Here’s how the Ravens (12-3) graded out at each position after a 33-19 win over the San Francisco 49ers (11-4) in Monday night’s Week 16 game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Quarterback
Lamar Jackson took about 25 minutes to warm up. He seemed nervous and the Ravens might be better suited getting him more involved in the running game rather than starting with a bunch of passes. But once he got into a flow, he was successful in making plays after escaping and rolling out of the pocket. Jackson completed 23 of 35 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns, and he got two big gains on yards after the catch by halfback Gus Edwards and tight end Isaiah Likely. The intentional grounding penalty on Jackson that led to a safety in the first quarter showed he had the jitters. Grade: B+
Running backs
The Ravens didn’t have a standout or dominant performer, but they kept San Francisco off-balance with both Edwards and Justice Hill. Edwards had nine carries for 31 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, and Hill had 10 for 26. Both made major contributions as pass catchers. Hill added three catches for 31 yards and Edwards had one short reception that he turned into a 39-yard gain. Grade: C+
Offensive line
The 49ers came into the game with the best linebacking corps in the NFL, but the Ravens blocked them and their defensive line well. San Francisco had only two sacks and four quarterback pressures. Offensive tackles Morgan Moses and Ronnie Stanley, who have struggled in recent weeks, were solid, and the Ravens got good movement on initial contact on running plays by guards Kevin Zeitler and John Simpson. The Ravens finished with 343 yards of total offense and won the line of scrimmage. Grade: B+
Receivers
This group came out as cold as Jackson to open the game. Even when Jackson got going, the Ravens still dropped too many passes. Both Jackson and rookie Zay Flowers had poor timing early but got better as the game went on. Flowers finished with nine catches for 72 yards and a 9-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Likely had three catches for 56 yards while receiver Nelson Agholor had a 6-yard touchdown reception in the third. Eight players caught at least one pass. Grade: B-
Defensive line
San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey had 103 yards on 14 carries but didn’t dominate or control the tempo of the game. Part of the reason is that the 49ers came out throwing the ball, which was a mistake, and then the Ravens started dominating the line of scrimmage from midway through the second quarter until the end of the game. McCaffrey couldn’t run outside the tackles on toss plays. Justin Madubuike had four tackles and fellow end Brent Urban had two sacks. Grade: B
Linebackers
There were times the 49ers got some nice blocks on both inside linebackers Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen, but both of them came up and made some vicious tackles. Smith finished with eight tackles while Queen had seven and was successful coming off the edge or even up the middle on blitzes. Once the 49ers got behind, they couldn’t stop either outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney or Kyle Van Noy, who each had a sack. Clowney dominated in the second half from both the left and right sides. When he didn’t get pressure, he got his arms up to at least obstruct passing lanes. Grade: A
Secondary
San Francisco’s receiving corps is among the best in the NFL at gaining yards after the catch and the Ravens contained them for most of the game. They gave up some yards over the middle, but the 49ers couldn’t figure out if someone was blitzing off the edge or dropping into coverage. The Ravens finished with five interceptions and the smartest move was putting cornerback Marlon Humphrey back inside over the slot receiver. Brandon Stephens continues to play extremely well and can be physical with most receivers and get away with his aggressiveness. Stephens and safety Kyle Hamilton, who had two interceptions, each finished with five tackles, and safety Marcus Williams had seven to go with a late pick. Grade: A
Special teams
Justin Tucker converted on field goal attempts of 28, 41, 28 and 24 yards. Jordan Stout averaged 43.3 yards on three punts, two of those inside the 20, while his longest was 56 yards. Tylan Wallace was at least decisive as a return specialist, but the Ravens allowed Deebo Samuel to return a kickoff 26 yards. That’s way too many. Grade: B
Coaching
The Ravens play hard and that’s the ultimate compliment for coach John Harbaugh. The 49ers were out-coached and out-schemed even though they are one of the better-coached teams in the NFL under Kyle Shanahan. The Ravens’ offense kept San Francisco off balance with a good blend of pass and run, and defensively they took away most of the 49ers’ plays to the outside, especially those quick passes. San Francisco had no clue which players the Ravens were sending off the corner. Grade: A