The 49ers lost their second game of the season Sunday in a hard-fought game in wet, sloppy conditions in Baltimore. They played one of their best games of the season against arguably the best team in the NFL. The Ravens have now won eight in a row, but their 20 points were their fewest of the year, and their 288 yards were their second fewest.
Here are the 49ers’ studs and duds from Sunday:
Stud: RB Raheem Mostert
Mostert was the best part of a 49ers offense that at times struggled to move the ball. He had a career day with 146 yards on 19 carries and a 40-yard touchdown run. It felt like a majority of his runs were chunk plays, and Baltimore’s third-ranked run defense struggled all Sunday with him. Mostert’s performance was huge for the 49ers offense with Tevin Coleman struggling for just six yards on five carries.
Dud: Kyle Shanahan
Shanahan’s aggressiveness worked on their first two fourth-down conversions, but his aggressiveness on the third attempt is what led to their defeat. On fourth-and-1 with 6:33 remaining in the game, Shanahan called a pass that was batted down at the line and resulted in a turnover on downs that set up the game-winning drive for Baltimore.
That wasn’t the only questionable call from Shanahan on Sunday. With 1:58 left in the first half with three timeouts, the 49ers offense moved slowly and seemed content in trying for a long field goal in the wet conditions. They didn’t use their first timeout until there were 15 second left in the half and had to settle for a missed 51-yard field goal. With more urgency, the field goal could have been shorter, and in a game decided by three points, could have made a huge difference.
Stud: Fred Warner
Warner has really evolved his game the past several weeks and stepped up in Kwon Alexander’s absence. He was huge in pass coverage Sunday with two pass breakups. One came in the first quarter while covering wide receiver Marquise Brown, and the second came on a fourth down late in the game against tight end Mark Andrews. He was also good for his usual double-digit tackle total, finishing with 11.
Dud: Penalties
The 49ers were called for six penalties for 54 yards, but two roughing the passer penalties hurt the defense the most. The first was called against linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair on an incomplete pass on a third down in the second quarter. The penalty extended the drive and allowed the Ravens to score a touchdown for a seven point lead. Later in the quarter, Sheldon Day was called for a second roughing the passer penalty on a second-and-7 that extended the drive and allowed Justin Tucker to make a field goal. That was 10 points worth of penalties from the 49ers’ defense.
Stud: S Marcell Harris
Harris replaced an injured Jaquiski Tartt and it took just four plays for him to make an impact. Lamar Jackson started the second half hot on his feet with runs of 13 and 14 yards. At the tail end of the 14 yard run, Harris was able to rip the ball from Jackson and recover to end the Ravens’ drive. The play turned the momentum and the 49ers were able to follow the takeaway with a game-tying field goal.
