Ravens laud Lamar Jackson as MVP after win over 49ers

Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Lamar Jackson's coach and teammates said the quarterback deserved NFL MVP honors after leading the Baltimore Ravens to a dominant win over the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL's Week 16 finale.

Jackson threw for 252 yards and two scores while running for another 45 yards in the 33-19 win Monday at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

He kept the 49ers' Top 10 defense off-balance by dispersing passes to an array of wide receivers, while escaping an aggressive pass rush with acrobatic jukes and unmatched speed.

"I think if anybody watched the game, if anybody watched football this season and watched the Baltimore Ravens, they know for a fact [that] Lamar Jackson is the MVP, hands-down," Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith told reporters.

The Ravens (12-3) scored 20-unanswered points from the end of the second quarter through the third quarter and their defense intercepted the 49ers (11-4) five times in the victory.

They also extended a five-game winning streak and remain the top seed in the AFC playoff picture. Jackson, already an MVP contender before the game, likely improved his stock with his Christmas night efforts.

"I thought Lamar had an MVP performance," 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 -- it takes a player to play that way. And Lamar was all over the field doing everything."

Despite Monday's loss, the 49ers still hold a narrow lead on the Philadelphia Eagles (11-4) as the top seed in the NFC.

"Anytime you've got five turnovers and over 100 yards in penalties, that's how it should be," 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said.

The 49ers took a 2-0 lead when Jackson was called for intentional grounding while in his own end zone about five minutes into the game. Kicker Jake Moody ended the next drive with a 45-yard field goal to give the 49ers a 5-0 lead.

The Ravens answered with an eight-play, 65-yard drive. Kicker Justin Tucker made a 28-yard field goal to end that possession. Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey intercepted 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy early in the second quarter.

Jackson then led an 11-play, 53-yard drive. Running back Gus Edwards ended the drive with a 1-yard rushing score for the Ravens' first lead of the night.

Purdy threw another interception to Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton about 1:30 later. Tucker followed with a 41-yard field goal for a 13-5 Ravens lead.

The 49ers answered with a six-play, 67-yard drive. Running back Christian McCaffrey scored a 9-yard rushing touchdown less than four minutes later.

The Ravens responded with their 20-0 run. Tucker made a 28-yard field goal at the end of the first half for the first points of the surge.

Jackson threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Nelson Agholor on the Ravens' first drive of the third quarter. Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen intercepted Purdy for a fourth time on the first play of the resulting possession.

Jackson threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Zay Flowers on the next snap, pushing the Ravens lead to 30-12.

The Ravens defense then forced a 49ers punt. Tucker split the uprights on a 24-yard field goal about 7 minutes later.

Purdy exited the game with a stinger injury in the fourth quarter. Second-string quarterback Sam Darnold went on to end a 12-play, 90-yard drive with a 12-yard pass to wide receiver Ronnie Bell with 6:19 remaining for the final touchdown of the night.

Purdy, who also entered the night as an MVP frontrunner, completed 18 of 32 passes for 255 yards, in addition to his four interceptions. McCaffrey, a fellow MVP candidate, totaled 131 yards from scrimmage on 20 touches in the loss. Tight end George Kittle hauled in seven catches for 126 yards. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk totaled 113 yards on six catches for the 49ers.

Darnold completed 8 of 14 passes for 81 yards, one score and an interception.

Defensive end Brent Urban totaled two sacks. Linebacker Kyle Van Noy and edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney also logged sacks for the Ravens.

Safety Kyle Hamilton, who made two of the Ravens' five interceptions, left the game because of a knee injury in the fourth quarter.

"We don't take anything away from them on [their] defense, offense or special teams, as well," Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson said. "I pretty much like it that way -- just being the underdogs. I don't want people looking at us like, 'We need them to go in and do this and that.'

"I like playing as the underdog, and I feel like we have more success being that way."

The Ravens will host the Miami Dolphins (11-4) at 1 p.m. EST Sunday in Baltimore. The 49ers will battle the Washington Commanders (4-11) at 1 p.m. Sunday in Landover, Md.