Ravens Dominate 49ers, Jackson Shines, Purdy and Darnold Struggle
Brock Purdy and Sam Darnold were no match for the San Francisco 49ers on Christmas Eve. Purdy and Darnold combined for five interceptions as the Baltimore Ravens blew past the 49ers 33-19 in Week 16 on Monday Night Football.
The Ravens looked like the top team in the NFL at one point and appeared to be part of the 49ers’ hold for four quarters. . Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan didn’t seem ready to bench Purdy, and he wasn’t too worried about Darnold’s late-game slump either.
San Francisco doesn’t have much more than those two with third baseman Brandon Allen, who has 15 games under his belt since 2019. “Oh, Brock, he’s going to get better,” Shanahan told reporters on Monday. “He’s out there … watching film. He’ll come Wednesday ready to go. Hopefully his jab will come out, which I expect. Our whole team will recover.
” Purdy struck out late in the game and did not return. He finished with a 42.6 quarterback rating amid 255 yards passing and four interceptions as he completed 56.2% of his passes. Darnold looked strong at first in relief of Purdy and posted 81 yards passing and a touchdown versus an interception — a 67.9 quarterback rating.
The 49ers couldn’t rally behind Darnold as he failed to come up with a second touchdown inside the Ravens 10-yard line in the fourth quarter. “I thought he came in and did a good job,” Shanahan said. “Real good job, led us to a touchdown there. Wish we would’ve scored again there at the end.”
Kyle Shanahan Defends Sam Darnold
Darnold had a chance to pull the 49ers within one point of the Ravens after his only successful drive of the second half. In the midst of his failed comeback attempt, Shanahan cited circumstances beyond his control. “He was in a tough spot there with the two-minute stuff,” Shanahan added.
“Some guys that were just in and out with some of the receivers, the O-Line, just some of our injuries and turnovers.” The Niners had many offensive line changes due to injuries to Trent Williams (groin), Jaylon Moore (concussion) and Aaron Banks (toe).
In addition, the Ravens front seven had four sacks all night. “But he had good leadership and I didn’t see what happened at the end,” Shanahan said of Darnold. “I looked down the field. I don’t know what happened with the [last] bag, so I’ll check it. But I was happy with Sam.”
Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey Fall Back in the MVP Race
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson took a decisive lead in the MVP race when Purdy and 49ers quarterback Christian McCaffrey failed to lift their team.
McCaffrey provided a spark at times plus a touchdown, but he couldn’t take enough pressure off Purdy, who played his worst game as a pro. Purdy got off to a strong start in Week 15, passing for 3,795 yards with 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
His disappointing performance on Monday won’t improve his MVP chances, but Purdy can still help the 49ers clinch the top seed in the NFC playoffs and continue their postseason run. As for McCaffrey, he had 103 yards receiving, 14 catches and six carries for 28 yards. He just couldn’t turn the tide for the 49ers in a loss. Jackson, meanwhile, shredded the 49ers defense, going 23-35 for 252 yards and two touchdowns and 45 yards rushing on seven carries.
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