SANTA CLARA – Lamar Jackson went into the Christmas night game against the 49ers an underdog.
He left the 33-19 victory the MVP frontrunner, according to both Baltimore coaches and players, after shredding the home team and outshining Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey, his competition for the award.
“I thought McCaffrey had a really good game, and he’s a really good player, but I think that with the score, it might just be our guy, it might be Lamar,” Ravens corner back Marlon Humphrey said.
Jackson, who won the honor in 2019, was dominant in the short passing game, throwing on the run, and sprinting for yardage on his trademark scrambles.
“To win, which happened tonight, that was my gift for Christmas,” said Jackson, adding that he didn’t care one way or the other for what the game meant for his MVP odds.
The numbers, 252 passing yards and two touchdowns plus 45 yards rushing and countless more saved with his scrambles, bore that out.
“I thought Lamar had a MVP performance tonight,” longtime Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said after the Ravens won their fifth straight game.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy #13 is sacked by Baltimore Ravens’ Marlon Humphrey #44 in the first quarter of their NFL game against the Baltimore Ravens at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Monday, Dec. 25, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Though McCaffrey had a solid day with 131 yards from scrimmage and his 21st touchdown of the season, Purdy had his worst outing as a professional as the 49ers dropped to 11-4.
The second-year quarterback threw four interceptions, three in the first half, and had to leave the game in the fourth quarter due to an injury.
“Everyone wants to be cute out there playing basketball on grass, and we’re not with all that,” said linebacker Patrick Queen, who had an interception.
While Purdy couldn’t stop turning the ball over, Jackson was near perfect. One of the highlights was a slaloming 36-yard scramble late in the second quarter, which put Baltimore in field goal position.
The 26-year-old made all-pro 49ers linebacker Fred Warner look like he was trying to tackle a ghost on a sick cutback.
“Lamar is a special player, and there’s no other quarterback like him that can do what he does week in and week out,” Baltimore defensive back Marcus Williams said.
Jackson has passed for 19 touchdowns and over 3,000 yards this season.
Baltimore Ravens’ Nelson Agholor #15 celebrates his touchdown with teammates in the third quarter of their NFL game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Monday, Dec. 25, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Aside from singing their quarterback’s praises, the Ravens made sure to gloat about proving the oddsmakers wrong, who had Baltimore as a 5.5-point underdog before kickoff.
“You know, I would’ve been okay with 2.5 or even three,” Williams said. “We did take that personal.”
Jackson added, “They’re great all across the board, but we come to play as well. Our record’s not a fluke.”
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Nobody is going to be doubting the Ravens after Monday night, when the Birds had five interceptions and had home fans heading for the exits by the end of the third quarter.
“I kind of felt a certain kind of way about stuff like that when someone writes you off before you even get a chance to play the game,” Queen said.
Even their coach acknowledged that his team felt slighted during the week.
“Our guys work hard, and they compete hard, and you know, everyone wants to be respected,” Harbaugh said. “But there’s one way to be respected, and that’s to go out there and earn it.”
Monday night, the Ravens earned respect, and possibly an MVP award.
