Ravens defense hands Smith, 49ers second loss
TIMORE, MD – NOVEMBER 24: Quarterback Joe Flacco #5 of the Baltimore Ravens warms up prior to their game…
(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
10Defensive / Special Teams TDsPossession28:5231:08
San FranciscoC/ATTYDSAVGTDINTNFL RATINGSmith15/241405.80161.1BaltimoreC/ATTYDSAVGTDINTNFL RATINGFlacco15/231617.0101.1
San FranciscoRECYDSAVGTDLGTGTSCrabtree6549.189Davis89.50205BaltimoreRECYDSAVGTDLGTGTSBoldin46315.80229Rice3248.173
NEXT LEVEL: The 49ers’ Frank Gore was held to 25 yards on carries between the tackles. Entering the game Gore was third in the league on rushes between the tackles with 666 yards and was also tied for second with 5 rushes of 20 or more yards on such runs.[+]Frank Gore Rushing, Between the Tackles20 SeasonFirst 9 GamesThursday*Yards PG66.625Yds per rush4.42.320+ yard rushes50
NEXT LEVEL: Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs completed with 3 sacks, all of which came in formations that featured at least 5 defensive backs. All 9 sacks Suggs has recorded this season have come out of the Ravens’ small defensive formations.
NEXT LEVEL: The Ravens tied a franchise record with 9 sacks against the 49ers Thursday night. Five of the Ravens’ sacks came when they sent 5 or more pass rushers. Eight of the Ravens’ 9 sacks also came with 5 or more defensive backs on the field.
[+]Most Sacks in Single Game, Ravens HistoryResult20 vs. 49ers9Won26 vs. Steelers9Won1997 vs. Eagles9Tie
The 49ers were held to a season-low 170 total yards. It’s their lowest single-game output since 27 when they mustered just 163 yards in a 9-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.Alex Smith was sacked 9 times by the Ravens tying a 49ers single-game record for the most times sacked since became official in 1982. Smith was sacked a total of 7 times in the 6 games that preceded this one.[+]Most Times Sacked – 49ers QB in Single Game
TIMORE — John Harbaugh could have gloated. He could have bragged.
Instead, the Baltimore Ravens coach played the role of gracious huge brother after he bested Jim Harbaugh and the San Francisco 49ers 16-6 Thursday night in the first NFL game featuring brothers as opposing head coaches.The Ravens (8-3) tied a franchise record with nine sacks to end San Francisco’s eight-game winning streak.Ravens Romp
The Ravens sacked Alex Smith nine times, which tied a single-game Ravens franchise record. That’s one less sack than the Ravens had in the previous four games combined.
Most Sacks in Single Game, Ravens HistoryResult20 vs. 49ers9Won26 vs. Steelers9Won1997 vs. Eagles9Tie
“To the 49ers and to my brother, I cannot tell you enough how proud I am of him and the job he is done building that football team,” John stated of Jim, a rookie NFL coach. “That’s a football team. The way they are built, it’s pretty hard to figure out a way to beat them.”John, 49, and Jim, 47, grew up dueling each other in all sorts of games. This, however, was the first time their sibling rivalry was displayed on a national stage.During the final minute, John got a Gatorade bath from his players — twice. After the game ended, the brothers hugged at midfield.”There’s a saying that says, ‘As iron sharpens iron, so does one man sharpen another,’” Jim said. “And I have to state my brother John is the sharpest iron I’ve ever came across in my life.”The Ravens chased, hindered and battered 49ers quarterback Alex Smith for much of the night despite playing without middle linebacker Ray Lewis, the team’s leading tackler and spiritual leader. Lewis was inactive for a second straight game with a foot injury.Smith completed 15 of 24 passes for 140 yards and an interception, and San Francisco (9-2) was held without a touchdown for the first time this season. Smith never could get into a rhythm against an aggressive defense that rarely let him set up in the pocket.”It’s tough to get ready for a defense like that in a short week. They do so many things,” he said. “They’re a great front. At home with the crowd noise, they were teeing off.”Terrell Suggs had three sacks for first-place Baltimore, which moved a half-game ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North.”That’s always the game plan, to get after the quarterback, but I think the No. 1 game plan was to win the Harbaugh Bowl,” Suggs said. “Coach tried to downplay it — act like it’s not me against my brother, this is the Ravens vs. the 49ers and let’s get win No. 8 and make sure our destiny is in our own hands — but it was really important to him. We as a team went out there and really wanted to win for him.”Moving The Chains
Joe Flacco was successful on third down against the 49ers, completing 7 of 10 passes for 84 yards and the only touchdown of the game. On the winning drive at the end of the third quarter, Flacco converted four third down plays of 6 yards or longer.
Baltimore broke a 6-6 tie with a 76-yard, 16-play drive that lasted more than 7½ minutes and ended with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco to tight end Dennis Pitta with 14:56 left. Flacco went 4 for 4 for 34 yards and a touchdown on third down during the drive.”When you have that kind of game plan — your line being so efficient on third downs — you have to come through,” Flacco said.Billy Cundiff wrapped up the scoring with his third field goal, a 39-yarder with 4:16 remaining.In a game dominated by both defenses, Flacco completed 15 for 23 for 161 yards and Ray Rice ran for 59 yards on 21 carries.The 49ers began the third quarter with a 13-play drive that lasted 7½ minutes and produced a 52-yard field goal by David Akers for a 6-6 tie. The key play was an 18-yard completion from Smith to Michael Crabtree on a third-and-17 from the San Francisco 26.The Ravens responded with their lone touchdown drive of the game.Baltimore sacked Smith four times in the first half and picked off a pass in taking a 6-3 lead.The Ravens took the opening kickoff and moved 55 yards — 38 of them on a pair of Flacco-to-Anquan Boldin completions — before Cundiff kicked a 39-yard field goal.Late in the first quarter, a 20-yard completion from Smith to tight end Vernon Davis set up a 45-yard field goal by Akers.The 49ers blew a chance to take the lead when Frank Gore was penalized for a chop block on a 75-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Ted Ginn, who got behind Cary Williams deep down the middle.Neither team had much luck moving the ball until San Francisco’s Tarell Brown was called for pass interference on a long pass to Torrey Smith. The 50-yard penalty put the ball at the 15, and even though the Ravens turned it into a first-and-goal at the 4, they had to settle for a 23-yard field goal with 2:51 left in the half.Game notes
Baltimore has won all six home games this season and 15 of 16. … Gore completed with 39 yards on 14 carries. … Although the Ravens had a first-and-goal at the 4 in second quarter, the 49ers held and kept intact their distinction of not allowing a TD rushing all season. … Lee Evans had a catch for the Ravens, his first reception since Week 2 after missing seven games with an ankle injury.
Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press
source : sports.espn.go.com
Related News:
- Is Gisele Bundchen pregnant with second child?
- Facebook Shares Plunge Sharply For Second Day
- Facebook Shares Tumble By 13% On Second Day
- Rhimes Adopts Second Daughter
- Melo tweaks groin, hopes to play Wednesday
- Bucks’ monster second half ends Heat’s streak
- Phillies pop Red Sox for second straight day
- Wheldon wins second Indy 500 in wild finish
- Weight gain between first and second pregnancies increases woman’s gestational diabetes risk, study finds
- ‘Hannah Montana’ destroyed family states Miley Cyrus’s father
Details :
Submited at Friday, November 25th, 2011 at 6:00 am on Sports by chuck
Comment RSS 2.0 - leave a comment - trackback