Mike McGlinchey Shined Bright in Gloomy Loss to Ravens

Following his poor week 10 performance against the Seahawks, offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey has been on a tear. His performance against the Ravens on Sunday reinforces that narrative.

Losing to the Baltimore Ravens this past Sunday is nothing to be ashamed of for the San Franciso 49ers. The Ravens were riding a seven game winning streak heading into week 13 against the 49ers. A loss is never a positive thing in football, but at least the 49ers can hold their heads up high knowing they give it their all.

There wasn't really a single terrible performance from any of these players. In fact, there were some impressive outings from the 49ers like right tackle Mike McGlinchey. His performance shined bright in the gloomy loss to the Ravens as he registered his career best Pro Football Focus grade on Sunday (88.4). 

McGlinchey was fantastic against a blitz heavy Ravens' defense in both pass and run blocking. He did not allow a single pressure when Jimmy Garoppolo dropped back to pass. The 49ers also had phenomenal success when running on McGlinchey's side. They averaged 11.1 yards per carry running to the right side and 21 yards per carry on two rushes directly behind McGlinchey’s spot via Pro Football Focus.

When asked about his impressive performance postgame, Kyle Shanahan answered:

“No doubt. I thought Mike had his best game of the year versus Green Bay and then I think he followed that up with his new best game of the year yesterday. I know Mike’s been battling through some injuries to get back. I know when he did get back, it still takes some time to get back to your old self, but I saw that last week definitely and I think he only got better this week."

When McGlinchey returned to the field for the 49ers against the Seattle Seahawks in week 10 he had a less than stellar outing. Jadeveon Clowney had his way with him in that matchup and was a factor as to why Garoppolo never settled into that game. Since that week 10 matchup, McGlinchey has started to return to form.

He's easily been a major factor as to why the passing game has been flowing so well. Seeing how great McGlinchey has been the last few weeks just shows how much of a fluke week 10 against the Seahawks was. Being away from the game for over a month like how McGlinchey was will have any NFL player feeling rusty.

The speed of the game becomes a bit lost on players as well as the conditioning factor. This strong stretch of games by him gives some hope on Joe Staley's return. Staley had a horrendous game against the Seahawks, which of course rust was the direct cause. It's safe to say that the 49ers are in a great position with both of their offensive tackles. McGlinchey will need to keep his impressive streak going when the 49ers head to New Orleans to take on the Saints.