The Ravens suffered a frustratingly familiar fate Sunday in Levi’s Stadium.
The offense took until the second half to get into a rhythm and the defense allowed too many big plays. The Ravens were also on the wrong end of a key call late in the game.
Let’s look back at some of these plays, which were also viewed using NFL Game Pass.
Holding Call On J. Smith
An overlooked moment from Sunday’s game was a botched holding call on cornerback Jimmy Smith
on San Francisco’s final drive. The play occurred on third-and-7 with the 49ers at their own 40-yard line. Smith was lined up in the slot against wide receiver Quinton Patton, and he jammed the wideout at the line of scrimmage. Smith didn’t wrap up Patton and all of the contact occurred within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage, which the rules allow.
But the back judge, who was standing 25 yards away from Smith and Patton, still threw the flag for defensive holding. The penalty gave the 49ers five 5 yards, and more importantly, a fresh set of downs. Making the call even tougher to swallow was the fact that 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick didn’t even look Patton’s direction. He scrambled the other way and was pushed out of bounds after a 1-yard gain. Without the penalty, the 49ers would have punted on the next play, giving the Ravens the football with about 2 two minutes, 30 seconds left and two chances to stop the clock. Instead, the Ravens ultimately got the ball back with 1:15 remaining and no timeouts left.
Blatant Missed Penalty On Boldin
The penalty on Smith was incredibly significant late in the game, but it wasn’t as blatant as a missed call on Boldin. Boldin was matched up against cornerback Kyle Arrington, and the veteran receiver pushed the defender’s helmet to the turf in the middle of a play. Kaepernick rolled out and threw a pass Torrey Smith’s direction, but before that happened, Boldin should have been flagged for unnecessary roughness.
Flacco Had Options On INT
Quarterback Joe Flacco has taken ownership of the interception he threw on Baltimore’s opening drive of the second half, saying it was a “really, really dumb throw.” Flacco explained he was trying to throw the ball away, but he actually had some good options on the play. Running back Buck Allen was wide open down the left sideline and tight end Crockett Gillmore had room in the middle of the field. Pressure in Flacco’s face likely kept him from locating those targets, but he did have options other than heaving it over the middle of the field.
Where Were Safeties on T. Smith’s Touchdown?
An old friend hurt the Ravens Sunday when Smith burned cornerback Shareece Wright for a 76-yard touchdown. Smith beat Wright with a classic double move. So where were the safeties on that play? Will Hill and Kendrick Lewis were actually both playing near the line of scrimmage because the 49ers had just two receivers split wide. The 49ers instead opted to use extra blockers to give Kaepernick time to throw – they had seven blockers protecting against five Ravens pass rushers – and that allowed the play to develop. Without any safeties deep, Smith had just one man to beat, and Kaepernick had all the time in the world.
Standard B. Williams Play
It’s a rule of thumb that Brandon Williams will have at least one standout play where he dominates an offensive lineman. That happened on this fourth-quarter stop against running back Carlos Hyde. Williams helps collapse the 49ers offensive line by taking on two blockers and allowing outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil to easily bring down the ball carrier.
