<
        >

          NFL Nation

          No more debate: Ravens are NFL's best team after beating 49ers

          • Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff WriterDec 1, 2019, 04:16 PM ET
            Close
              Jamison Hensley is a reporter covering the Baltimore Ravens for ESPN. Jamison joined ESPN in 2011, covering the AFC North before focusing exclusively on the Ravens beginning in 2013. Jamison won the National Sports Media Association Maryland Sportswriter of the Year award in 2018, and he authored a book titled: Flying High: Stories of the Baltimore Ravens. He was the Ravens beat writer for the Baltimore Sun from 2000-2011.
            Follow on X

          BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Ravens entered Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers as the NFL’s hottest team.

          Quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens left with a 20-17 victory over the 49ers and a franchise-best eighth straight win.

          On Justin Tucker's 49-yard winning field goal as time expired, Baltimore (10-2) beat the NFC's top team and extended its run over the league’s elite.

          What else do the Ravens have to prove during this regular season? Baltimore has dominated the Seattle Seahawks, who are tied for the second-best record in the NFC; the New England Patriots, the defending Super Bowl champions and current top seed in the AFC; the Houston Texans, who lead the AFC South; and the Rams, who are nine months removed from playing in the Super Bowl.

          It was a much closer game this time for the Ravens, but they proved that they can win in the clutch. On the final drive, Jackson completed all three of his passes for 27 yards to record his third game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime.

          For the most part, Jackson won this one with his legs. He ran for 101 yards, marking his fourth 100-yard rushing game of his career (second in NFL history to Michael Vick's 10).

          The Ravens are 10-2 for the first time in franchise history and are within a half-game of the Patriots for the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

          Troubling trend: The Ravens couldn’t slow down 49ers third-string running back Raheem Mostert. The former Ravens back helped San Francisco run for 174 yards, the second-most given up by Baltimore this season. This resembled the Ravens defense that had struggled earlier this season in setting the edge and tackling. The Ravens now face the Buffalo Bills, who entered the week with the NFL’s No. 5 rushing attack.

          Pivotal play: The fourth-down stand in the fourth quarter. After Baltimore failed to convert its own fourth down the previous drive, it looked like the momentum had swung to the 49ers. But on fourth-and-1 from the Ravens’ 35-yard line, defensive end Chris Wormley deflected Jimmy Garoppolo’s pass to give the ball back to Jackson in a 17-17 game with 6:28 left.