The Sports Xchange
Oct 18, 2015
SAN FRANCISCO -- Quarterback Colin Kaepernick passed for a season-high 340 yards and two touchdowns, leading the San Francisco 49ers to a 25-20 victory against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday at Levi's Stadium.
Ex-Ravens wide receivers Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith faced their former team and had big games. Boldin caught five passes for 102 yards, and Smith caught three passes for 96 yards and a 76-yard touchdown.
Kaepernick completed 16 of 27 passes with no interceptions.
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco completed 33 of 53 passes for 343 yards and two touchdowns but was intercepted twice.
Baltimore wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. caught seven passes for 137 yards and one touchdown.
The 49ers and Ravens met for the first time since Super Bowl XLVII three seasons ago, a 34-31 Baltimore victory.
Times have definitely changed for both teams, who came into the game with 1-4 records, fighting to keep their fading playoff hopes alive.
The 49ers (2-4) built a 16-6 halftime lead and made it 19-6 with 7:34 left in the third quarter when Phil Dawson drilled a 42-yard field goal.
Baltimore (1-5) responded with its first touchdown of the day, Flacco hitting Smith Sr. on a 24-yard scoring strike with 2:39 remaining in the third. The Ravens drove 80 yards in nine plays. Smith got behind cornerback Kenneth Acker in the back left corner of the end zone and made a leaping catch.
The Ravens forced a quick punt and drove into 49es territory but stalled at the 27, and Justin Tucker missed a 45-yard field goal attempt early in the fourth quarter.
San Francisco then drove 65 yards in five plays for a touchdown, Kaepernick hitting wide receiver Quinton Patton with a 21-yard scoring strike to give the 49ers a 25-13 lead. Their two-point try failed. Three plays before his TD pass, Kaepernick fired a 51-yard pass to Boldin, giving the 49ers a first down at the Baltimore 28.
Baltimore closed the gap to 25-20 with 5:14 left to play when Flacco fired a 2-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kamar Aiken on fourth-and-goal. The Ravens drove 80 yards in 15 plays for the score.
The Ravens appeared to have forced a 49ers punt, but cornerback Jimmy Smith was flagged for holding on third-and-6 from the San Francisco 40 with 2:26 to play.
Baltimore's final drive ended when Flacco's third-and-five pass from the 49ers' 35 to Smith was broken up in the end zone as time expired.
The 49ers took a 3-0 lead with 7:00 left in the first quarter on Dawson's 53-yard field goal, capping a five-play, 32-yard drive. They extended their lead to 6-0 when Dawson hit from 31 yards with 3:30 remaining in the first.
Baltimore answered with Tucker's 22-yard field goal with 13:16 left in the first half, cutting San Francisco's lead to 6-3.
Two plays later, Kaepernick hit Smith with a 76-yard touchdown pass. Lined up right on second-and-six, Smith got behind former 49ers cornerback Shareece Wright down the right sideline, and Kaepernick hit him in stride.
Wright signed during the offseason with the 49ers as a free agent but never suited up for a game and was released on Oct. 10. Ravens starting left cornerback Lardarius Webb (thigh) was inactive, and backup Kyle Arrington sustained a leg injury in the first quarter, forcing Baltimore to use Wright.
The 49ers increased their lead to 16-3 on Dawson's 26-yard field goal with 8:04 left in the half, and Tucker hit from 36 yards with 4:14 remaining.
NOTES: 49ers RB Reggie Bush (calf) and wide receiver Bruce Ellington (calf) were inactive. ... Ravens starting DE Chris Canty (calf) was inactive for the fourth straight game, and Lawrence Guy started in his place. ... 49ers TE Vernon Davis (knee) returned to the lineup after missing two games. ... Ravens RB Justin Forsett (ankle), WR Steve Smith Sr. (back) and TE Crockett Gillmore (calf) had been listed as questionable but were active for the game.