151 thoughts during 49ers loss in Week 13 to Ravens

It’s that time of the week again. Join Niner Noise’s resident Australian as the San Francisco 49ers face the Baltimore Ravens in a battle of Super Bowl contenders on a wet and wild Sunday.

Similar to last week I had to work during the game, but luckily Australian TV has this game so I was able to tape it and watch it delayed without having any spoilers.

If you don’t get an article per week for the rest of the year, it’s because I can’t watch it live and I haven’t the means to record it.

Anyway here we go! 49ers to receive, and boy is it wet.

Last time it was wet, the 49ers pitched a road shutout. However the caliber of opponent as well as the conditions aren’t quite as favorable for that today.

I don’t know why the commentators think a 3rd and 7 is a 3rd and long. Geez.

Drop #1 of the day. Don’t make me think about the Seattle game here receivers…

Didn’t look like there was a play there unfortunately.

Time to go aggressive!

I’m wearing my Garoppolo jersey by the way.

Judging by that catch, I may need a Deebo jersey too.

I won’t lie, I am looking forward to seeing this Ravens offense in action. It’s a thing of beauty.

Hopefully not too much of it though.

Jackson is a quarterback who can just run like a true running back. It’s amazing.

Great work, and the Ravens offense stalls. No early touchdown for the Ravens.

Can the 49ers get up two scores quickly?

The Ravens are going to stack the box and stop big runs, so every yard gained for these 2nd and 3rd down passing plays is big.

Ugh Garoppolo needed to hang onto that. It’s a wet ball so you need to wrap it up when the defense gets to you.

Defense needs to comes up big here.

Ugh, and they did not.

7-7 in the first quarter.

Need a big response here.

Ugh, Garoppolo didn’t have a good throw there. The commentators are a bit excitable for Baltimore though as it wasn’t a pick six (he wasn’t keeping his footing if he intercepted that).

Just short on that 3rd down try. Just not quite a good enough throw.

Oh boy, I thought they blocked that punt for a moment…

The 49ers need to blitz more up the middle, they’re not going pass much in this when the option is working well.

7-7 to end the quarter, but Baltimore has looked a lot more threatening here.

Jackson is not the perfect passer, and forcing him to throw may be how the 49ers make a play here.

Jackson with a nifty sidestep, that’s just what he does.

Ugh a roughing the passer call is not what you want when the Ravens fail on third down.

The 49ers need to put a spy on Jackson, they have been unable to defend this option whatsoever.

Touchdown Baltimore, and it was conceded on the one play in the redzone which was a read option.

Deebo with a great reverse, he’s easily the best offensive player on the field not named Jackson.

TOUCHDOWN! Mostert with some classy moves and the 49ers get some of that momentum back! 14-14 game.

The option means the first down plays are more effective for the Ravens, they just don’t seem to have any leaning in this game as to what they will do.

This is a huge third down, they need to stop Baltimore and hinder that offensive momentum.

They stop the Ravens, but there’s no way the Ravens won’t go for it on 4th and short.

It has to be the read option. There’s no way it isn’t.

Except it wasn’t, it was a good throw which just gets the first down.

Another roughing the passer penalty, these poor discipline penalties are absolutely incensing me.

It’s not like they aren’t there either, it’s just bad decisions by the defense.

I mean Jackson is in MVP form as it is, he doesn’t need help going down the field people.

In wrestling that’s called a German Suplex.

3rd down throw incomplete! Making them settle for a field goal is a positive step.

Two minute drill time for the offense. Important to remember that the Ravens get the ball first to start the second half.

Mostert has been the best runner on the field, which is not exactly easy at Baltimore.

The 49ers are not hurrying up, which I do not get whatsoever to be honest.

I hate to question the savior of San Francisco in Kyle Shanahan, but yeesh that’s not uptempo.

Well Mostert just ran for a first down, that’s why you don’t question him.

It’s nice to see a flag on Baltimore for once. They’ve been very clean.

This will be about a 50 yard field goal. Surely not in this weather.

Well that wasn’t even close.

I have to go back to questioning why that wasn’t more uptempo for the final drive, the 49ers were moving on the Ravens so they could have at least gotten into field goal range.

17-14 to the Ravens at halftime, the 49ers are in it at the very least.

One week without an expletive* injury, is that really so much to ask for?

Again, the read option fools the defense.

Why is there no spy on Jackson? Seriously.

