Eric Williams
NFC West Writer
Brock Purdy recently threw his weight behind teammate Christian McCaffrey in the chase for the NFL MVP award.
Then, in a pivotal matchup against the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas night, the 49ers QB took himself out of the MVP picture, throwing four interceptions in a stunning 33-19 San Francisco loss.
As badly as Purdy played, Lamar Jackson was electric for the Ravens, finishing 23-of-35 for 252 yards and two touchdown passes for a 105.9 passer rating. He completed passes to nine different receivers and had no interceptions. He also rushed for 45 yards and extended plays with his feet all night.
Jackson improved to 20-1 against NFC teams. The 2019 MVP appears headed for a second trophy after the impressive win over a San Francisco team that had been on a six-game winning streak.
“I thought Lamar had an MVP performance tonight,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “It takes a team to create a performance like that, but it takes a player to play at that level — to play at an MVP level. And Lamar was all over the field doing everything.”
Playing against one of the most imposing and explosive teams in football, the Ravens were the more physical team. Jackson said the Ravens play their best under the bright lights of the national stage.
“I believe we play better under pressure,” Jackson told reporters. “We keep our poise. We stay locked in, no matter how the game may seem, no matter what the crowd noise is. And no matter how hard the defense is hitting. The [49ers] defense was flying around, I have to give credit where credit is due.
“But we just stay locked in. I don’t think nobody plays like us. We’ve just got to keep playing the way we’re playing, playing the Raven way.”
Purdy threw three interceptions before halftime for the first time in his pro career — the only NFL player to throw three interceptions in the first half this season. The only other time he has thrown at least two…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/ravens-qb-lamar-jackson-seizes-control-of-mvp-race-as-baltimore-humbles-49ers
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Publish date : 2023-12-26 15:14:18
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