The conditions at M&T Bank Stadium were far from ideal. From the vantage point of quarterback Lamar Jackson, the “horrible” weather “messed with me a lot … A lot of passes [were] getting away from me.” He wasn’t kidding; by the end of the Ravens’ grueling meeting with the Niners, he managed to complete only 14 of 23 tries for 105 yards, paltry by his standards. He even lost the admittedly wet ball in his first series after the half, a mistake deep in enemy territory that could have proven costly given the three points that separated the protagonists at the time.
Needless to say, the wind and rain affected all and sundry. Niners counterpart Jimmy Garoppolo, typically solid, likewise fumbled the cowhide early in the set-to, and ultimately couldn’t do better than 165 yards on air off a 15-of-21 effort. In any case, the proverbial cream still managed to rise to the top, with Jackson rushing for 101 yards on 16 carries all told and, more importantly, presiding over a final drive that netted the Ravens a tie-breaking field field goal as time expired. It was the fourth time he breached a triple-digit mark on the ground, a league record for a player in his position.
For Jackson, it helped, of course, that the Ravens put up a superb defensive effort to limit the Niners to three points off 119 total yards after the break. He also had Justin Tucker — not coincidentally the league’s most accurate kicker of all time — to thank for making the game-clinching field goal from 49 yards. “That golden leg. I got all the faith,” he noted in the aftermath. In truth, both the score and the drive that preceded it — a 34-yard grinder that unfolded over 12 plays in the last six minutes and 28 seconds of the contest — were no mean feats under trying circumstances.
Up next for the Ravens: a road outing against the vaunted Bills, sporting a 9-3 slate and eyeing a wild-card berth in the American Football Conference. And after yesterday’s squeaker, they have reason to be confident of their chances. Once again, Jackson showed his mettle, and why he’s deemed a favorite for the Most Valuable Player award. And, once again, they followed his lead to secure an eighth straight triumph. They’re not 10-2 to date for nothing, and they rightly consider themselves capable of keeping their momentum going heading in the playoffs.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
