Beatdown gang reacts to the Ravens’ latest victory
The Ravens dominated the best opponent in the NFL in the San Francisco 49ers, 33-19. Below are the reactions from the Baltimore Beatdown crew.
A Harbaugh masterclass, and I won’t be taking any arguments against it.The Ravens were hefty underdogs going into hostile territory on Christmas night. Harbaugh got his team to embrace the challenge and whip the 49ers ass.Harbaugh was aggressive when they needed to be and restrained when others wouldn’t. In the end, they leave 12-3, atop the AFC and atop the NFL. They are the best in the world tonight. And they aren’t satisfied.Now, talking about the team. Lamar Jackson was a superstar. Hand him the MVP, dammit. He’s the most valuable player in the NFL, bar none. His plays were incredible.
Defensively, I’m ready to crown Kyle Hamilton the best safety in the NFL and the best defender on a stacked roster. Yes, he’s that good.
A top-to-bottom victory where the team put it together for a full 60-minute affair, and did so against an incredible opponent. Praise the offense for shutting down Nick Bosa, Chase Young and the pass rush. Praise the offense for scoring. Praise the defense for dumpstering the 49ers. Praise the special teams for clicking.
Game of the Year for the Ravens. At least, for now. — Kyle Phoenix
The Ravens notched their biggest win of the season thus far in a game where they were nearly touchdown underdogs and held a three-score lead at one point in the second half before the 49ers scored some garbage-time touchdowns in the fourth quarter with the victory well in hand. After an uneven start to the game that saw their defense give up big plays and the offense give up two points on a ridiculous safety courtesy of the officiating crew, the Ravens took control of the game in the first half and pulled away in the third. The defense notched five interceptions, four of which came off former MVP frontrunner Brock Purdy. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, Lamar Jackson looked every bit of a prime MVP candidate with a masterful passing performance with over 252 passing yards, two touchdowns, and no turnovers. This game couldn’t have gone down any better than the Ravens and their fans could’ve imagined as they exercised ghosts of Christmases past. — Josh Reed
What a win. The Ravens came in and dominated an absolute unit of a team in the 49ers. They were the arguable best team of the NFL and for good reason. They had two MVP candidates, the top offense and an excellent defense.
The Ravens didn’t care. The defense intercepted ex-MVP favorite Brock Purdy four times and shut down the offense for the most part until the very end when Kyle Hamilton went down. The offense scored seven straight times, with three touchdowns thrown in. And Lamar did his thing.
The Ravens come out the clear best team in the NFL, with the best record in the NFL and a chance to lock up their division and the #1 seed in the AFC with a win next week. Also, Lamar probably won himself another MVP, no big deal. — Zach Canter
Wow. Did not expect that one. Going into a game against the red-hot Niners, not many gave the Ravens a chance. What did they do in response? Absolutely bullied the “best team in the NFL”. The defense had quarterback Brock Purdy under duress all night, resulting in five interceptions, two from Kyle Hamilton, the best safety in the league. The Ravens stayed true to their history and simply bullied the opposition, an opposition that has been the bully of the league for the last two months. On offense, Lamar Jackson had another vintage performance, and might have locked up his second MVP award. Baltimore holds onto the #1 seed in the AFC with a chance to clinch a first round bye next week against Miami. After tonight, it’s clear who the best team in the league is, and fortunately for Ravens fans, it resides in Baltimore. — Stephen Bopst