's resilience as he picked off Brock Purdy's pass after getting knocked down on a block but never lost track of the ball.

It looked like Hamilton suffered his injury while tackling 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk on a 22-yard reception (h/t Kevin Oestreicher for capturing and sharing it) in the fourth frame. Following the play, Hamilton clutched his knee in visible pain.

The safety was able to make his way to the sidelines on his own power before entering the medical tent for examination. Although Hamilton exited the tent and was seen on the sideline, he never took another snap and was ultimately ruled out for the remainder of the game.

This injury comes just two weeks after Hamilton suffered a sprained MCL in a game against the Los Angeles Rams two weeks ago. He was cleared to play in Week 15 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, however, taking part in all defensive snaps.

We'll have to wait to know more about the full extent of Hamilton's injury as it's still unclear at the time of this writing. Head Coach John Harbaugh will speak to the media on Monday, probably sharing an update on Hamilton's status and availability going forward.

The sophomore might be young and still learning, but he's already one of the key members of the Ravens' defense, and surely one the franchise will need if they want to end the season with a Super Bowl in their bag.

Through Week 16 games, Hamilton has accrued 81 total tackles to go with four interceptions.

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