If it’s not the read option, it’s the power running that is wearing out this defense right now.

What a time to get a play!

That strip was a thing of beauty, that was the perfect strip to ruin what could have been a touchdown for Jackson.

That was the first fumble lost by Jackson all season.

Mostert is having a career game, and he’s been doing this without the confusion the read option brings.

They’re feeding Mostert every play, I am totally fine with this for as long as it takes for the Ravens to stop letting him run over them.

The other thing to consider is this can set up a huge play action call down the road.

There’s that play action I’m talking about, it wasn’t a big play but it still works.

What a play by Garoppolo, a flip at the last second turns a sack on 3rd and 6 into what is now a 4th and 1.

Ughhh I hate burning a timeout in the second half in case you need them, but you can’t sacrifice that 4th and 1 spot.

Here we go.

BIG PENALTY FLAG! Sanders did get hit so I think it’s the right call.

And I say that with absolutely no bias.

OK, a little bias.

OK, I’m very bias.

Ugh, why did they give it to Kittle on a jet sweep instead of feeding it to Mostert?

I love Kittle, but that’s not the play to do in this weather.

Which he does, and it’s a 17-17 game.

Can the defense come up big here? The read option has been killing them.

Once again, a poor discipline penalty in hitting Jackson.

I am fed up with these calls. It wasn’t trying to be dirty but he was well out of bounds.

And once again, the read option kills the 49ers.

WOW! The refs picked up the flag, I did not see that coming.

It’s still a first down however.

All the big plays come from the read option and power run. Jackson is not throwing the ball (not a surprise with the weather), but he doesn’t have to.

Two power runs stopped early, and this is a rare third and long.

The announcers are saying it should be a flag, but by that definition no defender can go for an interception even if they get to the path to the ball.

And the rules expert tells the announcers they’re wrong.

Seriously they have been drooling over the Ravens.

Oh god, shut up already announcers.

And now, the call is being reviewed.

Seriously kids, play offense and you can get all of the ticky tack calls.

Surely they won’t overturn this.

They don’t. The refs have more sense than the announcers.

The end result however is the 49ers have stopped the Ravens.

Oh wow, the Ravens with an athletic play to stop the touchback. I don’t think it hit the endzone.

49ers backed up, but Mostert gets the team some breathing room.

Great third down conversion, and at the very least the 49ers are in good space.

That’ll end the quarter too. 17-17 at the end of the third.

False start threatened to derail the drive but Garoppolo with a great pass on 1st and 15 there for the first down.

Pitch for a loss and now delay of game has killed this drive.

The defense needs another takeaway here, the Ravens are dominating field position.

Well it isn’t a takeaway, but they have made it to a 4th and 5 here. If they can stop the Ravens on this then it’ll be there around midfield.

They may be faking though.

They weren’t, and it’s no good!

The Ravens aggressiveness works against them, and Warner with a pass deflection again!

Can the offense get the 49ers ahead again?

Kittle with a huge catch! They’re in the offensive half of the field!

Big third down here. If it fails it will be way too far for a field goal, so do they go for it or punt?

It’s a risky play, it’s going to be 4th and 1.

This one you go for I think. Go for the quarterback sneak of doom.

Timeout called, they won’t have many in reserve here.

Won’t be a sneak.

Tipped ball, and it’s a turnover on downs.

Ugh.

It’s the right call to go for it. You’re close enough that punting isn’t worth it. Getting it would mean close to field goal range.

If the Ravens go for this and don’t convert then the ball goes back to the 49ers at midfield.

First down on the sneak, the 49ers didn’t look ready there.

Ravens driving down the field, and a field goal looks probable here.

Those missing timeouts are going to hurt I think.

Two minute warning. 17-17 but the Ravens in field goal range, they can bleed the clock here.

This will be a long kick for the weather at least.

But Tucker is the best kicker in the NFL and has 37 straight field goals in the fourth quarter.

So here we go.

49 yards. A big kick in this weather but he has the range.

And it is good. Ugh.

Ravens win, 20-17.

It was a gallant attempt by the 49ers, who did a reasonable job against a Ravens offense that kept rolling over teams, but they couldn’t quite get it down.

The 49ers will need to hope the Seahawks lose to the Vikings or they fall to 2nd in the NFC West.

On the plus side, they can still control their fate in the Conference race by beating the Saints next week and the Seahawks in Week 17.

That’ll do it here, thanks for joining me.

Go Niners.