Photo: Cary Edmondson/USA Today Sports
Don't be fooled: the winning margin was only 14 points. By eliminating the San Francisco 49ers on the road on Christmas Eve, the Baltimore Ravens emerged as the best team in the NFL, and their quarterback, Lamar Jackson, reclaimed his status as the league's best player.
Monday's bold step forward by the swashbuckling Ravens (12-3), who have won nine of their last 10 games and now have the NFL's best record, may come as a bit of a surprise to those who have been paying more attention this season to the Chiefs, Eagles, Cowboys and 49ers.
Related: NFL recap: Ravens crush 49ers in top-two matchup; Raiders topple Chiefs
But the Baltimore defense, which chased San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy into four interceptions on Monday before leaving the game with a nerve injury, is as ruthless as the Ravens defense was in the days when Ray Lewis and Ed Reed roamed the Earth.
The 49ers (11-4) entered the game as six-and-a-half-point favorites and Super Bowl frontrunners, but the Ravens, apparently outraged by a perceived lack of respect from the bookmakers, rolled into a three-touchdown lead and exposed San Francisco's shortcomings on a weekend that also saw the Chiefs (9-6) and Cowboys (10-5) lose, and the Eagles (11-4) narrowly scraped by the lousy Giants.
Baltimore's defense should have been stout, as the Ravens' defense has been going strong for 20 years under coach John Harbaugh. The surprise could be the return of Jackson, the Louisville quarterback in his sixth NFL season, who has overshadowed other QBs, even Patrick Mahomes, who, believe it or not, is actually subject to funks.
"I thought Lamar had an MVP performance tonight," Harbaugh said after the game. "It takes a team to pull off a feat like that, but it also takes a player to play at that level, to play at an MVP level. Lamar was all over the field."
Jackson, 26, has electrifying speed and has always thrown the ball much better than he has been given credit for. He won the league MVP award in his second season, 2019, but lost some luster when the Ravens were dismal that year and were eliminated in their playoff opener - at home.
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As mobile as the man appears to be, knee and ankle sprains have caused him to miss 10 games over the past two seasons. Jackson has won just one playoff game, which came against the Titans almost three years ago (a game that was followed by a listless loss to Buffalo).
Nevertheless, the Ravens signed Jackson to a five-year, $260 million contract extension in April. Only the Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes ($450 million), the Bengals' Joe Burrow ($275 million) and the Chargers' Justin Herbert ($262.5 million) have bigger contracts among NFL QBs.
In addition to giving him a huge raise, the Ravens also thought Jackson could use some help. Harbaugh, 61, in his 16th season as head coach of the Ravens, brought in a new offensive coordinator, Todd Monken, who most recently held the same position at the University of Georgia, the two-time national champion - with eight years of NFL experience.
The Ravens had a standout veteran in Mark Andrews, who suffered a cracked fibula and an ankle ligament injury in a win over Cincinnati in November. But Baltimore added other receivers, including veterans Odell Beckham Jr. and Nelson Agholor.
Furthermore, the Ravens used their first-round draft pick in April on wide receiver Xavien "Zay" Flowers, who caught 200 passes for 3,056 yards and 29 touchdowns in four years at Boston College. Flowers had nine catches for 72 yards and a touchdown Monday night.
Flowers, Beckham and Agholor have combined for 122 receptions for 1,513 yards and nine touchdowns this season. Tight end Isaac Lively has racked up 23 receptions and two touchdowns since replacing Andrews. Running back Gus Edwards has also increased his production.
But Jackson is still the centerpiece. He has 786 yards rushing this year, including a ridiculous, meandering and delightful (well, delicious if you weren't the 49ers) 30-yard open field drive through San Francisco's secondary that set up a field goal late in the first half.
That gave Baltimore a 16-12 lead. Purdy had already thrown three interceptions. But Jackson's best things came in the third quarter, even though the 49ers still had a chance to win the game. Baltimore's three drives ended with two touchdowns and another field goal.
One of those drives lasted just one play and was nine yards because it came right after Purdy's fourth interception. Jackson, who doesn't throw the ball as much as he zips it, threw a touchdown pass to Flowers. Baltimore had a 33-12 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Sam Darnold, the Jets' QB flop before Zach Wilson became their last QB flop, replaced Purdy after he was injured and threw a touchdown pass to make the game more interesting. But the Ravens sacked Darnold twice and then intercepted him on the Niners' final drive.
And that was it. Jackson was quickly asked about the Ravens' next big game, which comes Sunday at home against the Miami Dolphins (11-4), who defeated the Cowboys on the final play of the game Sunday. He downplayed his inclusion on the NFL MVP shortlist.
"It's cool," he told ESPN. "I am honored to join the conversation. I have one [MVP]. Man, we gotta keep winning, keep doing what we gotta do to make it to February. That's all."
Later he said, "We got the W. I don't really care [personal] performance. I just want to win. That's what happened tonight. I got my present at Christmas."
Christmas night didn't start well for Jackson. Baltimore went three-and-out on their first drive, and their second drive ended miserably when Jackson, trying to avoid being tackled in the end zone, knocked over an official, Alex Moore, before being shouted for safety by intentional grounding.
Jackson has won just 12 starts in one season only one other time in his NFL career - in 2019, when he won the MVP award. That season didn't end well, and Jackson has been waiting for another chance to propel a real contender for a while. Now it turns out he has one.
