Lamar Jackson, Ravens Defense Celebrated by NFL Fans in Rout vs. Brock Purdy, 49ers

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There’s no doubt who the NFL’s best team is at the moment after the Baltimore Ravens destroyed the host San Francisco 49ers 33-19 on Christmas evening.

And we now have a new leader in the MVP race as well in Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

This was supposed to be a tightly contested battle between the AFC and NFC’s top seeds. That’s how it played out for one half, at least, as the Ravens held a 16-12 halftime lead.

However, Baltimore scored 17 unanswered points thanks to Jackson touchdown passes to Nelson Agholor and Zay Flowers as well as a Justin Tucker field goal. Entering the fourth quarter, the Ravens led 30-12.

The 49ers did make it a bit interesting late with a Ronnie Bell touchdown catch and another late drive to attempt to make this a one-score game in the final minutes, but a Marcus Williams interception shut that effort down.

Ultimately, the Ravens showed why they own the league’s top scoring defense. They were in quarterback Brock Purdy and Sam Darnold’s faces all night, amassing five interceptions (two from Kyle Hamilton), four sacks and nine quarterback hits.

Purdy, the NFL MVP favorite entering the evening, struggled in particular with four picks. Per Lisa Salters on the ABC/ESPN broadcast, Purdy left the game in the fourth quarter with a stinger. He was cleared to return, but the 49ers stuck with Darnold late as the game was essentially out of reach.

The biggest pick was courtesy of Patrick Queen, who set the Ravens up nine yards from the end zone after this effort with Baltimore up 23-12.

That soon set up a Zay Flowers touchdown for the three-score advantage.

As for Jackson, he showed why he’s the MVP favorite now. He completed 23-of-35 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns while adding 45 rushing yards. Jackson’s favorite target was Zay Flowers, who snagged nine passes for 72 yards and a score.

Jackson routinely led a confident, efficient and explosive offense that uses its weapons all over the field. The biggest one is Jackson, of course, who received plenty of praise on social media alongside the ferocious defensive effort.

Baltimore will now host the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon. The Ravens will clinch the AFC’s No. 1 seed with a win.