SANTA CLARA — The 49ers put the Ravens game to rest Wednesday morning, doing their usual film review with coach Kyle Shanahan in painstaking detail. If all goes according to plan, the one-sided loss won’t come anywhere near defining their season.
Then they set about putting in motion a game plan against the Washington Commanders, who at 4-11 and with coach Ron Rivera having one foot out the door, could define another lost season by taking down the top seed in the NFC.
The Los Angeles Rams, the hottest team in the conference, await in the regular season finale at Levi’s Stadium, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
“We know we need to win these next two games to get where we’re trying to go,” linebacker Fred Warner said. “So ultimately it ends up being this game is everything. It doesn’t matter about winning two games if you don’t win the first one.”
A 33-19 loss to Baltimore on Christmas night left a razor thin margin for error. The 49ers (11-4) could lose one of two and still be No. 1, but it’s not likely when you consider Philadelphia (11-4) finishes up with Arizona (3-12) and the New York Giants (5-10). Detroit (11-4) could also be in play for No. 1 with a 49ers loss depending on what happens with the Eagles.
What the 49ers learned against Baltimore were the details and minutia of football that led to five interceptions and 10 penalties for 102 yards. It had nothing to do with being overconfident, taking anything for granted or putting their season on cruise control after six straight wins.
“We were so hyped up for an opportunity to show the world how good we are, but I think Kyle did a real good job today of putting it to bed and we’re moving on,” edge rusher Nick Bosa said. “There’s a lot of silver linings with a team like this, how we’ve bounced back before and how mature a group we are. I think it could be a benefit for us down the road.”
Quarterback Brock Purdy, who threw four interceptions, will talk to the media Thursday but looked no different than any other day, cheerfully and politely accepting well wishes on his 24th birthday. Based on what we’ve seen in his previous 23 NFL games, it’s not likely he’ll go into a fetal position after one bad game.
Purdy had already pored over the film before he met with Shanahan Tuesday and then went over it again.
“I know it’s tough when you have four picks and no touchdowns, especially when you have four with two minutes left in the fourth quarter,” Shanahan said. “But you talk to him about why they happened, what happened, and when you look at the game, it’s not a hard thing for him to bounce back from and get to work this week.”
It’s the NFL. Stuff happens. The Ravens crowed about the win afterward and deservedly so. To the victor goes the trash talk. Yet make no mistake, while the 49ers aren’t saying it out loud, they’d like nothing better than to see Baltimore again on Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium in Super Bowl LVIII.
It’s not like the 49ers were stopped in their tracks by Ray Lewis and the 2000 Ravens. Or even the 2012 Ravens that beat the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans.
Quarterback Brock Purdy made some throws downfield for impressive gains against Baltimore but threw four interceptions. Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group
In the first half alone Monday night, the 49ers racked up 231 yards on 27 plays and averaged 8.6 yards per snap. And that supposedly modernized Baltimore pass offense? It wasn’t all that impressive other than Lamar Jackson creating with his legs to find receivers or run for yardage. Jackson was terrific and could win his second MVP, but the offense looked the same as it ever was.
Baltimore had six red zone possessions with help from turnovers and scored on only half of them. It was miraculous the 49ers actually had a chance to make it a one-score game in the final minutes.
It was all about interceptions and mistakes for the 49ers. Cut the turnovers to two and the penalties in half and they would have won.
The hard part isn’t a potential rematch with the Ravens in the Super Bowl as much as it will be getting there in the first place. Things sounded encouraging Wednesday regarding left tackle Trent Williams, who left the game with a groin strain, while the left guard Aaron Banks is a toss-up with a recurrence of turf toe.
The makeup of the offensive line could be a minor change or two or a drastic makeover if neither Williams or Banks can play. That will play out over the rest of the week and next week. A new defensive tackle, Sebastian Joseph-Day, arrived to help pick up the slack for the loss of Arik Armstead for the last three games with a foot injury.
The 49ers could also be down to their third starting strong safety (Logan Ryan? Isaiah Oliver?) if rookie Ji’Ayir Brown’s sprained knee is something serious and he joins Talanoa Hufanga on injured reserve.
Yet rather than have the look and feel of a team headed to the gallows, what the Ravens gifted the 49ers was a major dose of perspective.
“I don’t think we needed a wakeup call but you learn from your experiences and I think it emphasizes the fact that we need to stay in the moment and not look at the one seed or do we have to win this many games,” Bosa said. “Things can go south really fast in the NFL and they can look a lot better week in and week out.”
When the 49er lost three straight in Weeks 6 through 8, conventional wisdom was they’d lost touch with Philadelphia for the No. 1 seed. Then they caught and passed the Eagles in Week 13 with a big win in Philadelphia.
The biggest losses are the ones that don’t include a film review because the season is over, and the Christmas Night Debacle wasn’t anywhere close to that. So the 49ers took their medicine in hope of feeling better.
Related Articles
49ers’ Chase Young ‘pretty hyped up’ about returning to face Washington
49ers mailbag: Christmas is over but Super Bowl dream remains
Brissett to start for Washington Commanders against the SF 49ers after Howell was pulled from the last 2 games
NFC playoff outlook: Division rivals stay in playoff picture as 49ers cling to No. 1
49ers-Commanders preview: Washington to start QB Jacoby Brissett
To Warner, the choice is clear. One option is to assume everything is great, it will continue to be great and and the Ravens loss was a blip on the radar screen. The other is to look in the mirror.
“You always want to get better from a win than a loss, and find a way to win, but in a loss, you look at it hard, you’re honest with yourself,” Warner said. “You make the corrections and you move forward.”
Forward progress over the next six weeks will be difficult as the 49ers know all too well having lost the Super Bowl and two NFC title games over the past four years.
But if they make it to Las Vegas and face the Ravens, don’t expect the 49ers to be intimidated. They’ll instead be lying in wait and leaving the turnovers and penalties at home.
The real accomplishment will be getting there first, and that’s where the story of their season will be told.
