The Baltimore Ravens put the NFL world on notice on Monday night, spoiling Christmas for the San Francisco 49ers with a commanding 33-19 victory on the road.
Lamar Jackson was fantastic and may have propelled himself as the NFL MVP favorite over his opponent, Brock Purdy, who was the clear Vegas front runner heading into the matchup.
The Ravens dual-threat QB finished the game with 252 passing yards, two interceptions and no interceptions,. He added another seven rushes for 45 yards, keeping the 49ers — who boast the No. 1 defense in the league — constantly guessing with creative offensive packages and play calling.
Purdy on the other hand had one of the worst outings of his young career. The 49ers QB entered the game with the top QBR in the NFL, but threw four interceptions, which proved to be the difference in the game. The Baltimore Ravens defense looked dominant at times, finishing the game with four sacks and creating constant havoc for Purdy and the San Francisco offense.
Lamar Jackson Unleashes On Mike Florio For Disrespecting Baltimore Ravens
ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio didn’t hold back with his bold prediction for the coveted Christmas Day matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens, declaring last week that the Niners would “kick the sh– out of the Ravens” in Santa Clara.
The 49ers kick the sh– out of the Ravens on Monday night. I’m sorry. I know that’s disrespectful to the Ravens, but let’s be realistic. They’ve got to fly across the country on Christmas night, and the 49ers are waiting. And the 49ers are going to dismantle the Ravens,” Florio said in his initial comments on Thursday.
Jackson kept receipts from one of his biggest naysayers, and was more than happy to prove Florio wrong.
“Not to take away from the 49ers at all, but we got a great record as well, We came to play ball. We aren’t a fluke. And we showed that, so he can keep doing his job, but just don’t come off like that towards us that disrespectful like I said. Because he ain’t the one putting the pads on, If he would have put the pads on I feel like he wouldn’t be saying that, it would be different for him. I say that to say this.
We are respectful to our opponents, our opponents are respectful to us, so a guy who’s not even playing to come out and be disrespectful to us for no reason, I guess he wants more views on his little channel. I’m going to leave it at that.”
It’s clear Florio was dead wrong in his prediction and Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens proved they are one of the top teams in the league.
The Pro Football Talk founder and host did take the high road and apologized to Jackson and the Ravens after he was called out.
Lamar is right. I apologize for how I phrased my opinion. I believed the 49ers were dramatically better than every other team in the NFL: Cowboys, Eagles, Chiefs, Dolphins, everyone. The Ravens proved otherwise. They deserve complete and total respect for what they accomplished. https://t.co/4ja4gvuWnc
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) December 26, 2023
Will We See A Baltimore Ravens Vs. 49ers Rematch?
Even though the Ravens were the better team on Monday night, the San Francisco 49ers had an uncharacteristically bad night with five turnovers.
They hit a skid midway through the season and bounced back in a major way, so it’s still possible they are the top team in the NFC heading into the playoffs.
As far as the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens look like the team to beat. The Miami Dolphins appear to be their biggest threat right now with the Chiefs trending in the wrong direction, but anything can happen in the NFL in January.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see a rematch between the Ravens and 49ers in the Super Bowl.
