For weeks now, the common narrative we've heard regarding the San Francisco 49ers has gone something like this… this is a team without a peer in the National Football League. It's a squad that boasted not one, but two legitimate MVP candidates, and with convincing wins over Philadelphia (42-19) and Dallas (42-10) already on their resume, it was hard to imagine anyone stopping San Francisco on their quest to secure the franchise's sixth Super Bowl title. Here was the fault in all of this logic — we forgot to consider that there may be a team in the AFC that is by any measures the closest thing to a peer to the Niners in the league.
The Baltimore Ravens came into their Christmas Day game against San Francisco with an equal record to the Niners, a series of impressive wins against teams in playoff position — Detroit (38-6), Seattle (37-3), Jacksonville (23-7) — and their own MVP candidate in quarterback Lamar Jackson who may have locked up the award with the Ravens 33-19 win over the 49ers. And if there was any doubt as to whether Lamar Jackson had solidified himself as the rightful betting favorite, you just needed to take a listen to what 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa had to say after the game, courtesy of David Lombardi of The Athletic.
“Nick Bosa had some really interesting insight. He said Lamar Jackson changed up his tendencies from earlier this season for this game. Jackson had been waiting more in the pocket, but he reverted to hunting for escape hatches today. Bosa noted the midstream shift was ‘very impressive.'”
Even though Lamar's numbers this season don't compare to what he put up in his 2019 MVP campaign — absolutely bonkers numbers that are really fun to look at if you're in need of a chuckle, as are Lamar's numbers during his Heisman Trophy season — you get the feeling just watching Lamar that we're dealing with a more complete, more consistent, more in command quarterback. That's exactly what was on display against the 49ers on Christmas night. Lamar finished 23/35 passing with 252 yards, 2 touchdowns, 7 rushes for 45 yards, and he was only sacked twice by a Niners defense that's consistently gotten after opposing quarterbacks this year.
The narrative has shifted, and now Baltimore has created a little distance between themselves and the rest of the field. As for the Niners, San Francisco still controls their own fate in the NFC. If the 49ers win out, they'll be the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs, meaning the road to the Super Bowl goes through the Bay Area. But what happens if the Ravens are there waiting for San Francisco in Las Vegas?
I guess I'm getting a little bit ahead of myself, huh? Narratives will continue to change, contenders will continue to fall, and by the time we get to Las Vegas, who the heck knows who will be there.
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